YiR & A Preview of Resolutions

I'm obviously late to the game this year but I have valid excuses :D

The first half of my return to undergrad adventure is complete and so is another calendar year. Marks were returned and *hooray* I'm still in the running to be able to apply! I continue to commute to Waterloo but this time, in the winter--which has a bunch of its own challenges.

For serious, I'm driving through the SW Ontario snow-belt

But, if there is anything I learned getting through last semester, I learned that I can do it, if I just put my mind to and that there is nothing that is impossible to accommodate as long as I can manage my time and limits appropriately. To keep myself on track, I am creating a visual inspiration board and doing my annual review and goal setting for the coming year.

Oh Dilbert. You always have an interesting perspective on life

Let's start with an analysis of last year...

• Personal/School/Career: I can confidently say that I have successfully met all these goals from last year!
• Household/Buckingham & Stanley C. Panther: the only one I did not meet my expectations is the cooking aspect. I have been taking advantage of my mom's cooking daily, and often going out to eat in place of making my own meals. Otherwise, all other tasks have been addressed! Not bad :)
• Horsey/Riding: this one took a major stall this summer and I think it actually needed to; I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I did last semester without this one being put on hold. I still find my mind wandering though, and I try not to think about this absence because I just get really sad. I found myself really enjoying the hugs I gave Ariel and Bons when we visited over the holidays. But the honest truth? I don't know if I could have brought myself to stop lessons if it wasn't for my Summer of George.
• Family: I have literally amazed myself on this front. Still lots of room for improvement but I did really well in this quadrant of goals, too!
• Social/Volunteering: I passively moved off one of my volunteering gigs; this was not the right way to go about it but I haven't been able to say "no" and not feel bad about it, yet. I also plain ol' stopped volunteering for the cat rescue and I honestly wish I stopped volunteering for my reluctant gig and moved to do something with the cat rescue instead. I did donate some pet food near the end of the year.
  In terms of the social aspect... I did only a degree of it. But, I don't feel too bad about it and think I just need to readjust my expectations and plans a wee bit and I should be good.
• Reading: does reading a lot of dry textbooks and science articles count?

I am impressed with myself, overall. I didn't think I could do as much, and I was really just focusing on the monumental task at hand. I'd say I didn't do too shabby this time around and I'll be upping the ante, so to speak, for 2017 because I think I can do it.

Truth!

How did your respective 2016 resolutions and year go?

First Leg Finish on the Horizon!

Now seemed as good a time as any to check-in by a blog post after being entrenched in school work for 2 months. That, and I needed to do something constructive after hearing about the US electoral results which I will NOT get into detail further other then this one reference because, although I don't live in the US (thank heavens), as a Canadian, I can't stop hearing everyone's opinion about it. And, I might have a new house-guest for the next 4 years with an option for an additional 4 year stay. HA HA HA. Okay, not funny, at all.

Going on, I have been busy keeping up with my studies and finding myself even more motivated, curious and engaged then I have ever been. Seriously. When I first started my undergrad, I just knew I liked biology and science in general and was curious about it. But, at the time, I didn't really know what I was doing or why I was doing it. I was also closed to getting into certain subjects just because I didn't think they were worthwhile.

This semester, I have gotten myself into Human Metabolism, Animal Physiology, Moral Issues, Embryology and Developmental Biology and Advanced First Year Chinese (Mandarin). The two courses that I was prepared to struggle with for 3 months and cry a small river (daily) learning about was metabolism and embryology. Then I thought that I'd be bored to tears about philosophy and Mandarin. Quite the contrary, the course I find most engaging is moral issues! I have never enjoyed philosophy more.

Unfortunately, with the broken leg and the packed schedule, I haven't had much time to consider returning to riding and while I am sad, I don't really have much time to actually be sad. I have though, been getting occasional doses of equine related activities like volunteering for the Ontario University Equestrian Association (OUEA) show hosted by UW the last weekend of October. The format of this type of showing is very different than I'm used to seeing where a rider works with their mount for months or years perfecting the relationship. Instead of riding your own horse, you ride a random horse drawn for you on the day you're showing. They do flat and jumping/hunter classes for a range of rider levels. I admit, not really my cup of tea but an interesting experience to see what that is all about. Unfortunately, due to my mid-term schedule, I had to miss the opportunity to learn to drive miniature horses (I know. CUUUUUUTE!!!). Another time.

