Catch up on lessons:
Last week was a lesson on Meritage, and man, that was a wild ride. It started off pretty well, nothing untoward, just a little spooky in the far end arena corners. Nothing new there. Debbie was also riding around, just walking on Danseur, so she had her back turned, the first time. Meritage, out of no where, leaped forward bucked once, and then decided to canter. I just rode it out and cantered her in a circle. Got her back down and then went along our merry way. Well, the next time was not so happy. She did the same thing (this time Debbie saw) bucked more, bucked harder, until it was like I was riding a bucking bronc. I sat it, and got her calmed down. Debbie was just like, ok let's lunge her. So, the rest of my lesson was spent lunging her, watching her run around in crazy circles, and then cooling her out. Not the lesson that I envisioned, but it was definitely interesting. At least it wasn't just with me, she did it the next day as well. Phew.
This week's lesson she put me back on Tiffany, since Bridget was away again. It was a pretty uneventful lesson, compared to the week before. Worked on half pass, traverre, square corners, leg yielding. It was a tough lesson for my body, I was feeling pretty tired before and after my lesson. Plus, my knee was hurting something fierce too. Damn weather making it act up again!
I wonder what will happen next week!
xoxo
Showing posts with label Tiffany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiffany. Show all posts
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Lesson 11.23.11
Bridget was back riding again (woot, after how long!?) so I'm not on Tiffany anymore. Last night I rode Meritage (also a grey mare) and it was so much fun. She's not as trained as Tiffany or Gillian, but it was nice to get on a horse and just do something and not have to figure it out. No pictures (I'll try to get some next week) as no one was there to take them. She's really nice, even though she's rather inconsistent, and was rather worried about most of the corners in the arena, it was a good ride. She was dropping her head down for me, and starting to give me some frame. She works really well off my leg, and I got her doing lots of circles, direction changes, transitions, and some leg yielding.
An excellent lesson! Excited for the canter on her next week!
xoxo
An excellent lesson! Excited for the canter on her next week!
xoxo
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Lesson 11.09.11
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| Not the best quality, but hard to get! |
Tiffany was in a much better mindset, it was easier to get her to listen and pay attention, and it was so good. Hard work obviously, but really, really good. I was working on getting her to compress her movement, but that she still had the power behind it. It was pretty amazing to feel, I had it for a few strides before giving her a break. It was so awesome, I've never felt something like that before, controlled power. Quite fantastic. It definitely makes her way more responsive, even though I still can't get a canter because she throws her shoulder into it, but I think that this is a start.
I feel like if I can get control of her body, that will just come more and more naturally. I'm so excited!!
xoxo
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Pictures!
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| Speed of light! Cantering. |
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| A leisurely walk... |
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| Woot Circles! |
xoxo
Friday, October 21, 2011
Finally Updating Here
Ok, so I lied a little bit. I am back though. I'm really going to try and keep up with this one. It's not that hard, I ride once a week. I just have to post after my lesson. Easy Peasy. Sigh.
Anyways. Lessons. Things have been going really, really well. I'm loving my lessons. Even though they are probably the hardest work I've ever had to do with riding, it's the best. It's just pure accomplishment.
Bridget has been MIA the past couple of weeks, so I've had quite a few private lessons, which are awesome. I love riding with Bridget, but having an occasional private is totally awesome. Although, her not riding for a couple weeks won't be a benefit to her.
When Bridget is in the lesson with me, I ride Gillian. Yup, back on Gillian. Which shockingly I'm enjoying. She still frustrates the crap out of me, but I'm starting to push back a little. Not letting her bully me anymore. Sure, she still gets away from me sometimes, but then I make her work harder. And then I get her amazing. And I get a feel of what she should/could/would do for me, if I could only get her like that from the beginning, and not just the last 20 mins of my lesson. She's making me work harder, and totally change my riding habits. Totally awesome, and totally worth it. I've never felt soo happy when I get something right with her.
