Hank

Lesson Friday!  This week I was on a new horse, I get out to the barn and trainer is in the back with the farrier and sends me out with a halter to catch Hank, an 11 yo draft-paint (??) that he has in the barn to sell for his owner.  Overall, I do think it's good for me to get to ride lots of different horses and experience different ways of going but Man do I wish I had my own horse. 
Hank was fairly good on the ground but needed lots of reminders to No stay out of my space and Hey stop flipping the cross ties around.  This was my fault for just getting up on a horse I'd never met before, but after mounting and trying to warm up he jigged all over then started bumping around up and down and breaking to canter and trot (not dangerous just excited and fresh).  Trainer was there at this point so he had me dismount and we free lunged him for a little while to let him express himself and Wow I was glad we did so - lots of 'expression' / exuberance/ bucking and kicking!  Up I went again and we began our lesson.
Theo and I have been getting along well together (and I rode Luke in my last lesson, So great to be back on him as well!) - what both of these horses have in common that I love is that they are very sensitive off my seat and leg.  Hank- not so much.  Especially with Luke, I just need to Think about turning and it happens.  Hank was not tuned in this way.  I was using a Lot of inside leg and I felt like an inordinate amount of rein support to stay on the rail, and bending was very difficult for him.  We did lots of circles to try to loosen up..   It was just a little frustrating because it honestly just made me feel like a bad rider to have a horse not listening (or not able to?) do what I've been working hard to achieve with Theo and Luke.  It was good for me to experience working with a horse like this I suppose, and yes by the end of the lesson things he had gotten better.  We worked a lot on driving him forward when he leaned on my hands and staying centered and tall in the saddle and supporting from my core.  (Good lessons to take to my work with Theo)  Finally towards the end of the lesson he started to carry himself a little more and things were going a little better, but he's just not physically as supple or capable right now as I would like/enjoy to ride. 
I have a feeling though I may be riding him in more lessons. Trainer was very kind - he said Hank hadn't had much professional riding experience and he liked seeing him go with me / someone working to make him go correctly.  Don't worry I didn't let it go to my head, but it was just such a nice thing to say and hear.  Maybe there is a nicer horse in there, the end of our lesson definitely showed promise.  We'll see what happens next week. 

In med school news, dreaded finals are underway and I'm dying.  Insert tiny whining violin.