Oct 23, 2014
I like the way that these past few Thursday classes have been going where my lesson overlaps with the lesson before me where I enter the arena about half way through theirs. Since I've been the only one going to lesson, it's doable. I'm warming up and they're ramping up into the meat of their lessons. I rode with J and S and following the warm up (for me), moved into some course work. It wasn't anything uber exciting and as things have been going the last little while, I continued to struggle with the jumping aspect. My 2 point isn't consistently correct and my ride out is a little iffy. My rides in have become better in terms of getting the turn better, but as I approach the jump, I start thinking things over and looking down.
Oct 26, 2014
Since Sheri was away attending a special clinic with one of her students, J was our teacher for the morning. And man! He was picking me apart every chance he got. "Your heels should line up with your seat, shoulders and head. Move your legs back more but keep those heels down". Yea okay J... my old legs don't move that way! I need to start doing more splits exercises or something to open my hips more so that position doesn't feel so strange.
We did flat work with focus on ground poles and and keeping Ariel deep in corners and straight. I think she was kind of bored. This mare loves to be challenged with something otherwise she starts to put up a fuss that she's bored to tears. We change it up and remove the saddles and ride bareback. Post the trot without anything. My hips are looser in that my legs move with Ariel's steps but I certainly am no pro up there! It's been a while since I did any bareback work so I was pretty off kilter. There was a corner we'd try to round and Ariel knew exactly what she needed to do, to tip me over and then I'd stop because I couldn't stay balanced. Every.single.time. It was infuriating.
After the lesson, I put her back in her paddock and this time, I decided to remind her who's boss. I got her running around a bit and kept her moving until I felt that she was respecting me. Man was she really defiant at the get go; tossing her head in the air and doing mini bucks. After several goes, she seemed more composed and I turned around to wait for her reaction and she actually walked over to me to see what I was up to. No pushiness or anything like that. Thank heavens. I left feeling better that I regained some control in our little herd.
We did flat work with focus on ground poles and and keeping Ariel deep in corners and straight. I think she was kind of bored. This mare loves to be challenged with something otherwise she starts to put up a fuss that she's bored to tears. We change it up and remove the saddles and ride bareback. Post the trot without anything. My hips are looser in that my legs move with Ariel's steps but I certainly am no pro up there! It's been a while since I did any bareback work so I was pretty off kilter. There was a corner we'd try to round and Ariel knew exactly what she needed to do, to tip me over and then I'd stop because I couldn't stay balanced. Every.single.time. It was infuriating.
After the lesson, I put her back in her paddock and this time, I decided to remind her who's boss. I got her running around a bit and kept her moving until I felt that she was respecting me. Man was she really defiant at the get go; tossing her head in the air and doing mini bucks. After several goes, she seemed more composed and I turned around to wait for her reaction and she actually walked over to me to see what I was up to. No pushiness or anything like that. Thank heavens. I left feeling better that I regained some control in our little herd.
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