Oh my, it had been quite a while since I jumped, November maybe, and the last time I jumped I fell off. Plus the fact that I was told that T gets a little YAHOO sometimes while jumping I was a little put off when instructor said lets do a little cross rail. Ummmm ok. So I pop my stirrups up two holes from my normal length, I am riding on the knee blocks, but am able to get off T's back if needed. Off we go, me feeling a least a lot perched up on top. Trot around the ring a few times, approach jump, instructor says grab mane just in case, I am thinking to my self "Oh Shit". And over we go simple as that. Again and Again, the only hitch happened when horse decided that the 12 inch cross rail wasn't big enough to require any effort and he knocked the thing down and scared himself. Jumping was awesome, finished off with some not so awesome leg yields. I must figure out the correct combination to prevent over flexing inwards and shoulder drifting. Got some nive lengthenings though.
Next week I am riding S instead of T. . It'll be interesting, large warmblood mare versus thorouighbred gelding.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
What's Going Wrong
My lesson last night left me pondering the role that conformation of horse and rider play in the way that the rider rides. I know what the position I strive for should look like, I’ve seen it and read about it in countless books. “Classical”, ear, shoulder, hip and heel line, balanced, secure etc.
I think that my conformation in combination with his plays a part in some of my positional issues. I am a dancer in addition to being a rider. My legs have a seemingly natural tendency to turn out from the hips and this is a constant battle in my riding. I am taller with long legs so when mounted my lower leg is not in contact with his sides, he has a very large trot. So all of the above combined result in my toes being turned out a little more that is “correct” especially in trot.
I am also quite naturally balanced left to right (or so I’m told) but since I have been riding this horse I have become a little frustrated with myself over slipping to the outside in left canter. I hadn’t ever had this problem before this horse so was getting a little bit annoyed with myself over it. A few lessons ago after a left canter I tried to explain to my instructor how/what I was feeling to see it she saw it as well. Turns out the horse is noticeably slab sided on his left side so this may be playing a part in my slipping.
I have also noticed adaptations in my rising trot when riding this guy compared to other smaller moving equines. I noticed that my upper body tends to stay less upright when rising to his trot and I feel that this may be in part because of the large oomph that pushes me out of the saddle with each stride.
I think that my brain just needed to “see” things out on paper so I could clarify things for myself, I think I needed to write it out so I could see that it’s ok. I am not a bad rider I am just an imperfect person working with an imperfect horse striving towards the perfect, seems kinda silly to me. I need to learn to accept things as they are. I need to start noticing the good things and taking the bad things as things to work on. Sure my leg yields last night weren’t perfect, mostly because of my allowing the horse to lead with his shoulder but we got one or two good ones and had a good trot tempo with energy throughout the lesson. So today I’ll think about the good and leave the “needing to be worked on” for another day.
Now that I've got this sorted out, I need to tackle my issues with contact.
I think that my conformation in combination with his plays a part in some of my positional issues. I am a dancer in addition to being a rider. My legs have a seemingly natural tendency to turn out from the hips and this is a constant battle in my riding. I am taller with long legs so when mounted my lower leg is not in contact with his sides, he has a very large trot. So all of the above combined result in my toes being turned out a little more that is “correct” especially in trot.
I am also quite naturally balanced left to right (or so I’m told) but since I have been riding this horse I have become a little frustrated with myself over slipping to the outside in left canter. I hadn’t ever had this problem before this horse so was getting a little bit annoyed with myself over it. A few lessons ago after a left canter I tried to explain to my instructor how/what I was feeling to see it she saw it as well. Turns out the horse is noticeably slab sided on his left side so this may be playing a part in my slipping.
I have also noticed adaptations in my rising trot when riding this guy compared to other smaller moving equines. I noticed that my upper body tends to stay less upright when rising to his trot and I feel that this may be in part because of the large oomph that pushes me out of the saddle with each stride.