When Bridget isn't in lesson with me, I ride Tiffany. Who is sooo so soo cute. A little more... nervous than Gillian, but still brilliant. I work on cantering with her more than Gillian, so it's nice for that little break sometimes. She makes me work hard too. It's a lot of fun on her though, less stressful in a way. I don't always have to be on top of her, two steps ahead, and I can still get results. And results are always good. Although, the last two lessons on her have been more difficult because the weather has been seriously bad. Heavy, heavy rainfall and so she had more trouble concentrating, and gets really... hot. She's a little harder to get to pay attention, and last Wednesday, even I was having trouble concentrating. We still did really well, but it was just too much happening between the rain, and multiple people in the arena (I rode in the earlier lesson with Adriana, Tina was away as well). It was just a lot of commotion. It was fun because we were doing small pattern-type exercises. Throwing more movements together, even if they are just small ones: Leg yield, circles at a walk and a trot. But it's the fact that you want her collected, in a frame, and moving well. So much harder than it sounds.
I finally have internet up at home, so I'll be able to edit and post some videos of me riding up! Andrew has the majority of them, but I'll see what I can do!
xoxo
Anyways. Lessons. Things have been going really, really well. I'm loving my lessons. Even though they are probably the hardest work I've ever had to do with riding, it's the best. It's just pure accomplishment.
Bridget has been MIA the past couple of weeks, so I've had quite a few private lessons, which are awesome. I love riding with Bridget, but having an occasional private is totally awesome. Although, her not riding for a couple weeks won't be a benefit to her.
When Bridget is in the lesson with me, I ride Gillian. Yup, back on Gillian. Which shockingly I'm enjoying. She still frustrates the crap out of me, but I'm starting to push back a little. Not letting her bully me anymore. Sure, she still gets away from me sometimes, but then I make her work harder. And then I get her amazing. And I get a feel of what she should/could/would do for me, if I could only get her like that from the beginning, and not just the last 20 mins of my lesson. She's making me work harder, and totally change my riding habits. Totally awesome, and totally worth it. I've never felt soo happy when I get something right with her.
When Bridget isn't in lesson with me, I ride Tiffany. Who is sooo so soo cute. A little more... nervous than Gillian, but still brilliant. I work on cantering with her more than Gillian, so it's nice for that little break sometimes. She makes me work hard too. It's a lot of fun on her though, less stressful in a way. I don't always have to be on top of her, two steps ahead, and I can still get results. And results are always good. Although, the last two lessons on her have been more difficult because the weather has been seriously bad. Heavy, heavy rainfall and so she had more trouble concentrating, and gets really... hot. She's a little harder to get to pay attention, and last Wednesday, even I was having trouble concentrating. We still did really well, but it was just too much happening between the rain, and multiple people in the arena (I rode in the earlier lesson with Adriana, Tina was away as well). It was just a lot of commotion. It was fun because we were doing small pattern-type exercises. Throwing more movements together, even if they are just small ones: Leg yield, circles at a walk and a trot. But it's the fact that you want her collected, in a frame, and moving well. So much harder than it sounds.
I finally have internet up at home, so I'll be able to edit and post some videos of me riding up! Andrew has the majority of them, but I'll see what I can do!
xoxo
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Spring!
Spring is in the air, and in the barn. The horses are shedding like mad. And by horses I mean the horse that I ride is shedding like crazy. I finish grooming him and I am covered in hair. He's a palamino too, so it's all really light coloured hairs, which show up on everything. I need to be brushed off before I can get into the car to go home!
Last night's lesson, was amazing. I'm totally loving riding Max. Such a cutie pony!! Reminds me a lot of Peter. So adorable. He's such an old man, but he's getting back into shape. Slowly but surely! I miss riding Tiffany, but Max just has such spunk about him. He's a little old man Quarter horse. It just clicked. He was on, I was on and we were working together. He was flexing, and I was using my whole body to make him work. It was amazing. Pure bliss.
