Is My Horse Through!

My clinician teaching my horse to get off the front end!

The big debate now is my horse not being through and setting a frame rather than her seeking the contact.  Now I get that, but according to my clinician 90% of horses are not correct.  People have no idea that the horse will seek the contact rather than the rider picking it up.  OK fine, then teach me.  What kills me is that now this is a problem.  After two years I've been wrong.  I don't pull back and I make sure the energy is coming from behind, but my mare is a tough cookie.  Her neck is very short, stiff and set low.  Another issue is when she down transitions she can slightly drops the front end.  For starters you can't even see it nor can you feel it unless you really focus on it.  It's so slight but this an issue too.  She tells me that I will never be able to teach my horse properly and that I need more lessons.  I think the clinician was a bit cranky today.  I will never be perfect, but I will get better.

Lesson

Suffering from a really bad cold I didn't want to give up on my lesson this this week.  I decided to would put Ivy on a line w/ side reins to warm her up before my ride.  She had one big blow up and then just wanted to gallop on.  Normally I never let her play or buck w/ tack on, but my trainer said let her be today.  That is the big debate now among my friends, do you let your horse buck and play on a line.  I was told that when a horse has tack on the line, they need to focus and listen and never buck.  Since we don't have a place to let them run I do let her play on a long line w/ out tack. 

After about eight min. I hop on and pick the contact up.  We work on trot to walk and back to trot transitions.  Spiral in and out on a 20 meter at the trot, and finally canter.  Her canter seems less hollow now, but needs more energy.  Not one hint of connection issues or rein lameness.  I really focused on leg first to hand w/ a steady contact.  Going to the right I used counter flex to true to get her lower in the poll. My trainer said that it was the best lesson ever and that I should warm her up on a line for five min.  I need to reflect on it now.  Jumping is still on hold, but trot poles are starting next week.

Rein Lame and Connection Issues

We are getting back to work now and I am causing major issues with my horse.  Tracking left the connection is there, but only after I counter flex to true flextion or inside flextion.  I don't over bend the neck and I always use my leg first.  Once I have her flexed from the poll to the inside I drive with my inside left leg to the outside rein.  When we track right, her better canter side, I cause her to go rein lame.  This only happens when I ride and not when I lunge her w/ side reins.  I let my reins slide for her to stretch and she is fine, but when I pick the connection up we have issues. 
In my lesson this week we worked on haunches in on the circle and shoulders in on that same circle to the right.  The connection improves and when I sit it's perfect.  I must be twisting my body and pulling the reins back when I post.  We also tried turning my shoulders to the right and really making her bend around my inside right leg.  Today I worked on the same exercises.  I think it's working, but I need a lot of work.  Can't show till I solve the connection issue.