I did get to get out to The Royal to support one of Gosling Stables riders show pony jumper in the A's with her rescue pony. She totally deserved it considering the amount of work she's put in. I also had the opportunity to chat with a Hereford rancher about his love of the job and how he's already "retired" four times but can't seem to keep himself idle long enough! Such inspiration.

Reversing a bit, the leg is completely healed and I'm on my own to make it better completely. I still limp if I have to rush somewhere as the quadricep muscles just aren't what they used to be. You probably couldn't tell there's anything wrong until you challenge me to race you to the end of the block: #nothappening. I am glad that I don't need the crutches but I just wish things would go back to normal, faster.

Finally, my brother has taken on a side project and transformed his love of coffee into a viable business in the Distillery District of Toronto and let me tell you, if you are in the area, you have to make it a point to go, not just because I said so, but because you will not be disappointed. It's currently one of my happy places not only because it's a break from studying, but because I get fuelled with the best coffee I've experience. So much love, experience and care goes into each cup that it makes me warm and fuzzy both figuratively and literally!

In the meantime, when I have time, I will make a point to getting around to other blogs, some more reading and another post. Until then, I hope y'all are enjoying yourselves doing whatever it is that you're occupied with :)

A Review: The Legend of Zippy Chippy

I judged this book by its cover, grabbed it (scanned at the library) and ran (this was before I broke my leg and wrist). I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable read because I was so entertained by it! I know little about sports and even less about thoroughbred racing. But Canadian author William Thomas moulds the narrative life of racehorse Zippy Chippy in the most amusing fashion: by utilizing Zippy's life story to instill a sense of perspective about our own lives through the eyes of this lovable (and often ornery) equine.

Regardless of a reader's actual knowledge about thoroughbred horse racing history/industry, one would be able to take away tid-bits about life and sports history that can help us gain perspective about life's many struggles and failures while maintaining a positive outlook. I'm not saying that it's all rosy and rainbows and butterflies (because it's not), but it's really practical and honest in its tone. Each chapter follows a portion of Zippy's life and presents a moral and includes a brief about another similar subject that further drives the concept.

There is just enough humour, fact, moral and fun to keep the reader turning the pages and wondering what was the next bizarre turn of events that Zippy Chippy would get into. I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions and reading parts to my other half about the antics which seem unbelievably silly and outrageous. Even through the silliness and the humour, I still found myself nodding in agreement about the practicality of what could be taken away from the turn of events which made the reading so satisfying!

Without giving it all away, I would highly recommend this read for anyone in any circumstances because the truth is, everyone can learn something from this ornery retired racing legend.

Reflecting on my 'Summer of George'

My bad habit finally caught up with me and was amplified with a poor decision. Or maybe that's two bad habits that seemed to come together, only one has a change in the usual suspect...? Ladies and gents, I have been holed up at home for the last ~3 weeks because (wait for it...) I broke my knee (tibial plateau fracture) and wrist. My biggest baddest habit is looking down when riding a jump, which means my upper body collapses and follows. My other baddest habit is bailing last minute; except in this case, I actually bailed my mount. I'm neither happy or proud at the outcome.

I was riding on a Tuesday afternoon and been riding a horse who's attention span is maybe 10 seconds. He's capable, agreeable and a big suck so a good ride if you can sort yourself out with him, but I have been struggling with him after the BSJ and been unsuccessful. All the bad habits and fears and paranoia rears its ugly head when I ride him. But, I didn't take the tumble from him... it was from another bombproof solid been-there-done-it-all hunter mount. The line approach was perfectly fine but my upper body went down, my mind stopped riding, and I decided that it would be better to bail than pull myself together.

My own version of "summer of George"

After knee surgery and a hot pink fibre-glass cast, I have been forcibly admitted to my own "summer of George"; spending days indoors (not a bad thing with the temperatures we've been having), permanently in my pyjamas in the same chair getting caught up on a lot of TV and blogging. But, I had so much planned this summer and all of it has been dashed to pieces. Needless to say, I've been depressed on several occasions and I regularly have to be reminded by the ever patient and supportive +ADW that "LIFE HAPPENS" and at least I'll be getting better day by day--it isn't permanent, he'd add.

With all the new found free time, I have been reflecting (see, obsessing) about why I'd have two falls within a small time-frame. I'm not implying I was an amazing rider previously, but I was far more willing and confident about jumps, courses and anything else that was thrown at me when I rode. I rarely refused to ride a jump and wanted to learn everything and anything and a greener horse was not usually something that unsettled me either.

