Lesson #50: Bending Towards Fall

Sept 6, 2013

The seasons are changing. By the time we were ready to ride, the sun had set and it would be impossible to ride outdoors as there is no lighting. Fall is in the air, literally! In addition, we start our fall season with a new instructor, Jennifer. And for me, to make things even better, I'm assigned Aspen!!!! Woohoo!! He even looks pretty lively tonight so I hope that things will go well.

Jenn starts us with a good warm-up of trotting. We do a lot of work to hone our preciseness such as turning, transitions and bends. We haven't worked much on bends before but I remember reading about Present Tense's experiences with a bend, back in December. There is a good article about what bends are, and how a rider is to aim to accomplish them. I suppose I didn't really realize that all these things can (and should) be broken down for further analysis.

While we don't get into specific details about the technicalities of bends, Jenn elaborates for us the reason we have to do it and if the bend is present. It's kind of like getting the feel for things when we were starting out. We accomplish the exercises by cutting the arena in half and focusing on touching the tangents of the circle and bending at these specific tangents. Looking at the picture now, I realize I was placing my legs in the wrong places. Next lesson!

I've got the "bends"!

We continue to work on our 2-point position over the x-jump and Jenn refers to "crest release", which is something that we haven't talked explicitly about before. That's only partially true... Lenka refers to "your hands should be further up on the horse's neck" which is basically referring to a type of 'release'. We never go into detail but it's new for me in terms of technicality. We are asked to do a "short crest release" and a "long crest release". Next time I think I'll need to take better note of what my body is feeling and where things are. After all, I'm starting to think that much of what is happening is slight unless we hone in on the details.

Anyways, some new stuff for a new season! :)

Lesson #40: Inner Thighs Burning

Friday's lesson started out as most do: with some trot warm-ups. I had my new crop in hand from Greenhawk and was ready to really get things going. Last time I rode Aspen, we seemed to connect well and when I asked him to do something, he got right along. Last time, I remembered to bring a crop with me right away and was firm with what I wanted and if leg aids didn't work, it was straight to the crop. I do tend to be less forceful and perhaps consistent with what I want but I was determined that this time, I would go full out and be firm with him because the previous Sunday's lesson was me on Nikki and we were going pretty well because I decided to be firm with her and use the crop right from the instance I felt she wasn't listening to me.

So, Aspen was speeding around and I was in good condition too! And today was one of those evenings where I didn't pay enough attention to the posting diagonals and Sheri caught me time and again--DRAT! It's not that I don't know what a diagonal is... but that I wasn't paying enough attention to check to be sure I was doing it right everytime.

When my mom rode during the Mother's Day ride, she told me that she wasn't used to the "rocking side to side" that the horse's body did when they walked. And when we cool down with bareback, we get a feeling for the way their bodies move underneath us. When I was on the incorrect diagonal, I took notice of how I was feeling... and it felt like I was being bounced off the saddle each time I sat in the seat and like I was being bounced right out when I was rising. However, when I switched to the correct diagonal, this feeling went away. Now, it's the first time I've noticed this so perhaps it's just me but I'm going to check it out during our next trot to see if this is that "feeling" that Sheri was saying that you can learn to develop eventually.

Sheri gives each of us some individual attention to help us further refine our leg position. She shows us the proper leg position while riding to give us an idea of what we should be aiming for. She tells us that there is good firm contact of inner thigh to the flap of the saddle and firm contact with our half chaps against their bodies with ankles relaxed yet strong (?) and so the weight can be dropped down through there. None of this "grip" should be death grip and it is a nice firm placement on these areas mentioned--like enough to hold a bill in place and not suffocate our equine friend. It is possibly the most unusual position I have ever felt. When we walk, stand or even sit, we never get into this position; it just doesn't happen. So, to work on this position while developing the proper inner thigh muscles (and others), it's and incredible amount of hard work! If anyone tells me that riding a horse is easy, I would laugh at them and tell them to get on a horse and show me what they got.

In addition to this, the few lessons with Lenka have been helping me improve my seat and thus work on improving my classical seat. Sheri has commented that my heels look better and thus my weight distribution is getting better and balance is a touch easier. The funny thing is that it feels like I'm actually leaning forward when I get myself better into this position. But I'm told that I don't appear to be in a bizarre alignment so I'll take that!

We finish up the last part of the lesson working on canter and cavaletti jumps. It's great that the sand is dry so I don't feel like the horse is sliding around. Aspen and I are also able to get into the canter from walk now so it only takes a couple strides before he's in full canter and we can dash around the arena. In this case, taking the jump on the proper angle is important. It's kind of like turning a car in that if you turn too early, you might end up on the curb and if you turn too late, you've missed your lane entirely! And, Aspen is sensitive to the amount of pressure I put on his mouth to turn so it doesn't take much and I have to remember to look when I want to turn so he's prepared for it too.

I'd say that the area I'm going to focus on is proper leg position since it's just so unusual but so key to being properly seated on the horse.

Lesson #38: Envision It

Finally. It's the weekend. We made it!

