The Mental Game

I used to have way more confidence about going over course work but lately, I've been second guessing myself a lot. I'd ride into jumps that were more of a challenge than previously... maybe with a tighter approach or a higher rail. But, I started hesitating and checking out, last minute. For weeks, that hasn't been an issue as I would sort it out and get over it. Was I nervous? Every time, I approached the "big scary fence" (BSF) and you could see me tense and just second guess myself as I push to go over.

Both my instructors have said that it's mostly a mental game, to get through a course or whatever it is. An experienced instructor can make the assessment about whether or not the rider can actually accomplish the said jump/movement with the horse, so it's really just left up to the rider to get over themselves. The thing is, communication is split second fast so you really need to know what you're doing up there. When +ADW found out that I fell, he knew exactly what happened: I lost my nerve, hesitated and chickened out last minute.

The course work for the day was modest and I started the lesson with really good spirits and felt confident that the course was flowing. The first four jumps were great--I felt in control, knew where I was going and Bonsi followed me right through and it was fantastic. But, coming off the third jump, I knew I was getting nervous about that last jump--first mistake. Second mistake, I started to feel unbalanced and out of control and was panicking about bringing us back together. Third mistake, I checked out mentally and let Bonsi take over. You can see from the diagram below, the sequence of jumps laid out. I started panicking after jump 3. Then, the pink line shows where I deeked out last minute, instead of following through with the purple. I did manage it a few times prior, at the trot but the canter just freaked me right out.

After deeking out at E, I don't know what I was thinking (I wasn't) and we cut across the arena and then I wanted to go right but Bons knew that he simply couldn't fit between the wall and jump at B so that's where we parted ways and I flew into the wall and he continued towards M and C...

I'm physically tenderized and still recovering from the soft tissue damage sustained, when I slammed into the wall with my right shoulder and torqued my left knee. But the biggest challenge has been getting over BSJ mentally. The most recent lesson got me on Ariel and we were doing a couple low key jumps and again, I chickened out with a narrow jump that tests the accuracy of the approach (usually jumps are wide enough that there are few options to avoid them) and while nothing happened, it was definitely a flash of emotions and thought processes. I have gone over and over again, in my head, the approach of that BSJ that unseated me and I know I could have gone over it just fine... if I just committed to it and rode through. It isn't the first time I've had to recollect myself after a messy jump.

My heart wants to do it but my logical brain is repeatedly reminding me "oh no you can't! That's scary." I'm reminded of another part of my life where the goal is long-term and I have to keep my eye on the prize and not get distracted and make any last minute decisions away from my goal. Sure, the "jump" might not be pretty, but I have to try and do it anyway. If it's an epic fail, so be it. I gotta get into the (mental) game.

Lesson #208 & #209: Frustrated Enough to Motivate

I haven't written about the last two lessons because nothing has really progressed and there hasn't been any "a-ha" moments either. I am working on jumping courses again but I'm finding myself struggling with my position over jumps, again. While it isn't a big deal... I've been doing courses at a lower height so I feel like I've regressed a bit. It's more injury to the ego than actual regression so I'll take it... for now.

I have been anticipating the jumps recently and I notice that's what's keeping me behind and a poor position. I suspect it's got to do with Ariel's recent stint of counter bending and giving me way more trouble in the arena than I'd like. I haven't let it escalate and she hasn't dragged me out of the arena on her whim, but I'd still like to get that respect back. As well, I seem to have trouble keeping our corners deep. This causes a poor set up usually and it is yet another cause to the issue over fences.

The flat work is mostly fine (it can always be better) but I have had trouble getting Ariel to respect my aids. I might have to resort to crops/bats and spurs again... which I don't really enjoy using but if Ariel is getting a bit sour with poor communication from her rider, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the reasons she's reacting the way she is. I don't blame her either... having clarity during a conversation about what to do is awfully important in my books.

As with all things to do with riding, it starts with the rider and I have been talking my mouth off on this area periodically for some time. I make excuses all the time but in order to get over my rut (both in riding and other areas), I will incorporate a balanced schedule and include other physical activities. Upon further reflection and not enough research, I started the BeFit's 30 Day Fat Burn workout that ScarletPen28 has done. Each video is approximately 10 minutes.

Click to enlarge

Scarlet did this one and another combined; she's crazy. I can only manage this one right now... after doing day 1, I still can't feel my legs and part of my arse. I'm not sure whether to love or hate her for finding this thing. Tonight, I attempt the Cardio Extreme workout. If you don't see another post in the next few days, know that I probably didn't survive that video (10 minutes!! :O) and that +ADW found me curled up in the fetal position in the basement.

Lesson #203: Seeing the Curve

Saturday's early morning lesson had me working on more jumping but with +ADW. Similar, to the Thursday lesson but two friends joined to watch the lesson because I'm hoping (fingers crossed!!) that at least one of them would decide to take up lessons too. I'm not normally a particularly social person and I enjoy yoga because I can go at my pace and know that I'm my own competitor, but sometimes do find that riding can be a wee bit lonely. ADW rides with me but let's face it, he isn't as "into it" as I (and some of you!) are. So it's nice when adult students join classes--that's what my current Thursday nights are for!