The reason that I enjoy and love riding.
xoxo
Last night's lesson, was amazing. I'm totally loving riding Max. Such a cutie pony!! Reminds me a lot of Peter. So adorable. He's such an old man, but he's getting back into shape. Slowly but surely! I miss riding Tiffany, but Max just has such spunk about him. He's a little old man Quarter horse. It just clicked. He was on, I was on and we were working together. He was flexing, and I was using my whole body to make him work. It was amazing. Pure bliss.
The reason that I enjoy and love riding.
xoxo
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Back to QH Geldings?
Agghh.. I'm a little bit late in writing this, considering it's pushing it close to my next lesson... which will be tomorrow. But I guess better late then never?
Last week's lesson was interesting, to say the least. Little Tiffany is "on holidays" due to the fact that she has girth sores. So I got the honourable pleasure of riding Max. A cute little palamino QH gelding who was originally trained Western, but now does dressage. He is 17 years old, and she's slowly weaning him out of retirement from the school ring, and getting him back in shape for the summer when Jim starts riding him on the trails.
Since he hasn't been in the riding ring for many a moon since he was taking advantage of students, he was a mixed bag of feelings for me. Not truly angry that he had to work, but had the attitude of one that hasn't been made to work in a long time, and he liked it that way. But he also liked going, regardless of his current fitness level. It was an interesting start to the lesson. He was very pushy in the aisles, but nothing that I can't handle. We get on, and I'm walking around, and he keeps taking me into the corner where his buddy and his stall are. Oh no no no. We are NOT spending this lesson in the corner. I have spent my fair share and I'm better and more balanced then I was when I started.
We talked.
We discussed.
In the end, he decided that my way was happier.
He fought my decision, decided to see if he could scare me into caving. He was a little pissy. A couple times I thought he was seriously debating whether it would be worth it to throw me off. He didn't. He made the right decision. But he made me work for it. I decided to make him work at a trot, since he wanted to go fast, and on a circle away from his little buddy. The 3 women in the lesson before us, were just talking and watching, and they started shouting out to me. "Jasmine, make that little pony slow down!" and then he went into a canter, and one woman I heard her say "Ohh what a little doucher!". It made me smile but I was concentrating pretty hard. Once he realized that I was making him work, he seemed to chill (just a little bit). But he would occasionally test me throughout the rest of the lesson. I have a feeling that Debbie liked how I worked with him and how I handled him, so I think that I might be on him more often... Even if Tiffany comes out of her holiday.
We didn't really work on anything in specific, just some circles, serpentines, and some lateral movement. Mostly it was because Max couldn't really do too much being so out of shape. Even if he had lots of energy.
The Barn Holiday party!! I forgot to talk about it! It was so. much. fun. I went with Bridget, and Mom couldn't take the day off, so it was just us two. We were kind of awkward once we first got there, mainly because a lot of the people there all knew each other because they were all related in some way. Once more "barn people" started showing up it was amazing. The women there are so inspiring, especially for me being my age. Most are late 20's - early 30's, have careers, have horses, their own places. It's what I want for myself. They are hilarious, and even though they can afford their own horses it's not rubbed in your face and it doesn't stop them from talking to you. Super friendly barn. The best part is that there isn't that gossipy-back stabbing feel from the barn. Every one is truly happy with where they are, the coach, the treatment of their horses, etc. It's a nice change from most barns. I met another girl (woman...) who rides Tiffany as well, and we bonded over that, and she just recently got married. It was interesting because this was the first barn party that actually had alcohol. And people actually drank. It was pretty sweet. I didn't, but that's just me. It was finally nice to see people that Debbie's always talking about, and to talk about other things than horses.
This one was pretty long, more tomorrow!
xoxo
Last week's lesson was interesting, to say the least. Little Tiffany is "on holidays" due to the fact that she has girth sores. So I got the honourable pleasure of riding Max. A cute little palamino QH gelding who was originally trained Western, but now does dressage. He is 17 years old, and she's slowly weaning him out of retirement from the school ring, and getting him back in shape for the summer when Jim starts riding him on the trails.