I thought it was going to rain during lesson but the weather was wonderful--despite being a little humid for my liking. I'm happy to see I'm riding my unicorn friend, Aspen! WOOPIE!! He's inside today so I go and find him. When I see him, I call for him and he looks up; but doesn't budge from his stance--as if to say "aw man... crud". The tack-up goes well and we get ready to head out in a good easy pace. Did I mention I'm super excited to be riding Aspen? This horse is truly the bee's knees and cat's pajamas.

This is one of the first tastes of humidity and riding... I hate humidity. I think I was sweating through my breeches. Gross. ADW is sick today so it's just 3 of us and we make our way over to the ring to get our lesson started.

Sheri gets us warmed up through the usual trot. I find that this is most helpful not just for the horse who might be just coming back from doing nothing but for a rider like me: who doesn't ride often and this time is generally used to loosen things up and get into the right rhythm. Tonight even Denise is out to hang out with us and I think it's nice to have company/an audience. The sand is wet so I'm not exactly keen on the idea of running around on a horse but heck, if they say it's ok, I'm going to just go with it. Afterall, it's time to make the most of my lesson.

Posting trot and lots tonnes (not tons) of seated trot. I still loathe seated trot. It's one of those moments when I go

Did you say... seated trot? -___-'

But, that's okay because developing a good seat is fundamental to pretty much everything else. So, I persist! And since it's on Aspen, things are generally more comfortable. We do a lot of this funfun seated trot and move into some canter too. I love cantering on Aspen. Sheri has us do some walk to canter and back to walk transitions. I am falling all over the place during transitions. I bet if I had to do equitation, I would fail miserably. I do notice though, that when I sit straight and chest up and out as well as shoulders back, things aren't as "messy". It's a matter of endurance and training those muscles to persist the position.

My position is pretty poor and I notice that when my position starts to suffer, everything else kind of cumulatively goes with it. So, things to keep in mind when I'm riding, in terms of position: arms at my sides with the hands approximately 6 inches apart, heels DOWN, sit up straight with chest open and shoulders back and down, hips loose, "tripod" seat position, eyes where you're going. All of this while maintaining a relaxed body. Sheri points out that at the level we are getting at, we should be using our lower leg to encourage the horse to move instead of our heels--this makes total sense!!! When I was giving canter aids before, one of my feet always lifted up out of the stirrup until I wasn't in anymore! It was so frustrating. Then again, I've learned to take back my stirrups while cantering or adjusting the stirrup during a fast gait--mainly because I'm forced to do so...

K, so I find that when I ride Aspen a few of the above items come together a bit better than the others but to get them to all simultaneously come together? That comes and goes. I'm aiming to have it all together... I've developed a few mantras I use when I ride and mumble them to myself when I'm losing focus. It's something I used to do when I dragon boated so I could prep before a major race. Actually, maybe I should try that during lessons... to focus on what needs to be done and envision what I should be doing.

Lesson #34: Magical Ride

ADW spent the week with his new team in NYC so it was just me heading out to Greyden this Friday. And what a Friday he missed out on! The weather was amazing, the traffic was more than reasonable and the lesson was awesome. The only downside was that I didn't get to take a nap during the trip out. hehehehe.

Everything was going so well that I even made it out a few minutes early and got to stroll leisurely into the stable. I walk in and Nicole says there are keetens!!! Oh man... do you remember what happened the last time I was at the stable and the resident female feline had a litter? I'm a big mushy ball of goo. The kittens are semi-feral and need socializing so we're encouraged to pick them up and cuddle them and love them to bits. I pick up a little black one who's hissing and trying to run away from me. He's adorable. I just want to take him home and keep him forever! But, I don't have the place set up for foster a kitten since I've gotten Bucky right now and he's not exactly "living here" yet.

Anyways! Back to the purpose at hand: I am riding my unicorn tonight. And what perfect timing, I'm wearing my unicorn shirt:

Strive to be the best you can be!

Aspen's seemingly in good spirits today but as usual, isn't keen on leaving his stall (i.e. hay) to go out. Who would be, right? An endless buffet of your favourite food and peace and quiet with some privacy! To get us off on the right foot, I reach into my pack to bribe him with a snack--a preview of what's to come! Since ADW isn't in, I bring 2 carrots all for Aspen!

We start with our usual warm-up of trot (posting and/or seated). I love riding Aspen because his gaits are seemingly smooth compared to some of the other horses I've ridden. That is, if one can get Aspen forward thinking. I nudge and nudge to get him to move and while I feel he's speeding up his pace a bit, he's not really taking to moving quickly... as if taking advantage of the situation and pretending that his effort-filled walk is in fact, a trot. The funny thing is that at one point, he spooks at a fly that zips by him... for serious. This bomb-proof boy makes a funny skittish skid to the side when a fly zips by him. LOL.

The warm-up is always necessary... Since we each ride once a week for 1 hour, it's physically a big difference from the moment we start, to the time that the warm-up is (considered by Sheri to be) done. And it makes sense because riding uses a different set of muscles that a desk jockey wouldn't; so it takes a few to regain the muscle memory. The warm-up consists of a longer seated trot duration and today, the bumpy ride isn't as bumpy as I dislike. I find myself seated well and not bouncing about. I focus my weight down my heels and I feel like things are coming together better.