Anyway, the lesson we do is a jumping lesson with J and we spend less time than recently, on the flat. Ariel has been a bit pokey and one of the things I struggle with is picking up the canter when I ask. Sometimes Ariel flat out refuses to move even though I've told her to; it takes a more severe method of reinforcement in those cases. We get right into the jumping. I take a jump (red) on the diagonal but close to the rail and have trouble 'seeing' the ride-in. I don't ride the corner as deep as I should and sometimes come in at a much more gradual curve which leads me to be more handsy.

Totally not drawn to scale... hahaha...

There is still a struggle to get the ride-in just right but it isn't miserable and so we do move onwards to adding more jumps to the course until I ride all the jumps in the arena. I try my best to sit back up once I get through a jump because I have literally ridden more and more forward as the course goes on and as we all know, getting your centre of gravity forward and up is a great way to set yourself up to land on your face.

I didn't mention yet... that ADW is now cantering multiple jumps too!! He's riding a steady gelding who's a great teacher!

Lesson #202: Interspersion

My Thursday class was a jumping lesson in the outdoor sand arena with one of the student's mom who's taking lessons as well. It's her second jumping lesson apparently but honestly, you wouldn't think so.

The start of the lesson has us warming up with the trot and then I move into a sitting trot without stirrups. I still find I have the best balance without stirrups since there's something wrong with my right hip and it tends to collapse at the knee without me consciously thinking about it. I don't know what muscle is causing the issue but it is the biggest issue at this point in time.

Then J says to canter without taking back the stirrups around and around. Ariel and I have a really good lesson. She is responsive and quick without fussing and objecting. To level up this exercise (after taking back the stirrups), we are asked to hold 2 point (jumping) position while placing our outside hand behind the small of our back. The objective is to get our upper body position up and open while our hips go back. This is not too tricky a task which surprises me because I thought I would have difficulty balancing and keeping the turns.

Finally, we move into over fence work. Starting with one is just fine. My position over is mostly good and I don't have major issues. Then we start adding more jumps to create a mini course. One couple of jumps is a line on the diagonal and J reminds me that the middle is flat work and that there is little time to think about much else but to sit up. I have trouble with doing that. For some reason, all my mind can think about is "let's get into a forward position and just hold it". WHY??? Ugh. So I have to really intentionally think about sitting back up in between the jumps. My course work is certainly improving but I have to remember that the flat in between jumps should be ridden as such and "preparing" for all the jumps with a forward position isn't doing me any favours.

Lesson #190, 191, 192: Catching Up

This was a quiet lesson where it was just me, Ariel and Sheri.

I had a really good time with this lesson because we worked on me getting through some jumps on a small course level. After our warm-up, Sheri had designated two jumps for me to work on some course stuff. For the most part, things were going quite well but I continue to curl up a bit at jumps and as I'm reminded, that could go really badly if something goes wrong. I am running out of ideas to get me sitting up most of the time. Maybe it's my poor posture or something but I probably should get moving on that by now.

That said, two jumps that she reversed the direction and guess what? I took them in the same direction as before. *facepalm* We both knew what I did wrong and I chuckled, "this is why I won't show. I can't even remember a course of TWO jumps!" LOLOL. Of course, the reverse direction was a problem for me because it's the direction that both Ariel and I have issues with. It all starts with me, and then trickles to her because while she is capable, it doesn't take a lot to mess her up.

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My Saturday lesson was the lesson before heading out to Calgary Stampede. +ADW was already west so it was just me and another adult student. She was working solely on the flat and was in a dressage saddle. We both started a typical warm-up round and round and then I got started on a jump on a bending line (?) because it was placed at C along the rail so I had to take it while coming in on a bend and not straight away. It was a low jump but it went pretty well and I was rather pleased with myself! Not terribly exciting, this one... just one focus for the day. :)

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Our first lesson back was the following Saturday and we rode outside. I am not a fan of riding outside... I think it might be the wind rushing past you or the fact that Ariel gets easily distracted but I know I'm always on a slight increased level of alertness. And I'm sure the mare is picking up on that vibe and equally a little more buzzy.

I was hopeful though, that our trail ride during our visit to Banff would loosen up my hips. I did ride that trail ride in the mountains without stirrups for majority of it because my legs are so short that I needed the kiddie ones but they just weren't sitting right so I said screw it. More on that ride later. My hip was a little more put together and not feeling as tight as it usually does.

We did some small course work to just get me back into things but man was Ariel putting up a fuss. It was probably due to my twisted side not twisting properly and so I was like a human pretzel up there, trying to tell her to go one way only to be miscommunicating because it wasn't right the way mare wanted it. Fair... she's honest about being bang on and not making assumptions. Something I do pride myself on but also now realize that reading between the lines would be SO appreciated sometimes! :P

Lesson #188: Baby's Got Her Grove Back

The last few weeks have turned my brief success into a distant memory. It's as if things were regressing and I had no control of what was happening. But this ride on Thursday was right on. I was in a lesson with 2 students: both skilled riders and young so there is a certain level of intimidation but I have ridden with both before so I just said whatever. Besides, I'm shorter than one of the girls so... LOL.

I get the impression that it's going to be a pretty intense lesson with few breaks. I'm right... the warm up consisted of a proper posting trot going around. Then, we dropped stirrups. Once we changed direction and then went at it a few times, we were asked ... canter. Me? Surely you must mean the other two? Nope, me too. I chickened out said I wasn't feeling confident about that and pulled my stirrups back. In hindsight, I probably should have just said whatever but like I said, I've been having more and more doubts with my own ability and I'm finding that a lot of this sport has to do with one's confidence in their ability rather than actual ability... hold on. Not to say that you should go running out there to do whatever but your instructor is on the ground and has been watching you ride for a while... they know what you're capable of so they're not going to ask you to do something you're uncomfortable with. It's all in my head, I think.