Since he hasn't been in the riding ring for many a moon since he was taking advantage of students, he was a mixed bag of feelings for me. Not truly angry that he had to work, but had the attitude of one that hasn't been made to work in a long time, and he liked it that way. But he also liked going, regardless of his current fitness level. It was an interesting start to the lesson. He was very pushy in the aisles, but nothing that I can't handle. We get on, and I'm walking around, and he keeps taking me into the corner where his buddy and his stall are. Oh no no no. We are NOT spending this lesson in the corner. I have spent my fair share and I'm better and more balanced then I was when I started.
We talked.
We discussed.
In the end, he decided that my way was happier.
He fought my decision, decided to see if he could scare me into caving. He was a little pissy. A couple times I thought he was seriously debating whether it would be worth it to throw me off. He didn't. He made the right decision. But he made me work for it. I decided to make him work at a trot, since he wanted to go fast, and on a circle away from his little buddy. The 3 women in the lesson before us, were just talking and watching, and they started shouting out to me. "Jasmine, make that little pony slow down!" and then he went into a canter, and one woman I heard her say "Ohh what a little doucher!". It made me smile but I was concentrating pretty hard. Once he realized that I was making him work, he seemed to chill (just a little bit). But he would occasionally test me throughout the rest of the lesson. I have a feeling that Debbie liked how I worked with him and how I handled him, so I think that I might be on him more often... Even if Tiffany comes out of her holiday.
We didn't really work on anything in specific, just some circles, serpentines, and some lateral movement. Mostly it was because Max couldn't really do too much being so out of shape. Even if he had lots of energy.
The Barn Holiday party!! I forgot to talk about it! It was so. much. fun. I went with Bridget, and Mom couldn't take the day off, so it was just us two. We were kind of awkward once we first got there, mainly because a lot of the people there all knew each other because they were all related in some way. Once more "barn people" started showing up it was amazing. The women there are so inspiring, especially for me being my age. Most are late 20's - early 30's, have careers, have horses, their own places. It's what I want for myself. They are hilarious, and even though they can afford their own horses it's not rubbed in your face and it doesn't stop them from talking to you. Super friendly barn. The best part is that there isn't that gossipy-back stabbing feel from the barn. Every one is truly happy with where they are, the coach, the treatment of their horses, etc. It's a nice change from most barns. I met another girl (woman...) who rides Tiffany as well, and we bonded over that, and she just recently got married. It was interesting because this was the first barn party that actually had alcohol. And people actually drank. It was pretty sweet. I didn't, but that's just me. It was finally nice to see people that Debbie's always talking about, and to talk about other things than horses.
This one was pretty long, more tomorrow!
xoxo
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Private Lesson
Oh man. It was soo good.
B was sick, so she didn't ride, but she still came up and watched. Which is a good thing because a) she gave me a ride :P and b) she still learned stuff! Plus it's always nice to be able to watch and see what something is supposed to look like (or try to look like).
It felt so weird to be in the arena all by myself. It made it seem so much bigger than normal! I was riding Tiffany again (who knew that I would love a mare so darn much. She's adorable) and we were working on getting her collected and in a frame. Which is really difficult. It's funny because we were working on the canter, and it was so good. Debbie commented on the fact that when I canter I'm so much more together. My outside rein is consistent and my inside rein gives and takes. I have give in my own elbows, and it's just better than the trot, where I'm constantly losing what I try to do. She said that that's usually the opposite of what people do and are comfortable with. I think it's because at the trot there's just so much more going on. I'm bouncing more, I have a harder time keeping my reins even and she's not as rhythmical at the trot as she is at the canter. Plus I think that the canter is the same as the Western lope and jog because I don't have to think about anything other than frame. I don't have to worry about posting and losing whatever frame I get when I post. But I was able to keep the canter for more than half a circle which is good, and I've been working on my transitions from walk-trot-canter.
B was sick, so she didn't ride, but she still came up and watched. Which is a good thing because a) she gave me a ride :P and b) she still learned stuff! Plus it's always nice to be able to watch and see what something is supposed to look like (or try to look like).
