I probably shouldn't have stopped my Posting Diagonal Jar Tally. I was so off this last lesson that I must have been mentally somewhere else. I really was just out to lunch. My instructor called me out repeatedly at the start of our lesson about not having the right posting diagonals. I was totally embarrassed and frustrated. Then I was having trouble with Ariel to keeping her bent to the turn at a certain section of the arena. I don't know why but everytime we pass the west (short) side, she is looking another way or wants to head straight out the arena! The trot is also speedy and choppy and I'm having trouble keeping us in check.
I'm not riding alone tonight so that's probably a good thing, actually. I used to have private lessons (just lucky) on Thursday nights and would spend the entire hour being taught and assessed and reminded about things. Those were tough evenings but I have learned so much and looked forward to them. I think that a lot of the weaknesses in my riding are due primarily to my fitness level... particularly my tightness and imbalances of the body from my office job. But, it seems that I have a new classmate now! HOORAY!!
Getting back to the lesson... it started out pretty blotchy. Sheri moved onwards and got us working on a jump... we continued to botch things and it was like both of us were totally off our game. We were being left behind or throwing ourselves into the jumps--that SUCKED. Sheri decided to change it up and set up another jump instead and started REALLY low. LOL At first it was like wtf is going on today?! But, once I went over the jump a couple times, I started getting it! There was one turn where I told myself to breathe, close my arm pits, turn my body when I looked and to use my seat and legs... and as if it was magic, things came together. Not just for me but my classmate! We both started getting over that single jump and not only were we jumping the jump... but we were moving on up! She was gradually raising the jumps and finally, we were jumping at 2'9. For me, it was the first time I've ever jumped that high. I remember seeing the jump and actually having the thoughts of "holy crap that's so freggin high!!" go through my mind as I was approaching it. I felt like I got left behind but Sheri told me the jump was excellent and that what I needed to work on was my upper body position over the jump.
That's all totally fixable and the fact that the other things came together so well just meant that I am continuing to move along. I don't really look forward to jumping THAT high in the near future but I do look forward to knowing that I have control over what I'm doing and that I'm capable of accomplishing what I need to.
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