I pushed Ariel to canter the rounds (with stirrups) and we just trucked around in pretty good form. Next, we're asked to take jumps one at a time building them into a course of 3-4 jumps. I got as far as taking a nice low vertical and then another vertical with a little gate underneath, a 2'6" lattice jump that was on the narrow side and finally, another vertical with skids underneath! I GOT OVER!! The entire course was done at a canter too and while my biggest weakness continues to be clenching into the fetal position and getting on Ariel's forehand, it wasn't all that bad! I felt in control and my position was (for the most part) not too shabby.

Sheri said that despite the usual shortcomings I've consistently been struggling with, I got over the course just fine and I looked way more relaxed than in the past little while. Things do feel great and I'm really excited to progress and hopefully get back on track!

Lesson #185: Canter Woes

The last lesson I had, we discovered that the saddle I'm using is not well suited for my strange body. That said, it is not going to break my learning trend so I haven't really looked seriously into getting a saddle. In the meantime, I tried a schooling 17 inch saddle to see if it was better. The primary consensus is that I am not struggling with the same pommel issues I was, with the 16.5. But, that doesn't mean that the saddle is necessarily fit better for me. I'm not sure if maybe the height of the pommel is simply the problem because there really isn't much else that seems to bother me. Sheri also said that saddles can be customized quite a bit so it is possible that the "ready to wear" sizing that is generally available isn't the problem.

For now, I'll sort out stuff with either the 16.5 or 17 depending on which is available. As a few readers mentioned, as long as it fits the mount, then the rider can probably make do with whatever is available since lessons usually range 45-60 minutes at twice a week so it's not THAT much. My conclusion is simply to continue with what I have but if something amazing comes by, I'll consider it.

Back to the lesson.

We sort out a pole course again. +ADW said he found it helpful to sort out distance and whatnot since Molson treats poles as jumps. LOLOLOL. I was initially told to add in a wall jump at the end. I figured it should be fine but I spent so much time trying to sort out the stupid canter with Ariel that it just never materialized. We only managed to get through the lesson over the poles because I was all over the place and having difficulty to get that mare to canter. It was so incredibly frustrating b/c I haven't had issues in a while now and I'm not a newbie any more. Because I struggled to get her going, my lower legs were everywhere and it created other issues up top. I was SO FRUSTRATED.

As usual, that frustration was probably translated over and that also contributed to the issue. I did manage the course a few times but it felt completely out of control, again. I hate that feeling that Ariel is going way too fast for me to keep up. But that's exactly it, eh? I am trying to keep up when I should be the one dictating our lesson.

It was pretty sucky that it didn't go too well but life goes on, right? Plus I've got some exciting news for y'all, soon!

Lesson #183: Same Old Tune

Saturday's lesson was an extension of what we were doing on Thursday. I needed to work on getting the right position over jumps and just keep riding things through, as I should. I have to admit, I didn't wake up feeling my peachiest. Some part of me wanted to stay in bed and just lie there but I knew I would have a better time going out.

Another one of the seasoned students rides with us and she's good... because she used to ride this cheeky thoroughbred that would try and pull all sorts of antics and she learned to ride him well... because she was the only one riding him! Now she rides a giant Trakhener who's got his own issues but she knows exactly what she needs to do, to keep him in check too. Needless to say, it's both intimidating and inspiring to ride with someone like her.

Today is a stiff day and we notice it because J decides to point it out. My butt is able to stay closer to the saddle but there isn't that "swing" in my lower back when we canter. It's the same thing Sheri said last time when she said that my upper body moves too much and the only part of my body that should be moving in the canter is the seat.

The exercises today are riding a non-course course. I have no idea about the proper name for this exercise but the course was set up and the difference was the poles were ground pole instead of jumps. This got us to practice our ride in and out because (why?) nothing changes over jumps. So riding it flat should translate just fine to a jump. Let me tell you... what trouble I had!! I couldn't get Ariel to start up on the canter when I wanted her to, or I couldn't keep her at it. It was a miserable session that I tried again and again. One of the major issues was definitely that I was leaning forward when asking for the canter depart (which is totally NOT what you're supposed to do!) and so all it became was a speedy trot that got me bouncing around and totally discombobulated.

I did persist though, and got through the course each time, even if it was messy and not ideal. That said, at least I know what my mistakes were. I just need to eliminate the physical barriers that hold me back. It's not really mental anymore, for me. The jumps we do are not "scary" like they used to be and I don't freak out like I used to but, my physical limitations are what's keeping me back. Not a big surprise there but I gotta push in some time to work on that so I can continue to move forward.

Lesson #182: There's Always Something That Works Out

My Thursday lessons are typically jumping lessons. It was a good opportunity for me to practice more. I rode Ariel with the same intent that I told myself to have, when warming up and insisted on straightness at the trot. It was not easy because for whatever reason, while tracking right, she did a little bit of a counter bend that I felt like I was constantly pushing back into a straight line.