It felt so weird to be in the arena all by myself. It made it seem so much bigger than normal! I was riding Tiffany again (who knew that I would love a mare so darn much. She's adorable) and we were working on getting her collected and in a frame. Which is really difficult. It's funny because we were working on the canter, and it was so good. Debbie commented on the fact that when I canter I'm so much more together. My outside rein is consistent and my inside rein gives and takes. I have give in my own elbows, and it's just better than the trot, where I'm constantly losing what I try to do. She said that that's usually the opposite of what people do and are comfortable with. I think it's because at the trot there's just so much more going on. I'm bouncing more, I have a harder time keeping my reins even and she's not as rhythmical at the trot as she is at the canter. Plus I think that the canter is the same as the Western lope and jog because I don't have to think about anything other than frame. I don't have to worry about posting and losing whatever frame I get when I post. But I was able to keep the canter for more than half a circle which is good, and I've been working on my transitions from walk-trot-canter.
It was a good hard lesson. We had a short little break after cantering so Tiff could catch her breath back, and then we started trotting again, and working to get the frame back and have her relax into it, and not resist me. So we started doing transitions and leg yielding. Leg yielding feels so strange for me, I have to fight my own body to resist using a rein of opposition while doing it. So bad. I just have to keep in mind that even though my body feels twisted beyond belief and it feels SO wrong, it doesn't look as bad as it feels. B said that it looked cool and had the look of what is to come. I think because in Western, it's so not as big, and more straight that it feels so off to me. I think dressage horses lead a little more with their shoulders just so that they can get the big stride lateral instead of the tiny little ones that western horses take.
Dressage Leg Yield
Western Leg Yield
Until next week, the Holiday Barn party is this weekend!!
xoxo
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Winter Blues & 2012
It's amazing how quickly one's body hates you after exercise. My body is so sore, it's almost like I haven't ridden in years, not just missed one lesson.
Last night's lesson was intense. All my lessons are intense, but they're getting increasingly so. I'm getting not so much into harder stuff, or more complicated, I'm just having to USE more of my own energy to help motivate and drive Tiffany into her collection. We were working on 20 metre circles, and how to measure one. I've never had to learn that before, as in Western we aren't as exact with our circles. Large and Small circles. Not 10m or 20m. It was really cool to learn. Dressage also has more letters on the wall than Western, which takes some getting used too. Debbie's always like ok at P... and I have to look to see where the hell P is. So as we are working on collection, at a 20m circle, and making square corners, I'm also trying not to slowly fall apart as my energy starts failing. It's hard work, moving your core, keeping it tight. It really works to help keep the horse together, and it'll give me amazing abs. My thighs, they burn, but in a good way. I probably shouldn't have worn heels to work on a Wednesday because all through my lesson my toes kept cramping up. Very unusual feeling. It's like you have no control and your foot feels like it's stuck in the stirrups.
It's an amazing feeling when your horse starts to get it and work on it's own. By the end of the lesson, I had her doing some amazing circles, collected, flexing to the inside, and it's just like "Wow, this feels (almost) effortless". It took effort to get there, but once there, she's holding the frame, and your just driving her forward. I hate missing a lesson because I love that feeling. The feeling of accomplishment. Not to mention even though it was -20 outside last night, I was sweating. It was a great feeling to know that I can actually get a work up and build a sweat. In Western, I do have to say that unless it was ridiculously hot outside, I never actually felt like I was working hard every lesson. Sometimes, yeah. But every lesson? Not at all. I never in the winter would work enough to make my toes hot. Yeah, toes. I always had to wear double socks. Now? One pair. No long johns. It's crazy. **I am wearing winter boots and breeches, so I'm getting extra warmth that way.
Also, the barn cat had 2 kittens, and they look exactly like her: super cute, all white, and super blue eyes. Also they don't like their pictures being taken, they walk away! Sigh. I tried my best with these pictures, also with my phone that has no flash. There are only 2 kittens, it just looks like four because of the mirror!