I tell myself it's not that I am incapable of riding... a few things come up though:

• Not reflecting on my lessons to determine what went well and what needs improvement--I've gotten complacent and stopped blogging regularly this year.
• Ignoring my developing physical limitations that hinder me, and not righting them with more fervor.
• Allowing negative self-talk to interfere with my self-confidence when riding.
• Expecting perfection without more work from myself.

I'm sure everyone can relate to at least one of the thoughts above, getting in the way of their own successes. It is my unwavering goal that I will take this lesson with enormity and rectify the 'wrongs' that I have let creep in. 

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.

Tomatoe, tomato

I am not a hugger.

The thought of wrapping my arms around another is not my idea of a happy social exchange (a hand-shake will suffice, thank you!). But, the things I've been learning with Bonspiel is the way he prefers to communicate--particularly important for our right sides. Unfortunately for us, we are both weaker on the right side and need work and focus. Meet my new buddy, Bonspiel:

Bons loves to pose for the camera! #bluesteel

A photo posted by Deborah (@my_examined_life) on Jan 16, 2016 at 9:31am PST

Sheri told me I was gonna work; I wasn't working hard enough and that was the problem. We're talking not hard at all apparently. Horseback riding isn't easy no matter what non-riders will yap about. It's also (as riders know) not so much about what you do with your hands as it is your seat and/or legs.

First, warm-up require more transitional work and bending lines to get us warmed up properly and limber. Exercises like alternating walk to trot, each with a known number of steps while being as precise as possible as well as keeping our impulsion at each transition is key. With a horse like Bonspiel, when things don't go right, it's very clear that it's the rider's botch up because he is trained impeccably to do exactly what he's told. If you don't get that canter just right, that's the your fault. WOMP WOMP. Other exercises include balancing at the trot in a standing position without using our stirrups as crutches and focusing on actual lower leg support to steady ourselves.

It's reiterated that with this horse, it's about support with your legs at every step. "He needs it", Sheri tells me, "you gotta hug and support him so he can do it right. Otherwise you're just dropping him and that's why he falls out of (in this case) the canter". As I pointed out earlier, I'm not a hugger, but I have to learn to 'hug' with my legs--from my thigh to the lower leg without pinching at the knee while maintaining a fluidity through the hip and back. At first I don't really get what she means but when we canter around both in the whole arena and the 20m circle, it is evident when I "drop" him: we see that my right thigh actually is the culprit and that is the part of my leg hug that is dropping Bonspiel and not giving him support to continue to canter around. I do test the comment and pay attention to my leg position and notice that he immediately drops from canter (at the right) when I lose momentary contact with him at the thigh. Unfortunately,  my movement with him isn't 100% and in the canter movement where he is moving down and forward, I am already moving back on "up".

These are all things I had difficulty with when I was riding Ariel and still sorting out what it meant to rider her proficiently. I am seeing that while these two horses require a different "touch", some things will remain constant. I figure it's like learning a language but understanding the different "accents" of those speakers.

My Two School Masters

For my first horsey post for the year, I wanted to review my recent transition of changing horses and what my thoughts have been. I have returned to ride Ariel a couple lessons ago after riding Bons for several weeks. I honestly didn't think that there would be such a difference or adjustment mentally but I was surprised. I started jumping on Bons and doing a few very short (like 3 jumps) courses because I was still nervous. He's the complete opposite of Ariel in the way he rides where there is a lot more horse in front, underneath and even behind--it's like driving a bus. I did mentally graduate from needing to wear my riding vest but I still struggle with several other things.

Upon returning to ride Ariel, I immediately felt the difference: Ariel felt like a pony beneath me. Her neck is short and she's shorter in general. It suddenly felt odd and strange but I didn't take long to get back into the swing of things: they felt comfortable and practiced.

• Ariel will take that little X like it's a big X even at the trot. Bons will scoff at it and trot over like it was a trot pole.
• Ariel is excited to see me and comes to the paddock gate. Bons will take one look and walk to the far side of the paddock.
• Ariel is social and enjoys the company of humans. Bons could care less and would likely rather be doing his own thing.
• Ariel changes gait on a dime. Bons takes half the arena long side to transition down.
• Ariel is an 'uphill' horse and doesn't drag me down and forward. Bons is a 'heavy on the forehand' horse and will drag me forward without me even noticing.
• Ariel has the attitude of a typical female. Bons is a compliant gelding.
• Ariel hates face contact and prefers a rider to use their seat/leg. Bons likes seat/leg but doesn't get all worked up with facial man-handling by yours truly.
• Ariel is trained well but Bons is trained impeccably from birth.

