When you're not a natural, what'dya do?

I'm riding Ri-Ri solo, and the challenge is riding my youngster without a ground person to help. Two problems:

1. We start every session like he has a flat tire, and with the hotter weather I have to "do a lot" to get him moving with any energy at all--forget supple and swingy. 
2. Ri has a "fatal attraction" to the end of the indoor with the big door (close to the barn).  

In my teens I used to clinic with Jimmy Cantwell, a marvelous instructor and trainer (hunter/jumper). He  was innovative in finding simple exercises that help the less-than-perfect rider have success, and that helped the horse "figure things out" without the rider doing anything dramatic.  Jimmy's techniques would be hard to recount, but here's a simple example from my past life: if a horse is running out to the left repeatedly (jumping),  lay a pole across the left side of the jump. It may not fix the underlying problem but every jump establishes a good habit and confidence -- and it's better than having a battle.

I appreciate instructors who find ways to help you and your horse achieve a goal by being clever--and by letting the horse figure it out. I thought of Jimmy today when I set up an exercise that diminished both problems mentioned in the first paragraph. What exercise, you ask?

1.  Find two cavaletti poles.
2. Put the cavaletti on the quarterline, down the long side, at the end of the ring with the open door, where he drifts.
3. Trot Ri around on a "rectangle" at that end of the arena, and go over the cavaletti away from the open door. 

 The first few times going through, he stared out the door and drifted as usual, but he was taken by surprise when we turned into the cavaletti. The first few times were a bit sticky.  After that, though, and he grew interested in what was happening inside, not outside. He focused more on me, let me prep him so that he was lifting his shoulders, and bending, sitting down more. By doing the "rectangle" instead of a circle I took advantage of his improved balance, and we got some practice turning some nice corners.  Both of us were a whole lot happier.