On a slightly different note, it's very exciting because there are lots of cool "horse" stuff happening in the next coming year. Mirvish has released their 2011/2012 theatre season and there is a horse related production coming in February 2012! War Horse, is coming to Toronto. I'm very, very excited about it. It looks fantastic, and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to cry like a baby throughout the entire thing. Another thing that might be coming to Toronto is Cavalia 2! That should be amazing, just like the first one. I will definitely go see that, as now I have a new appreciation for the dressage work that they do.
Planning ahead to 2012,
xoxo
It's an amazing feeling when your horse starts to get it and work on it's own. By the end of the lesson, I had her doing some amazing circles, collected, flexing to the inside, and it's just like "Wow, this feels (almost) effortless". It took effort to get there, but once there, she's holding the frame, and your just driving her forward. I hate missing a lesson because I love that feeling. The feeling of accomplishment. Not to mention even though it was -20 outside last night, I was sweating. It was a great feeling to know that I can actually get a work up and build a sweat. In Western, I do have to say that unless it was ridiculously hot outside, I never actually felt like I was working hard every lesson. Sometimes, yeah. But every lesson? Not at all. I never in the winter would work enough to make my toes hot. Yeah, toes. I always had to wear double socks. Now? One pair. No long johns. It's crazy. **I am wearing winter boots and breeches, so I'm getting extra warmth that way.
Also, the barn cat had 2 kittens, and they look exactly like her: super cute, all white, and super blue eyes. Also they don't like their pictures being taken, they walk away! Sigh. I tried my best with these pictures, also with my phone that has no flash. There are only 2 kittens, it just looks like four because of the mirror!
On a slightly different note, it's very exciting because there are lots of cool "horse" stuff happening in the next coming year. Mirvish has released their 2011/2012 theatre season and there is a horse related production coming in February 2012! War Horse, is coming to Toronto. I'm very, very excited about it. It looks fantastic, and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to cry like a baby throughout the entire thing. Another thing that might be coming to Toronto is Cavalia 2! That should be amazing, just like the first one. I will definitely go see that, as now I have a new appreciation for the dressage work that they do.
War Horse preview!
Planning ahead to 2012,
xoxo
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Keep On Rising, Amazing Lesson #2
The lessons just keep getting better and better.
I may have missed last weeks lesson, but man, I think I'm better for it. I was on fire last night. Literally and figuratively as well. I wore all my new winter clothes, and was so warm. Totally worth the huge spending that I dropped in Greenhawk 2 weeks ago. My legs were warm without long johns, and my TOES. They were warm without two pairs of socks on. Shocking, I know. Granted the weather wasn't at it's all time low (-20) but at a gentle low of -6. That I can handle. I rode Tiffany again. I'm so not wanting her to get sold. I will cry if she does, because she's amazing and I can deal with her. We work together amazingly.
There are moments when she gets tense. Debbie (my coach) was talking to me about it. The girl who's interesting in purchasing her asked her why she's saying that Tiffany is "an intermediate" horse. She was telling me that it's because when Tiff isn't 100% sure what the rider wants, or if it's not going accordingly to how she thinks it's supposed to go, then she gets tense. Which brings on a major case of the wiggles, and over anticipation. I counteract that with just doing something else. Going back to slow. Walk to trot transitions instead of trot to canter. Serpentines. Circles. Leg yields. It was an amazing lesson. I was doing trot leg yields to the wall and then cantering out of them. My transitions are getting so much better. There are moments when going a certain direction that I know that I'm the one doing things wrong, not having enough support on the outside to counteract her wiggles, so then she falls apart. And won't be able to pick up the correct lead. Although, she makes it tough because she LOVES to counter-canter. I've never known a horse to love it so much that she won't change and does a serpentine on the one lead. And nicely too. She's so cute to ride. I think that she'll be able to teach me how to do flying lead changes (if she's around that long). I sincerely hope that she will be.