I consider both to be fantastic school masters and I am learning differently from each of them. I have had a lot of time with Ariel and I look forward to continue riding her but I also recognize that Bons will push my learning and get past some of the other subjects like rein contact and the floaty warm-blood gaits. So, as this year starts up, I will be moving forward with a mixture of the old and new.

A ride with the Bonsi-Bus and a visit with Ms. Ariel

A photo posted by Deborah (@my_examined_life) on Jan 2, 2016 at 9:47am PST

Next Challenge: Bons

I typically don't wait so long after lessons because don't remember details of what took place! The biggest change is that Ariel is out of commission for me, after it was noticed that she's jumping a little "flat"/long and she seems to be just a bit "off". She's sound and that isn't so much the issue but it looks like she's a little sore or just plain cranky since she's become quite in demand! That said though, we change things up and I am given a choice of Bonspiel or Molson. Both move similarly in that they get heavy on the forehand and require a bunch of face contact--totally unlike Ariel who is mostly uphill and wants you to leave her face alone.

That's not the most intimidating part: the fact that both are 2 hh'r than Ariel proves to be an intimidating feature for me. The first ride was terrifying for me. I was literally shaking in my booties when I went to get Bons (who is closer to 1200lbs+) in the paddock and bring him in. Tacking up was also a feat because the last time I attempted it, the saddle was placed on his kidneys. *womp womp womp*

The first lesson with Bons was all about just getting a feel for his movement and the way he communicates with his rider. He's changed a lot since I last rode him--he's more confident in himself and he's become (to me) less bouncy. I don't find his gait nearly as floaty and big as I have in the past. The sitting trot is still really tough to ride but I manage much better.

As lessons pass, I become much more confident with learning to ride his movement and anticipating his short-comings like his difficulty on the right rein. Riding a larger horse who is impeccably trained since he was a baby is a real treat because he has exact buttons but at the same time, he may or may not read between the lines and take a gander at what I might want of them at the time.

Quite a few lessons have passed since I started riding Bonspiel and I'll be sticking with him for now. Both Sheri and J have told me that the match is good and I will likely learn much more riding Bons than sticking it out with Ariel unless I can tame that 'tude. Bons requires more contact in the reins and is a fancy pants sport-horse so I would effectively be "moving forwards" into a new challenge that would continue to challenge my riding.

A Royal Welcome For a Fellow Rider

The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the best of the country being brought into the city for competition and marketing. A prestigious affair, the Royal Horse show is a major highlight for many equestrians and getting to compete at the Royal is an honour. The fair manages to showcase every aspect of agriculture and equestrian greatness. It's a great educational experience for city kids who don't have the opportunity to join 4-H clubs through showcasing their country cousins' pass times and projects.

Gosling Stables is a versatile, down to earth and dedicated place to ride at and I am so happy to be a part of the 'barn family'. I am so pleased to share the news that one of the young riders who trains there qualified with her rescue pony, to ride at the Hyde Moffat clinic being held at the Royal today! Kaitlin is a talented and hardworking rider who has been a regular presence at the stable and we're so happy to wish her the best of luck today.

Lesson #214, 215, 216: Gridwork After an Updated Perspective

Lately, I have less time than lately: I have a new job, hooray! In an effort to keep records for myself, all I can really remember from these three lessons is that I was working on jumping position through gridwork. I'm not sure if I'm the only one out there but I *heart* gridwork tonnes.

Gridwork is a progressive training system that uses poles and fences set at 
pre-determined distances. It teaches a horse to be athletic, accurate, quick thinking and confident; while improving their rhythm, balance, reactions, style and technique. Equally, it helps riders with their confidence, sense of rhythm, balance and distances. Sometimes it's easy to forget about good technique when you start doing courses--especially if you have some bad habits that you're trying to keep in check.

The various grids set up were all fences of varying distances and heights. No oxers or anything out of my comfort zone since I was focused on position riding into, over and out of jumps. The grids were simply set up on a straight line so there was no need to consider corners either! All we were thinking about was the ride in and the position over jumps. Ariel and I did pretty well and I was pleased with the way things turned out because I didn't have to concern myself about the turns and I was just focused on getting through a series of jumps and not a full course.

Again, pretty straight forward but I definitely have a different perspective following my lesson with A.

Lesson #213: Some Nitty Gritty to Get Excited About

The best instructors are forever students and want to keep learning by keeping people around them, whom they can learn from. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to take a lesson from my instructor's coach!! *swoon* I wasn't sure if I should since it's considerably more expensive but I justified it as a "special lesson" and that I could use it to learn more about my situation and take the information and address what's keeping me behind.