When we worked on the canter, I remembered a post I read earlier that week, about the sequence of aids to initiate the canter depart. It's a bit tricky for me because I generally don't sit back enough and my weight being on Ariel's front makes it difficult for her to spring up and forward. So this time, I told myself, half halt then lean back and proceed with the other aids. The transition was flawless and smooth. I managed to get this twice during the lesson and I felt awesome about myself.

The lesson is otherwise relatively straight forward in that we continued to the canter after warming up and then went to work on some courses. I kept it simple and just went with the Xs because I didn't feel that I was in the right shape to attempt more. It was a short course of 3 or 4 jumps and that's fine by me! It's funny because my consistency with jumps is and isn't there. What do I mean? When I was doing the course, I would seem to consistently have the same trouble with the same jump or the same corner. I should know better the second time and appropriately make adjustments so that it doesn't happen again. But for whatever reason, I was making the same mistakes again.

I did manage to canter this little course and to me, that progress is just fine. Some of those jumps were clean as a whistle and we both sailed right over and others were a mess. One mishap happened when we broke stride and I had difficulty getting Ariel back into the canter to complete the course. Sheri reminded me that when showing, I need to remember that a rider has a limited opportunity to pull themselves back together: circle twice and you better be moving again or you're OUTTA THERE. They really don't mess around! Good thing that wasn't a show and I'm just working on getting myself together.

Since most of the jumps were coming together in a reasonable fashion with minor mishaps, Sheri added in a single vertical jump and told me to take it at the end of the course coming towards home. That didn't go as I planned but I did make it over. My body is still sorting itself out in terms of figuring out where it needs to be, during the two point over. I'm sure that it'll come... I just need more practice with the verticals on a consistent basis to get the right feel.

Lesson #180: Puttering Around

Since +ADW and I were having our 'stay-cation' for the better part of the week, I told him to join me for my Thursday evening ride. We rode outside and for the most part, that was just fine (though I do prefer riding indoors for some reason...). It had rained previously so the ground was damp and the bugs were coming out...

Outside at the paddock, I greeted Ariel and she happily walked over (usually she just looks up and puts her head back down to continue eating) and while I was leading her to the stable, she saw a pile of hay on the ground and put her head down to try and get some but didn't seem to get her footing quite right and nearly toppled over herself -__-' This is going to be an interesting lesson, I bet.

Ariel was pokey and lazy this evening so I really had to push her along and keep on her to stick to the corners. The warm up was more of a challenge than usual in the sense that I had to keep pushing her along. Our canter was mildly uncomfortable for both of us and it was a little more on the stiff side for me because I wasn't giving with my lower back to swing with her motion and did create some counter movements against her.

Since we were riding with one of the young (more accomplished) riders, we got to do some jumping and it was inconsistently messy for me. Sometimes I was able to flow through the ride and other times I was struggling with just keeping Ariel straight. We missed a jump once and keeping in the corners as she was supposed to was a challenge too! She was cutting corners and falling in and pulling some jumper turns (yikes!). When we took turns with the courses, I moved Ariel off the rail onto the grass and at some point, her level of agitation was reaching a limit and I had difficulty getting her to re-enter the arena... to the point where one instance, she took us both into the indoor arena b/c she said "I've had enough of these bugs!". I was mortified. She not only made me feel like I was going to fall off, but it was clear she was taking over and Sheri had to come and get us both.

This mare has a way of teaching me to keep a thick skin...

To reassert my intentions and my status as leader of our little herd, I insisted her to get into the out door arena and then take a proper canter around the arena on my terms. Sheri firmly said, that that sort of behaviour is not acceptable and that Ariel needs to learn to suck it up and listen to her rider, not what she wants in this circumstance.

Lessons #178 & #179: Therapeutic Riding

For weeks, I have been struggling with back soreness and pain. I did work on the lawn and yard over the long weekend so I probably have miserable posture but in addition to that, my back loin muscles have been killing me. Yesterday was particularly rough because I could not find enough concentration in my being to get through the work day. I was really looking forward to my lesson because I knew that I'd have a better back just after sitting atop Ariel.

Sunday's lesson was no better... it ended up being pure flat work because I just couldn't muster the physical ability to do much else. I always start out stiff and uncomfortable even if I do some mild stretching prior to hopping on. My mid back was giving me issues that led to the forward leaning position which meant more work for Ariel to do anything that requires her to lift her front end. J had me canter with the reins in one hand and my other hand raised to the ceiling to ensure that I wasn't leaning forward.. somehow I managed--to lean forward, that is. The only good that came out of that exercise was that because I was too busy balancing on everything else, I let go of my hips and I actually swung with Ariel's motion instead of against it.

Yesterday's lesson on the other hand, we were jumping. The young rider M rides very well and everything just flow for her. Yes, I'm absolutely jealous of her lack of physical barriers. I on the other hand, struggled with staying up and sitting back and the jumps were not pretty. One time, I had a brain fart and just couldn't decide which way to turn after coming out a jump and Ariel and I were doing our last minute thing of "Hello? Where are we going? um... the rail is coming up kinda fast. You still there? Oh whatever, I'm going this way". I nearly fell off, but totally my fault. Another instance, I have no idea what was happening but I couldn't make the jump in time with her and it was really messy and I fall flat on her neck and also nearly toppled off. It was a messy lesson, to say the least. However, I was still able to do it in a canter for the most part and wasn't over thinking the jumps (thankfully small) and just went with whatever came at me. Sheri reiterated that fact too and reminded me that adults have different challenges than kids do... and one of them is the physical limitations just b/c of years of bad posture or favouring one side or something like that.

