Look up! When you are looking up, your body will naturally go to a better position with improved posture.
Try closing your eyes for a few strides. You will be more aware of what’s going on under you, which will help develop your feel.
Use the brim of your helmet to gage whether or not you are leaning to one side or the other. It should look level when looking straight ahead. Of course, first make sure your helmet is on your head straight!
Instead of tapping the horse harshly with the whip, you can try tapping the side of your boot to get your point across. You can usually tap your boot as hard as you want. The horse will still react, but it won’t startle him so much!
Remember that you can use your whip anywhere on the horse. The whip is not just for the rump! If your horse is leaning on his inside shoulder, tap the shoulder!
Don’t pull on the inside rein! This ruins so many things! It shuts down the inside hind leg and makes your horse cooked.
Always use your legs before your hands!
Don’t arch you back! This can make your horse hollow. But don’t sit on your tail bone either. Find the neutral ‘home base’ middle. Then adjust for different movements. But always return to home base.
For downward transitions, think about going “up” into the downward transition. A downward transition does not mean you are slowing down. It still needs to be active, so you need to add leg in downward transitions.
Reach down and pat your horse with your inside hand. By doing this, you are giving a release on the inside rein, which just might be all you need to get better thoroughness. Only use your inside rein because you need to keep the connection with your outside rein steady.
Keep your shoulders back, but do so without arching your back.