I'll be referring to him as "A" and give you an idea of how awesome-sauce he is. First thing, he's German trained and has been riding since he was a kid and was vaulting by the time he was 10--if you can do a handstand on a cantering horse... I'd say you're pretty darn good. He has a centred calmness about him so when you meet him for the first time, you're not shaking in your breeches. He also relates to his students through appropriate illustrations on what he is trying to say, so they understand. And for someone like me, his technicality and sheer focus to the lesson tasks just draws me in even more.

We start the lesson with me puttering around doing what I would normally do, so he could get an idea of how I ride, where I am etc. Sheri and J told him that I am trying to sort out my inflexible hips/back and uneven seat. Because we all know, everything comes from the seat ;)

"A", on the walk
"A" immediately gets me back to basics... when Ariel and I walk, I should be swinging my legs, in tandem with her rib cage. Legs don't just dangle there. We work on this throughout the lesson any chance we walk. I am also asked to keep at least 1 metre off the rail... this is to ensure I have Ariel's attention because it doesn't give her the chance to lean on the rail--in short, we're doing what I want us to do. I try to stay straight too... yea, good luck. Ugh.

"A", on the trot
The trot isn't so bad except as the speed increases, so does the difficulty with keeping straight. "A" reminds me that I should be using my seat, not my hands: "Ariel stepped beneath you, to stay balanced. Can you feel that?," he says. For the first time, I notice that because I'm actually looking for it. In short, it's how you use your weight in your seat that is what "seat" is all about. I am asked to take my feet out of the stirrups and trot. Immediately, both seat bones drop and now my job is to get my pubic bone properly balanced too. The three points of our "seat" is what we are balancing on and the stirrups are not meant to act as a balance point (while on the flat anyway). "A" gets technically anatomical and tells me that the horse's 14th vertebrae is where our seat should be aiming to connect, or as close as possible.

I am reminded how unusual this sport is, compared to others where the participant is getting 'traction' through their feet. Here, riders 'contact' (for the lack of a better word) through their seat and their feet are not meant to do much of anything--"A" reinforces this concept when he asks me how much pressure should be placed in the stirrup: practically nothing! Even though we are asked to drop the weight through our heels, we are not meant to use our feet as balancing points even though our brains tell us that when something is beneath us, we balance there. Phew. Overwhelmed yet? When I put my feet back into the stirrups, I am attentive about not putting much weight... and I feel the support coming from my lower legs!

"A", on the importance of correct posture
My posture is one of my biggest issues and "A" asks me to sit and "hold two pizzas, one in each hand to the side". Immediately my posture is fixed and I sit back appropriately and my chest is open. Now, without changing anything else, grab your reins. HA! I'm also reminded that if Ariel disappeared from underneath me, where might I want to land... not on my backside, that's for sure! So make sure your legs are where they need to be.

I didn't get a lot of time to work on the canter but where I did, I was reminded of the same things we talked about above. Easier said than done! Sheesh. Perhaps next time I"ll have the chance to do more at the canter.

"A", on Ariel and Deb
Imbalances in rider or horse are common. It's based on habits that we develop and we unknowingly strengthen (or loosen) something we're not intending. Hence we each have a dominant/strong side that tends to take over. It shows up in riding when two beings who have different imbalances try to coordinate with one another, physically.

Horses are inherently good and do their best to please their rider. That means that as moody as Ariel can be, it's on me to set her up for success. Otherwise there isn't anyone to blame for failures or struggles except me. Mare did fantastic despite everything!

In the end... there isn't a lot of "new" stuff that I wasn't somehow aware of at some point but rather, a way of refining what I have been taught, and a different way to look at these things. I hope that if you ride, that this little review might have been helpful to get you thinking about some of the things that you might be struggling with. And if not, hopefully this has given you a more in depth look at what it takes to get just the basics right.

Lessons # 210, 211, 212: More Doldrum...

As I mentioned in the last lessons post, nothing noteworthy has been happening and so I haven't found the motivation to post anything. I continue to work on the same things as position and whatnot, over jumps but nothing significant has come out of it so far. I continue to consider the things I am not doing right:

• I'm too handsy when I should be using seat and leg aids
• I am stubborn about using spurs or the crop/bat
• I find myself tending to one seatbone sometimes
• I don't open my chest up enough in corners and don't actually turn my shoulders--hence part of the counter-bending

The only interesting thing has come out of the lessons lately is that I had the opportunity to ride the last 10 minutes or so of a lesson, on Sheri's fancy pants dressage horse, Blue. He's humongous and has so many of those "fancy buttons" like leg yielding at a touch. Riding his strides is like learning all over again b/c if I thought Bons was floaty, this guy is even more so. Certainly, we saw a lot of the issues I've been having, manifesting very clearly while on Blue because he's just SO responsive.