Until next week,
xoxo
I may have missed last weeks lesson, but man, I think I'm better for it. I was on fire last night. Literally and figuratively as well. I wore all my new winter clothes, and was so warm. Totally worth the huge spending that I dropped in Greenhawk 2 weeks ago. My legs were warm without long johns, and my TOES. They were warm without two pairs of socks on. Shocking, I know. Granted the weather wasn't at it's all time low (-20) but at a gentle low of -6. That I can handle. I rode Tiffany again. I'm so not wanting her to get sold. I will cry if she does, because she's amazing and I can deal with her. We work together amazingly.
There are moments when she gets tense. Debbie (my coach) was talking to me about it. The girl who's interesting in purchasing her asked her why she's saying that Tiffany is "an intermediate" horse. She was telling me that it's because when Tiff isn't 100% sure what the rider wants, or if it's not going accordingly to how she thinks it's supposed to go, then she gets tense. Which brings on a major case of the wiggles, and over anticipation. I counteract that with just doing something else. Going back to slow. Walk to trot transitions instead of trot to canter. Serpentines. Circles. Leg yields. It was an amazing lesson. I was doing trot leg yields to the wall and then cantering out of them. My transitions are getting so much better. There are moments when going a certain direction that I know that I'm the one doing things wrong, not having enough support on the outside to counteract her wiggles, so then she falls apart. And won't be able to pick up the correct lead. Although, she makes it tough because she LOVES to counter-canter. I've never known a horse to love it so much that she won't change and does a serpentine on the one lead. And nicely too. She's so cute to ride. I think that she'll be able to teach me how to do flying lead changes (if she's around that long). I sincerely hope that she will be.
Until next week,
xoxo
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I Think I'm Starting to Get This...
This week's lesson was great. I feel myself just getting better and better.
The first week of January's lesson, I just wasn't on. I was having seriously technical difficulties with my left side, not just my hand. Kept letting my outside aids fall to the wayside. So she kept getting away from me in her collection. I wasn't connected to my core so she was kind of all over the place because I was all over the place. The reference my coach uses for what my outside rein should be like is that it's like a tight rope, and there's a little man trying to walk it. If it bounces, your little man will fall off (which is not what you want). It means that your contact with her outside is not constant. That lesson, every time I looked down to check, there was my rein, bouncing all over the place. I couldn't feel that my hand was letting the reins slip or anything. I think that was the most frustrating thing. I couldn't feel my hand and what it was doing. I thought that it was ok when it wasn't.
This week's lesson I worked on my canter. Canter serpentines! It was really cool, I'd never actually done them before. Tiffany is so pro. Sadly, someone emailed about her the other day, so I might be out of another horse. On the up side, my coach said that she'd get the girl to come out on a Wednesday when I ride to showcase her. FML. So much pressure!!! Maybe I'll get Tiz to come out and tape me as well. =D that'd be pretty epic.
The first week of January's lesson, I just wasn't on. I was having seriously technical difficulties with my left side, not just my hand. Kept letting my outside aids fall to the wayside. So she kept getting away from me in her collection. I wasn't connected to my core so she was kind of all over the place because I was all over the place. The reference my coach uses for what my outside rein should be like is that it's like a tight rope, and there's a little man trying to walk it. If it bounces, your little man will fall off (which is not what you want). It means that your contact with her outside is not constant. That lesson, every time I looked down to check, there was my rein, bouncing all over the place. I couldn't feel that my hand was letting the reins slip or anything. I think that was the most frustrating thing. I couldn't feel my hand and what it was doing. I thought that it was ok when it wasn't.
This week's lesson I worked on my canter. Canter serpentines! It was really cool, I'd never actually done them before. Tiffany is so pro. Sadly, someone emailed about her the other day, so I might be out of another horse. On the up side, my coach said that she'd get the girl to come out on a Wednesday when I ride to showcase her. FML. So much pressure!!! Maybe I'll get Tiz to come out and tape me as well. =D that'd be pretty epic.
Canter serpentines... Just not flying lead changes in between :)
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