Despite all that, my back and hips always feel 110% better just by sitting ontop of Ariel. Even if we're not moving. The burning and soreness is gone when I am ontop. It's better than going to get a massage or chiropractor to look at my old bones. On another thread, I brought the mini-Ariel in to snap a shot with Miss Ariel herself! I don't think she appreciated being copied (though never duplicated!).

Mini-Ariel!

Lesson #175: Success, Phase 1

How long has it been since I made that goal? It's been close to a month's time. I simply wanted to be able to get through a full hunter course at 2'3". And on Sunday morning, I did just that. I cantered the entire course of verticals at the range of 2'2" to 2'3". We built up to the course by doing the usual jump by jump. I started with a vertical on the diagonal that was taken away from home. Sheri added a second one that should have been the wood vertical taken away from home, then at F, continue towards K and come over the green/white vertical near H. You know I'm new at this because I took the wood vertical towards home and continued on a broken line to the green/white jump at H. That was SO not what I was supposed to do.

Sheri is good at taking your mind off of what's happening and just quickly building up the course until I was doing exactly what we intended. After that diagonal away from home, then coming along that vertical station around H, I continued along C and up the other quarter line going over 2 more verticals with a spacing of 5 strides. I needed to collect Ariel enough to ride into the first jump so we could take off with a good distance and there shouldn't be a chip in. The last two jumps was a line on the diagonal from K to M. This one was required me to also collect because of the vertical I was coming off, at F towards A basically had me to a tight turn around. I had to tell myself to sit up and collect Ariel enough so that we wouldn't go through the entire thing in a mess. I haven't learned to change the striding between jumps like that but I have learned enough to collect upon approach of a line. It isn't pretty, but it's still successful in the sense that I made it over.

Hot dog! She did it.

At first, that diagonal line was taken at the trot and that is already a struggle to do because Ariel doesn't want to slow down. Despite that, we did get through it and managed the final canter the entire course. HOORAY! The next goals would be... take these turns on the left rein too... because I do believe the entire course was actually on the right rein--which is actually my better side as I have my left side able to compensate and appropriate direct Ariel. That makes total sense.

Now, in addition to that, I will need to make the actual position look pretty. If I was being judged in an equitation class... I don't think the judges would even want to watch the rest of it because it was so messy: arms flying about, armpits open, legs flailing around... I just didn't look collected. So now we refine.

Lesson #174: It ain't pretty, it just looks that way (for now)

Ariel seems excited to work this evening when I arrive because she's standing at the gate when I go out to her paddock to get her ready for the lesson. And we all know, this mare would rather be eating. I have a good feeling about things so we quickly get ready and hop into the arena to get started. The garage door is open so I ask if we could do some stuff outside (I'm itching to get out on a hack). J walks out with me to do a brief warm up in the outdoor arena. The outdoor is larger than the indoor so getting a 4 loop serpentine is very doable and because there is only a couple poles and a set of standards, there is plenty of room to get going. Immediately, Ariel is on high alert when we step outside and I see that she's looking every other which way. J says Ariel is not a fan of going out in the dark so it's my job to get her to recompose her horsey brain and relax.

What was that?!

My riding is definitely improving because it doesn't take long for me to calm Ariel down and get her brain back in check with being focused on what we're doing instead of being paranoid about every single rock, tree, rustle or corner. Once we're good there, I move into the canter around the arena and on the right rein, I experience difficulty balancing and keeping myself in check even though she's going at a good pace and just calmly moving forward. When a video is taken, we see that my lower back is just going against the motion and I seem to be "leading with my chin". I just need to recalibrate a bit more so that I'm not leaning forward as much and (surprise) relax my lower back. Although I knew I was struggling, it was helpful to have the video footage to see what I was doing.

It still isn't bright for as long of the evening so we return indoors and start on jumping. We waste no time and get right into it. I'm told to start on one jump at a time until we build up to 3 jumps. My main focus at this point is to keep my heels/weight down, especially upon the approach and remaining in a half seat. The rest of it doesn't look pretty, I'm sure but at this point, I know it's the main thing that I need to work on. The rest is details that will come together with more practice and refinement.

There is one thing that seems to give me trouble, during this lesson: I am coming off a jump towards K and I need to make a turn towards A then F but can't seem to get Ariel to ride straighter towards K and then make the appropriate turn without falling in. I suspected it is my seat that is becoming unhinged and causing her an inbalance that causes her to fall in. We know when I've done it wrong because she doesn't get enough space to get the balance to do the flying change in the corner. Sheri says, in the hunter ring, riders are expected to use the space so they can keep their horse balanced in corners and all that fun stuff--setting them up for success.

I try repeatedly until Sheri just gets up and becomes the barrier to the falling in. It is successful in the literal sense but not good enough for me because I needed an aid. I get off for the night remembering that I need to use my seat better to rebalance Ariel and myself when we are coming out of the jump.

Lesson #173: Mind Over Matter

Spring is here! Or at least we're getting real peeks into it. I was tempted to go on a hack on Sunday but when we got there, we're told J is teaching... usually J is the one we go on a hack with anyway but we discover that he broke his hand and is probably pretty sore from a bad fall during one of his jumper lessons with his coach. It sounded pretty messy and has reaffirmed my desire to keep things low key. He basically went left when his horse went right.