Hopefully if I just am continually diligent about the exercise, I'll see some improvement.

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.

A Review: Tredstep Ireland; Deluxe Half Chap (brown leather)

When I started riding, I did as most parents do with their kids and didn't spend a lot of money on most of the equipment needed. I wasn't sure how long I'd be riding and wanted to be certain I was fully committed to a rather expensive sport. I did splurge a bit with my first pair of half chaps because they were on sale, hoping that they would last a long time... and got the leather half chaps from Greenhawk. I used these for ~3 years before they finally gave way. +Laura does a thorough review of the same half chaps in 2012 and we both ended up with the same issue where the zipper gave out before the actual body of the half chap.

I have brown paddock boots and interestingly, while I was looking for them, it seems like brown is out now so I had difficulty locating brown half chaps. I settled on Tredstep.

Mine are in brown but brown is apparently out of style!??

What drew me to these ones were that they are a soft durable full-grain leather that is easy to clean. I only school so I have no need to get fancy but I do want to look presentable during lessons and an easy clean means that I can do that without different cremes or whatnot. I wipe clean with a damp cloth and then I'm on my way.

While shopping for these, I found that Tredstep carries a very wide range of sizing as you need to size the widest part of your calf as well as the length of your lower leg--I am short and wide-ish. In addition to the range of sizing available, the back panel of the chap is stretchy and conforms to the leg comfortably and quickly. This meant minimum break in time after I bought them as tight as humanly possible while still being able to zip them. The two snaps: top and bottom also meant that the chaps stay in place snugly while I'm moving.

And of course, the best feature is the zipper. It's practically industrial grade and I don't worry about the zipper coming apart or the tag breaking. Though, in time, I'll be able to make the best assessment of that! For now, this chap has exceeded my expectations and they also look great. They are expensive, relative to what I had, but when compared to the other brands I checked out, a full-grain leather half chap is around this price range.

I'd say that these are great for adult riders like myself who are serious about riding long term (aren't showing) and are looking for a sleek looking half chap that is built to last.

Disclaimer: I wasn't solicited by either the tack store or Tredstep to review this half chap. I bought it after reviewing some of the others out there and decided upon this pair and this post is simply my opinion based on experience.

Lessons #205, #206, #207: Reinvigorating Goals and Direction

There isn't much to write about with the last few lessons other then I've been working on addressing the right side issue that we discovered 2 weeks back. I try to ride with my right hip relaxes and the leg "falling outwards" so I can keep that in check. It seems that once that hip pulls my right leg in, the rest of my right side follows and that's where the curling inwards comes from. So my lessons are mostly me making the conscious effort to go through the check list at all gaits:

1. Weight in the heels/heels down
2. Right hip open and relaxed so the thigh is off the saddle
3. Hips and lower back relaxed to absorb the movement
4. Chest open and shoulders back and 'down'
5. Looking in the direction I am turning, even for corners
6. Shoulders following my head turn
7. Sitting back/up

Things are coming together more as I am making the conscious effort to ensure that the hip doesn't allow my right leg to collapse. It's really easy to get handsy in the corners instead of using my seat to push Ariel back out and on the right bend.

On Thursday, there were 2 other students in my class and one of them is still working up to getting comfortable with things so it was a good opportunity to focus on flat work. I felt ambitious (though to be honest, I did tell myself I needed to use the time more efficiently) and started weaving in and out of the bending poles that were just standards set in a line. This exercise is difficult even at the walk because you want to use your seat to turn them and not your hands/reins. 

The warm-up consisted of a series of different tasks that for some reason, I felt very comfortable flowing from one to the next...

• Posting trot with and without stirrups
• Sitting trot with and without stirrups
• Adding 2 point position
• Cantering with and without stirrups
• Cantering in a 2 point position
• I even managed to sort myself out to pick up and drop stirrups during canter! A feat that usually leaves me tight and bouncy

On Sunday, I had +ADW pick what we'd do since I usually get to pick on Thursday nights already and I wasn't feeling particularly nervous about anything. I'm glad the picked an over fences lesson because I had done quite a few flat classes recently. We did things pretty low key and kept the jumps low so to get a better feel of the horses' movement over jumps. The lesson went quite well in that we were jumping the course and ended on the highest jump that was set out there at around 2'3" to 2'6". It wasn't pretty which simply means I need to continue working up on the things that I am doing at the lower heights so I am more solid.