I think that my brain just needed to “see” things out on paper so I could clarify things for myself, I think I needed to write it out so I could see that it’s ok. I am not a bad rider I am just an imperfect person working with an imperfect horse striving towards the perfect, seems kinda silly to me. I need to learn to accept things as they are. I need to start noticing the good things and taking the bad things as things to work on. Sure my leg yields last night weren’t perfect, mostly because of my allowing the horse to lead with his shoulder but we got one or two good ones and had a good trot tempo with energy throughout the lesson. So today I’ll think about the good and leave the “needing to be worked on” for another day.
Now that I've got this sorted out, I need to tackle my issues with contact.
First Post . . . Intro
I decided to start a blog to record my experiences learning to ride. Really learning to ride, not just standing and sitting in time to the trot, or using the right rein to turn right, but really ride. I am taking dressage lessons with an awesome trainer and riding her awesome horse. I am learning to be a rider instead of a passenger.
I am a full time univeristy student, at the moment I am only able to ride once a week due to finances and time. I feel that this is a mixed blessing, on one hand I am unable to get as fit as I would like sometimes I feel as though I am not really progressing, but on the other hand I get a week in between rides to mull over what went wrong and fill my head with theory. I have been riding for . . . it'll be three years in June. Started riding at a not so great riding school, focus was really on jumping, by a year of riding I was jumping jusps that were 2'6" and cantering smaller courses. After a particularily bad lesson, riding a green mare involving 2 whips and the instructor chasing me to get over jumps I left the "bad" barn. I started lessons at my current barn with the H/J coach riding their H/J school horses, I rode with her for 6 months, then this injured myself so had to stop riding for a while, just before my injury I had paid for a package of lessons, during my break the H/J trainer moved away, so I came back and took the rest of the lessons with the dressage trainer. Have been riding with her since the fall. Was riding the H/J schoolies but am now riding my instructors thoroughbred gelding.
"T" is a 13 year old chestnut thoroughbred, he's schooling second level dressage with some higher level movements. My instructor bought him as a 5 year old as a PSG prospect. She things that he had an undetected injury at some point so he had some pain issues in his right front coffin bone. So canter on the right lead is a bit funny for him. He isn't an easy ride, he's quite demanding of his rider and I'm not always up to the job especially in canter, he's actually my dressage trainers horse and has been for a few years, he wants me to ride like my trainer but I can't always go that.
He's teaching me to "ride every stride".
I'm doing my best.
I am a full time univeristy student, at the moment I am only able to ride once a week due to finances and time. I feel that this is a mixed blessing, on one hand I am unable to get as fit as I would like sometimes I feel as though I am not really progressing, but on the other hand I get a week in between rides to mull over what went wrong and fill my head with theory. I have been riding for . . . it'll be three years in June. Started riding at a not so great riding school, focus was really on jumping, by a year of riding I was jumping jusps that were 2'6" and cantering smaller courses. After a particularily bad lesson, riding a green mare involving 2 whips and the instructor chasing me to get over jumps I left the "bad" barn. I started lessons at my current barn with the H/J coach riding their H/J school horses, I rode with her for 6 months, then this injured myself so had to stop riding for a while, just before my injury I had paid for a package of lessons, during my break the H/J trainer moved away, so I came back and took the rest of the lessons with the dressage trainer. Have been riding with her since the fall. Was riding the H/J schoolies but am now riding my instructors thoroughbred gelding.
"T" is a 13 year old chestnut thoroughbred, he's schooling second level dressage with some higher level movements. My instructor bought him as a 5 year old as a PSG prospect. She things that he had an undetected injury at some point so he had some pain issues in his right front coffin bone. So canter on the right lead is a bit funny for him. He isn't an easy ride, he's quite demanding of his rider and I'm not always up to the job especially in canter, he's actually my dressage trainers horse and has been for a few years, he wants me to ride like my trainer but I can't always go that.
He's teaching me to "ride every stride".
I'm doing my best.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
