Experimenting with the timing

Since the revelation of being able to really feel the feet I've been experimenting with the timing of the aids. For example : when to ask for a sideways step, a hind quarter yield and a fore quarter yield. And so far this is what I have discovered, guided with how light Filly moves in the direction I ask for and whether or not the tail swishes.
She is such a good teacher with that tail. Ask at the right moment and it's quiet, ask at the wrong moment and hear that swish behind me. Whether it's of anger or disappointment I don't know :(

Lots of the timing of the feet comes from feeling her hips and her barrel. This is covered in detail in Mark Rashids "Understanding Footfall" DVD. A superb explanation even if you need a strong pot of coffee to get through it :)

To understand footfall can I also recommend this video. Came across it researching this post and it is superb : Footfall video
I had never looked at the walk as a diagonal gait before this !

Remember the gait pattern at walk is

left hind
left front
right hind
right front

So when the left hind swings forward it is getting closer to the left front which is still on the ground. To make room for both legs being under the body the barrel swings to the right. So as the barrel starts to swing right I know the left hind has just left the ground so this would be a good time to cue the left hind leg to move over if we want indirect rein (or hind quarter yield). Cueing at any other time makes the move impossible and the tail gives feedback that I got it wrong !
To move the front left leg over I need it to be about to leave the ground and now I know this happens just as the barrel starts to move from the right back over to the left as there is a gap opening up between the left front  and left hind for it to fit in. So the horses legs move further apart as the front leg moves giving room for the barrel to swing into and the legs squeeze the barrel out of the way as the hind leg moves forwards.
This gives a basic understanding of the footfall and the timing of the cues. However I have found it a little more subtle than that. Once I could feel the barrel movement I found that I could feel the hip and shoulder movement. With that I had an even more accurate timing on the feet and so my cueing got even better.

Now I know pretty accurately when the legs are moving I'm playing with getting the timing ever more precise. Buck Brannamans DVDs suggest that to move a front leg over you have to cue just before it leaves the ground, not when it is already in flight. He likens the reins to pieces of string attached to the hooves. So to move the left front over you pick up the left front with the left rein move it over then drop it on the ground where you want it. Then move the rein back to wards the middle to get ready for the next step. If the hoof is already in flight it is difficult to redirect as it already has momentum in the wrong direction and the penalty is another tail swish.
Of course this applies to the left hind as well. I've found that its best to cue just before the hoof leaves the ground (with leg and hand) pick that hoof up with the indirect rein and swing over under her, then set it down. To do this the hand has to come up and in towards the center of course, just as the Parelli program teaches. A shame it does not use this idea as it would be so much easier to learn than the way they do at the moment.
Of course all this timing of the feet does make for a lot of work for the rider. To turn left for example you can't just pull on the left rein and leave it at that. I now try to squeeze the rein each time I want to redirect a foot. For a circle that is many many times. The upside is that Filly is now way more responsive and happy in her work. She's also flexing much softer than in the past so we can start working towards picking up a soft feel which will build to collection

I think the others at the yard think I'm mad, by the way, which may be a downside when you start this. They are all trotting and cantering around, jumping over big jumps etc. All I'm doing is going around in seemingly random patterns at a walk, jumping off and saying "that was a fantastic ride". They are wondering what is so fantastic about walking in circles and when I mention timing the feet their eyes kind of glaze over. I guess this is a pretty esoteric part of horsemanship and you could probably get along without knowing it. But I doubt you'd ever produce a bridle horse without knowing it or a horse that can be as light as it is possible to get.

I have been told twice now that a very light horse is not desirable for dressage as they will be responding to the slightest error in your movement and you'll loose points as the horse does not walk straight. For me though I have no desire to compete, just the addiction to lightness and I want to see how far I can take it.