J's lessons are much different than Sheri's because he's just not as technical as she is. He's more about feel and experience. Both have the basics down but riding dressage for Sheri has her mind-set in a more technical area just because that's part of what is required to ride dressage anyway.

The objective today is course work. I have been starting our walking warm ups with loosening my hips and alternating my legs with Ariel's movement and I find that this helps and is certainly becoming more second nature. I wanted to get into a normal posting trot but Ariel decided she was more comfortable with a long and low trot so we started there instead.

We also rode with another young student who rides beautifully. I love to see when the more capable younger kids ride because it's such an inspiring thing to see. We all get into canter and go round several times and then get straight into our jumping. The course work is set up so that we build into the final course by taking one jump at a time to ensure our position is good and we are comfortable with the height. As I said, J's not as technical. This gives me the opportunity to aim for what he has asked but remember all the "tools" that Sheri has been giving me the last few weeks about seat and weight shifting. I am also becoming better at feeling when Ariel's pace is slowing or speeding up. And I certainly have to ride her body more than anything else because she's all wobbly and will bend and flex as she feels comfortable.

At least Deb is aware of what's going on now... --Ariel

The first jump was a ground pole with 3 strides into an X. I was our test guinea pig and was asked to do it at the canter. Usually Sheri works up to the canter because I continue to have the same faults about riding too far on Ariel's forehand so it is beneficial to take it slower. But it wasn't miserable and so I have to remember to focus on all the things that are my faults.

We work on adding more jumps and it goes from a ground pole with 3 strides into an X to a line with 2 Xs, then adding another X on the other side and then the second X in the line changed to a vertical. Finally, it became an X into a vertical and ended on a X. My faults remain the same... but this time, I do realize something... that the curling over onto Ariel's forehand is something that is actually second nature and if I don't consciously think about it, that's what I end up doing, instead of sitting up. It's not a matter of capability... but it literally is mind over matter.

This is very evident when I approach the first jump riding while sitting up but as soon as I land, I'm already curled over. It then becomes tricky for Ariel to gain balance appropriately and I notice we zoom around the arena coming out of it. It makes sense that she's trying to compensate for my balancing on her front so we both don't go over her head!

And here's a first for +ADW! He was asked to canter the line for the first time. Not to shabby considering he's never done it before. Hooray for firsts!

Lesson #172: More Jumping Progress

Although it's nice to have Thursday night lessons all to myself, it was a welcome change to have another rider in the class. This student rides her own horse and their focus this year (from what it sounds like) is jumper. The course that she was working on was pretty tough... the turn into one of the lines was really tight and she had to collect as she was coming into the line. Her position over fences is beautiful. It flows and she looks so effortless over the jumps.

I start my warm up and remember that in order to make use of my walk, I need to loosen my hips with Ariel's movements and flow with her while opening up the walk with alternating legs. Sheri asks me how I feel today and I mention that I feel tight--which is not a lie. Specifically, my calves are feeling tight, even though I shouldn't have a reason to have tight feeling calves. That said, I just think about keeping my heels down and loosening my hips and lower back. Sheri tells me to take my feet out of the stirrups and just relax and drop my weight down through my heels and just flow with Ariel's movements.

A few rounds and I take my stirrups back and start trotting around with the aim to have Ariel long and low and me: relaxed. This exercise has become far easier than it used to be when it was a struggle just for me to stay with her through my seat and body. Tensing up always made the situation worse, even though I tried not to.

That was fun but man am I tired now... --Ariel

Next, we're doing jumping today so a quick canter around and then I trot into an X. The X's are becoming less of an issue and so I add in a vertical. The vertical isn't high, but it does enough to cause me some grief. I am not sure if I'm not releasing enough, or if my heels are falling back, thus causing me to tip forward. Continuing, another X is added so that this mini course is becoming a sort of twisty loopy route. I am only relatively successful and I continue to have the same issue of curling forward and not being able to sit up between jumps. I seem to anticipate them and upon the approach, actually lean forward.

After a few more rounds with some degree of success, I am asked to complete the course by taking a vertical with some narrow fillers. I really had a good time with the jumping even though there is a bit of apprehension just before I get into it, each time. I still have the same vices where I tend to lean into the approach and my heels don't always stay firmly down but it is slowly improving since I"m not being thrown as much or getting left behind as often. It isn't pretty, but it is at least successful in making it over.

We cool out with lots and lots of bending and turning with the horses with their necks long and low to stretch out their backs after doing so many jumps. I take this opportunity to test my seat turning again.

Lesson #152: 20m 'Ugh'

J was teaching our lesson Sunday and we worked on jumping. I knew, that going in, I was tight in the hips and off kilter on the (surprise) right side. We started with a brief warm up and then got into a large canter. No trouble from Ariel and we went round and round at her pace *sigh* Sitting up was having some effect and she did slow down when I used my weight but then she would slow too much so I leaned off some and she sped up but sped up a little too much... finding that balance was really tricky. At one point, Ariel did a series of Tempi changes along the long side and I had no clue. After J pointed it out, I did realize that it seemed like her canter was a little more 'lofty' than usual but I didn't intentionally ask for it so that's... bad. Then again, since she's a sensitive mare and I'm physically a dud, it's possible that my hips were shifting just enough to ask her for the lead changes and since I've never done it before, I wouldn't have known. But more than likely, it was because I was unbalanced and she was just trying to sort out balance for both of us. *le sigh*

Seriously. What is Deb doing up there???

