This is to be expected since they're new and made of leather. But it's an awful nuisance, and the past two lessons have consisted of half-riding and half-adjusting leathers. The left stirrup was stretched further than the right due to mounting so I have to keep switching them. It gets annoying!
The good thing about this is that it's uncovered something I do wrong. Often when I feel like Jones is turning in too soon I'll step in the inside stirrup. Unfortunately I remain in the left stirrup after the turn, which is a no-no. It's incredibly destructive to my position and, I imagine, gives Jones mixed messages. I'll be working extra hard the next few lessons to fix that and stay balanced correctly in both stirrups.
Among other news, I will hopefully be painting my first Micro Mini soon. The work has already commenced; I just straightened his legs to make him stand nice and square. The blow-dryer didn't work but sticking his legs into hot water certainly did. I'm very pleased with the results, but then I guess it's not hard. I did learn one thing: Micro Mini plastic needs to be chilled as soon as possible after heating and reshaping, to keep it from returning to the original position.
Here's the little guy right after leg reshaping and a rinse:
I don't know what color I want him yet. If anyone has any suggestions (easy suggestions!) I'm open to ideas.
And the last thing. I will be visiting the Northeast this weekend and taking pictures. I probably won't post until Monday, but expect several photos.