Areas of improvement include, but are not limited to:

• Sitting back up between jumps
• Shift our hips back instead of jumping with the horse, over jumps
• Using the space in the arena better so we can appropriately set ourselves up for the jumps
• Looking early for the jump
• Drive with our butts coming into the jump

Hopefully I'll be as diligent with my most recent lessons, for the coming ones so I can continue to improve upon the things I lack. In addition, I am going to be starting ScarletPen's 30 day bottom challenge to address a possible weak backside and start getting in a 45-60 minute yoga session 2-3 times a week. And now that the weather is cooled down, it might not be a bad idea to jump on my bike...

Lesson #204: Quasimodo

The traffic I deal with on week nights really makes me question why I go up in the evenings... especially since right now, I don't work. It took me 30 minutes more than usual, to get up last night. I left early with the hopes that I would have some time to mosey on in. I was SO WRONG. I was even late this time and had to run out into the rain to get a sopping wet Ariel from her paddock and quickly tack up.

Another new student joins the class today. This girl looks to be in her teens and she's returning to lessons after taking time away from riding. That said, I figure it's going to be a pretty low key lesson so I can work on my canter transitions.

After a varying warm-up of posting trot, sitting trot with and without stirrups, I am directed into the canter. The other girl seems to pick it right back up and has no problems at all. I, on the other hand, am struggling with keeping Ariel out at the rail on the right rein and she's falling in and the corners are just plain ol' botched up. I am certain that it has to do with me because as is most of the time, it's a poor rider that gives poor results. Especially with a horse like Ariel who is not particularly forgiving about miscommunication from the rider. While Ariel knows her job and loves to jump (she hates to bend... haha), she demands that her rider is properly clear with her so that she too so that everything flows. After all, the communication means that the rider is giving appropriate physical signals and staying balanced.

It's pointed out I'm using too much rein with the outside one trying to redirect her. Sheri directs me to break down the canter in the arena: trot the long sides and canter going into the corners. Then progressively going into the opposite pattern. The departs and downward transitions are bang on and there is mostly no issues when I'm doing the canter in pieces. It is pointed out to me though, that the cause of the falling in/bad corners is my right side curling in at the corners (I KNOW!!! UGH) and my right leg gripping and coming out of the seat. Seriously, the left side is perfectly fine and that's how my right side should be but isn't. I don't know the cause but I do have to take extra care to keep my chest open and right leg relaxed as much as possible.

I swear I was so frustrated but equally relieved I figured out what the issue is. So now comes the work each and every minute of every single lesson following....

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 #201: Drunkie Pony

Writing this post is exciting for me because this lesson marked a milestone for both +ADW and myself. Ariel and Hank were both showing so I asked to be surprised with our mounts. J brings in two new geldings who recently joined the herd. One belongs to the rider I rode with last lesson and the other is a new pony meant for beginners... I got the pony (*squeeee!* I love ponies!!). Indie is a gentle pudgy sable coloured (that's like a medium brown? I'm not well versed with equine coat colours) pony with a voluminous mane.

It's the first time we got on horses where we know little background. Who knew if they'd be real jerks or spooky and skittish. In addition, without understanding their training, we didn't know what they'd be capable of doing. One of the things discovered so far is that both are wary of the mounting block. I was successful to get Indie to the mounting block so I took that small victory as a win.

First Impressions
Indie is happy with a light hand and he seemed eager to walk forward but appeared tense about having me on his back. He also required little leg and responded as soon as I applied my leg. I was asked to get him off the rail so he wasn't using it as a crutch in place of listening to my directions. Let me tell you... this pony walks like he's drunk!! LOL. He's fine to bend and turn but walk a straight line? GOOD LUCK. Without trying, we ended up doing some hind in, shoulder-fore, leg yields... It was hilarious to watch, I'm sure, but my legs were constantly trying to remind him to walk straight.

Sewing Machine Trot
His trot is bouncy like a sewing machine and he speeds around the arena when I use too much hand. Needless to say, I am a bit of a hot mess up there leaning forward and bouncing on his back trying to sort us out. There are moments of being in sync and I'm told we move well together when it's right. After getting sorted out, we're directed to go over trot poles and I have to man-handle him to stay centred (and not avoiding the entire exercise!) and he even stopped once as if to say "what the heck do you want me to do!?". J said that greenies are generally even more wriggly.

