Working On My Hand Position: The Corridor

Lessons have been sporadic due to vacations etc. over the last few weeks but what I have been able to work on has really helped me.  Last week Mia started to introduce the idea of conceptualizing the reins as a corridor: my job is to keep that corridor straight, even, and stable.  Now Indy is basically a rather stiff horse, so one would think this wouldn't be that hard... wrong!  He does indeed like to bulge, but the idea of keeping the corridor stable really helped me use my leg aids to get him off my rein instead of reverting to over-bending him.  Continuing the focus on the reins and hand position (since a lot of the leg position exercises and ideas are becoming so much more second-nature now after a few months of this) the idea of pushing down into the reins with your knuckles - not getting my hands too low, but lower than I had been riding.  This helped stabilize them and also allowed me to not have my hands unintentionally post with my body.  It's interesting at the walk, though, because when you're connected through the corridor (and, I guess, when you're really on the bit), your hands follow so much less than on a loose rein.  Have to re-acclimate to that kind of following after working so many years ago to achieve a following hand!  Always something new and better to work on!