Since I complained about being tight, we did some non-stirrup work with leg stretches. I was laughing a storm when G had said that a few times stuff was cracking and things felt like they were out of the socket! HAHAHA! It was her birthday the day before so we made the joke that she's just gettin' old. Oh the jokes with this bunch of people.

We started simple courses on a figure 8 with 4 jumps at either horizontal or cross poles at the rising trot. There were two jumps on the long side and 2 more on an angle with 2 corners of the arena. With a lower level, jumping over things wasn't TOO bad. I made it over with a 50/50 success rate of good position. Then he added in an extra jump... a horizontal jump on a 20m circle. I figured it should be fine but O-M-G, it was as if it was all too much for my puny little brain to sort out! Coming in was fine but upon the approach, things just went to poop. My eyes would drop or I'd look to the outside of the circle. My body would also seize up because I was clearly freaking out about what I should be doing and with Ariel, she's been known to run straight into a wall if asked (fearless, this girl). Even at the trot that was hella scary for me to do and the more we drilled it, the worse it got. I have no idea what went wrong but I couldn't seemingly look far enough into the circle and get through the jump. Ariel isn't the problem, I am.

I finished the remainder of the course just fine but that 20m circle one just sent me reeling back into a prior state. I'm okay at 20m circles at canter or trot on the flat but the addition of obstacles clearly is a problem at this time. I wonder what I could do, to address that seemingly unreasonable problem. Maybe I'll need to do ground poles on the 20m circle like we did last time where they were put at a "cross" pattern...

Lesson #152: Leaning Into the Jump

I just wanted to put it out there that +ADW and I were part of the Erin Santa Claus parade over the weekend! I'll put together a post for that later this week but for now, I'm going to focus on the details of the lesson on Sunday.

Something new for this lesson though: new stirrup irons. I've used those quick release type that are closed with an elastic and the standard metal ones that aren't fancy in any fashion. But Sunday's lesson had new irons... flexible jointed stirrup irons. I read a forum thread about these and it looks like mixed reviews from riders of all ages. The intent is to create more flexibility and comfort in your ankles and knees and help bring the heels down more. I found that it didn't maintain stability in my ride and I even had to take the stirrups up 2 holes. That said though, it's only 1 ride so far so it's not really indicative of how I'll actually ride in them as I use them more.

We had a brief warm up that wasn't particularly intense that let us just move around the arena and limber up some. We were riding with one of the advanced students in the class because she was school a newer pony over fences. Watching her ride over fences (even bitty ones) is amazing b/c everything flows for her. *sigh* If only one day... but let's come back down to Earth for a minute here: she rides 5-6 times a week and has been riding since she was a tot and has worked several different ponies and horses--some which have been particularly challenging mounts.

There are advantages to being that moody mare..

We work on the same course work as the last lesson and Ariel is fighting me around corners and just giving me a mouthful of disagreements. Again, the right rein isn't quite right and I find myself really struggling to keep her straight and on the rail. When we got into the jumps, my problem was being pointed out to me that my leg slips back... as if I'm taking a jump myself! The difference from this lesson's jumps versus the last is that these jumps were horizontals (though low) and I find myself really over thinking things with these jumps more. Instead of pushing back with my hips and folding there, I find myself jumping the jump too.

I do have a few good ones but when I get anxious to anticipate something, I do just that: I find myself leaning forward into the jump as Ariel is taking off. I am using new stirrup irons but that might be the explanation for me to notice that I need to fold at the hip... and not worry that I'll be left behind.

Lesson #151: Rushing the Fence

My Thursday night lesson included +ADW too, which was really nice. Similar to the usual plan, the start of the lesson is shared with two other adults who ride only flat work, with a focus on dressage exercises. While they're getting into their lesson, I'm warming up. Our warm up was focused on posting trot with varying tempos. Long, relaxed and low; to a lively working trot. Our aims were to come down with a gentle "sit" and not to do too much "thrusting" with our hips while keeping the rising flowing. It's definitely a feel thing.

Ariel was in the lesson before mine so she was warmed up but giving me trouble on the right rein. I am sure it had mostly to do with my crookedness. The left rein was fine and flowed wonderfully. But once we got onto the right side, she was falling in and cutting corners. I was certain that it had to do with my wonky shoulder and tight hip. Since Ariel is a really sensitive mare, small imbalances become magnified and I have to work doubly hard to keep her (and me!) in line. So, when we were told to get into the canter on the right rein, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

Hi, I'm Molson. I'm trying a new 'thing' with my hair. What do you think?

The right rein was definitely a lot of opinionated Ariel and uncomfortable me going round and round. I want to say "I get it, Ariel! I'm twisted one way but you gotta work with me here." After getting around a few times with me working mega hard to keep her in check, despite my crookedness, we move to working on jumps and course work.

The course work is tough. They are low X jumps but keeping in alignment with the jump upon approach and not getting ahead of yourself is a challenge. I found myself going through the exercise at the trot to be okay... but I did struggle to get the position right, going over the jumps and being sure that I didn't fall behind. The jumps are lined up along the middle of the arena along the long side but at alternating angles from one another--a very shallow zigzag.