A small X was set up and at the start of the lesson, I really was not feeling so confident about getting over it. Literally, we're talking like maybe 4-6" from the ground and some horses will consider that height an insult to their abilities and will trot over it or plain ol' bowl through it. But, after success with the trot poles, I decide to go for it. I mean with such a small pony, the fall wouldn't be far and we seem to be starting to understand one another. Another win when we both get over a few times with success.

Getting Balanced
Mid-way through the lesson, the other horse starts getting unruly and even J has trouble with him when he hops on, to "win the fight". Indie and I move onto the canter now. With minimal expectations, I tell him to get into a canter and guess what? It's not too shabby either!! It's no Grand Prix Dressage display but the correct lead was picked up (though at times I wasn't too sure, with that much mane covering his shoulder) and we went round a few times. Poor pony is not fit enough to sustain it long so we go half way around and putter out.

Fight Club!
After working on all that, Indie starts defying my asks, pulls at the reins, backing up, shaking his head, stopping and all that fun stuff *sigh*. This might be the most exercise he's gotten and he's starting to protest to the amount of work and you can see he's quite sweaty too. I likened him to the chubby guy who has done for his first work out, despite not wanting to. J tells me that I just need to keep him moving forward at my insistence, regardless of gait. Thanks to Ariel, I'm no stranger to a cranky horse who is trying to take over so the 'fight' ensues... hopping, reverse, refusals... we weren't sure if I'd finish walking the arena!

To reward him for complying for our awesome small victory, I hop off and we walk the arena to cool him off. He's actually a little pushy (needy) and I have to remind him to respect my space and by the end, it's not half bad and he follows me around with his head lowered and I am able to keep my space!!

Lesson #200: Whips, Crops and Progress

I had a Thursday lesson in the outdoor jumping arena with one of the other youngsters. She just got a new horse (went from bossy mare pony previously) to a new gelding. He's still new so I don't know a lot about him. I pulled Ariel from her paddock and she's covered in mud despite only having been on there for about 30 minutes and wearing a fly sheet. Seriously. After getting right in those nooks and crannies, I saddled her and we went off to the outdoor. For some reason, it was a super busy night (usually it's just me and MAYBE one other) so both indoor and outdoor were being used.

I incorporated bending and circles into the trot warm up but noticed that my right leg tends to hug Ariel too much and she ends up leaning on my leg. During one circle, she leaned so much on my leg that she tripped--not something that typically happens. She's also more pokey and slow than usual probably because she's got a slightly heavier work load with all the kiddies wanting to ride and show her!

The rest of the lesson is mostly just working on the flat at trot and canter and transitions. I have been doing yoga this past week and notice that my balance and whatnot is better and I'm able to initiate the canter transitions more effectively. I suppose it helps that I had a dressage whip too. BTW, I didn't realize that the way to use a dressage whips is different than a crop/bat!

Riders generally know this but for those who read the blog and aren't aware... there is a continuum of severity in communicating with your horse. It's like I was always told to ask, ask louder, demand. I personally prefer not to use one because I find it distracts my position but some days, I need extra help.

Top: dressage whip; below: crop/bat

Crop/Bat: after asking and asking louder, you can demand your request with the bat/crop by angling it towards the shoulder and tapping them with it. And if that doesn't work and you need more go, get that thing behind your leg and give them a good smack with it. Nobody (including horses) like getting hit so they'll likely move forward.

Dressage whip: you hold this piece on your thigh and when you require the "demand", you simply lift it and tap it against your leg because it's flexible enough to 'kiss' their hinds to get them moving. When you're not using it, you want to avoid accidentally tapping them so direction is down a bit, against your thigh. With the dressage whip, your position remains more consistent since you're not moving your arm as much.

Back to the lesson: I tried to maintain the canter without breaking so I have to remember to sit back when I ride and not lean forward. Continuing on the flat work, I am asked to do some leg yield and wow, what a hot mess for both of us!! It isn't a very successful portion of the lesson and I'll need to come back to it another time.

To finish the lesson, I am asked to do some jumping of single jump. The first one I take is a nice low one where the pole is placed on the seat of two patio chairs (so not all that high but a good start). My first try was actually quite successful and I felt good about it. J asked me to move it up a notch and try the two wood crates/boxes that are about 2'6 in height and also a source of anxiety formerly. I am really happy to report that that jump didn't phase me at all and while my position is still a work in progress, I didn't freak out while riding into the jump and my recovery following a poor position was quick.