I found my biggest issues were that I, not Ariel, was rushing the fences. I would approach the fence and find myself getting ready for it by leaning in and almost "superman-ing" over the thing as opposed to two pointing it. This causes a series of problems with the position, ranging from bad distance to poor balance over the jump. There was even an instance where Ariel took the jump way too long and I was leaning forward way too much and she had to stick in a half canter step to get both of us over the jump so that I wouldn't land on the ground in front of her. It was bumpy for me and probably equally unpleasant for her.

All in all, I enjoyed the fast pace of doing this type of course work where we just went one after the other and did several jumps in sequence.

Lesson #150: Intense Lesson

I had to reschedule my Thursday night lesson because I didn't have wheels to get up to the stable (boooo :( ) but with the craziness that's been going on lately, it was a welcome break. However, when Sunday morning arrived, I was really excited about getting out to ride. Clearly I can't go less than once a week to ride or I start getting withdrawal symptoms. HAHA

It was +ADW, G, one of the advanced riders with her green horse and I in this lesson and let me tell you, it was fast paced. Once Sheri reminded us that the new 'baby horse' needed more space and attention on our part to be more careful and thoughtful, we immediately started the warm up. This warm up was a total wake up because we were immediately pushed into intense continuous change up of (what I call) 'Sheri Says': posting trot, sitting trot, half seat, 2 point, canter, walk, change of direction, transitions up or down from walk to canter and vice versa. I lost track of how long this lasted but I do know that I definitely felt the intensity if the exercise. Later, ADW told me that there were moments where he was sure he was going to slide right off; and I recall instances where I felt like my position was struggling a good deal because the transitions were so fast. Despite this, it was an invigorating warm up and I actually really enjoyed it!

Hi! I'm Stanley C. Panther--little brother of Buckingham. I spent Sunday morning lying here on my kitty pen.

From there, we moved right into the small X jumps and as per usual fashion, started with 1 jump until we worked in all 4. Seeing that each of us are at different stages and different horses, my focus was to maintain control (of the situation) and pace and to use all the core I have to keep me from falling all over Ariel's neck. I'd ride in at the posting trot but often Ariel broke into a canter coming out of the jump; but we needed to recollect and continue at the posting trot, before we were turning for the next jump. The final exercise was to change the two of the x's into horizontal jumps. I did lose control during one run and left Ariel to her own devices and found us speeding around and my eyes falling on the ground and panicking. It was evident and Sheri reminded me that I needed to keep the dominant Ariel in check.

The runs weren't perfect but they are definitely improving and having literally done so much work during a lesson, I really felt like things were moving along and really going well. My biggest problem is still the over-thinking before the jumps... especially once they turned horizontal. I'd catch myself looking down and over anticipating the jump and almost freezing and then the ride out was pretty crappy as if I forgot that all the "in between jumps" is our standard flat work. If only I could turn my fear brain off at the jumps and trust that Ariel would get us over okay, as long as I brought her to the base of the jump and told her where we are going afterwards.

Lesson #149: Remembering to Listen

This lesson shared a bunch of similarities to the last in that the lesson peaked with jumping a mini course. We started with a brief warm up to get everyone limber. Again, I felt like the canter went really well and there was a good level of control on my part. My aim at the canter is to ensure it is relaxed and I don't feel like it's a race around the corners (which Ariel is known to do every now and again). Sheri reminds us that our flat work is imperative for jumping because a jump is merely an obstacle during your flat work (what a brilliant way to look at it!) and unless you have a good grasp of your flat work, your jumping (or anything else) will be an interruption and throw the rest of the session off.

Sometimes I glaze over during flat work. It's a bad habit that I occasionally catch myself doing because my mind's drifted. Have you ever had a conversation with someone only to keep anticipating what they're going to say and prepare yourself to appropriately answer? Well, I've been told time and again that I'm not really listening if I do that. Truly listening means that we need to actually hear what people are saying, then respond appropriately but I get it, who has time to do that these days? But I'm not the first to admit that I do that so often that I don't actually hear what people are telling me and on multiple occasions, it's clear that I totally wasn't listening. In an effort to break the habit of going "auto-pilot", I'll take these warm ups as opportunities to "talk with" Ariel and really listen to what she's telling me, by:

• Looking the direction I want to go, in advance
• Keep Ariel in the corners (which means prep as we move towards the corner)
• Ease off the contact if she's starting to get unbalanced: speeding, raising her head in protest...
• Not letting my eye drop
• Half halt sooner
• Making the effort to change something, if she's protesting

I'd say Deb's progressing just fine. But she could be a wee bit more generous with the treats!

Once we get going, Sheri has us taking single or two jumps at the trot. I do find that going at the posting trot is... distracting? But then I figure that if you can do it at a trot (posting or otherwise) the canter should be easy as pie. After a few goes at that, we are asked to take 3 jumps in a combo of mostly trot, interjected with canter. My efforts aren't too bad and I do remind myself to sit up more and apparently it's coming together just fine so I'm pleased with that! Sheri even mentions that I'm sitting up after jumps more often and that every now and again, things are a little off but overall, I'm moving right along and not falling on Ariel as often. Keep in mind though, that my jump heights have gone right back down to little X's. I don't know when I"ll get back to jumping closer to 2" but I'm perfectly okay with that because a good foundation means steady and sustainable progress!