Then we do these transition up exercises of walk to canter. From stop, we are told to use the inside leg and apply pressure while they're walking and then... swing the outside leg back and goooo! Talk about immediate transition from first gear to third! W00TW00T! But, we don't only go up, we also go back down and the objective is to "stop on a dime" or do as few trot steps as possible. The aids that she tells us to use are pull back on the reins, tighten your seat and rigid-tize your body (yes, I just made up a word). I'm finding that with the gait transition like this, I'm not getting as solid a seat and my leg tends to ride up with the inside leg. I work harder at trying to keep my weight appropriately through my heels while centering my balance. It took a few tries to get it together and it's still not quite right but I'm going to take the victory that I didn't fall off and was able to maintain the canter.

Then we move onwards to the Cavaletti and the X-jump in a line. Sheri says our objective is to 2-point over the jumps but to sit in between them. We start in a trot over the line. Then we move onwards to a canter over the line. And finally, we add in the box jump--all at a canter speed. Aspen decides it's time to add his mile-long fart to spice things up and keep it interesting. Oh Aspen. However, this was possibly the most exhilarating 20-30 seconds all week! Aspen leaps over the jumps and continues to move forward in a canter until I tell him to stop. The thing is, these jumps probably aren't higher than maybe 1 ft from the ground but trust me, ontop the horse, it feels at least 3xs higher.

What a great lesson. To round things off, we use the trail to get back to the stable, for the first time. It was a nice way to cool down instead of walking the ring. We walk the lush perimeter and end up back at the stable. The un-tacking goes well and man! Aspen's a total treat HOG. Kent takes out carrots for his mount and Aspen actually walks up to Kent prompting for Kent to feed him! hahaha What a joker. Anyways, that just means that he's gotten a lot more treats than usual.

I am so excited from this lesson that I am pretty sure I have smile plastered ear to ear as I pull out of Greyden to head home... :D

Lesson #32: Twisted Sister

The last lessons I had were somewhat unpleasnt... weather wise. The unpredictable rain had made life difficult and unpleasant. I hate being wet.

This last lesson was totally different! The weather was a wee bit chilly but nothing that being outside and moving around wouldn't get the blood going. Getting tacked up was pretty quick this time. I think I've gotten a system down... me and Aspen have a "thing". ADW is riding Buddy today... a wonderful Belgium and QH cross. One of the most endearing things about Bud is that his head is HUGE. haha He literally has one of the biggest heads on a horse I've ever seen!

When we are ready, Sheri moves quickly and gets us to get warmed up with the trot. She must have a plan today. For some strange reason, I am having a lot of trouble with Aspen. It's as if he's not listening to my signals. A few times, he's pulled me into the middle of the ring completely insistent on going that way. I've had to use a lot more force than usual... strange. Regardless, she has us make a change of direction and immediately says it's time for the canter on the left rein. I thought I was going to fall right off! I haven't felt more unbalanced than that moment. When we slowed down enough for me to walk over to Sheri, she tells me to approach her and then starts laughing! Tells me to hand her the reins and shows me that I crossed the reins under his chin!! The whole time I was basically telling him to go the opposite way I was thinking I was directing him!

I haven't felt more sheepish than that moment. It was so silly but i couldn't help but laugh because it was so ridiculous. Poor Aspen!!! He must have been so frustrated with me at the beginning and was likely thinking "what is this idiot doing!?" Good thing he's a good boy and didn't take me straight into the rails! :S

Finally! He's back to being his good boy self and responding appropriately to my aids. We move into cantering on the left then the right rein and transitioning down and up. We work on trotting over the Cavaletti jump a few times and then Sheri says, "ok, I want everyone to come this way and then each of you are going to canter the jump". ADW is uneasy as it's quite the launch when you're ontop! Believe me, that 12 inch jump looks like nothing while you're on the ground but when you get ontop of a horse, it suddenly becomes this ginormous obstacle that you feel you'll never get over without toppling off.

I figure that the best thing to do is to not think about what's happening and just doing... otherwise who knows: jump refusal, stalling or worse. So I get Aspen into a canter and have him moving nicely around the corners and as we approach the jump, I remind myself to look up and forward and just go for it. What an exhilarating feeling to sail over a jump like that! Instead of Aspen lazily stepping over the Cavaletting, he actually jumps it.

What an amazing feeling! I totally know why riders get into jumping.

Lesson #28: Mind of His Own

Last Friday, we had the opportunity to ride outside: I love riding outdoors.

I got reunited with my unicorn and with the seasons having changed, he is now raining white fur on everything. My jacket is covered in fur and so is ADW's car (Sharkie). Grooming him is also a big chore since he's shedding so much that the curry comb is clogged with fur so I'm constantly stopping to clear it up. While I have Aspen, ADW is assigned Indy! We head out to the outdoor ring and get ready to get our guiddyup on.

I work with Aspen to be sure I'm not balancing on his face and that my posture is upright, open and straight. I usually catch myself slouching which seems to place my upper body precariously close to the horse's fore body. This tends to be problematic when the horse pulls forward or otherwise and I have nowhere else to go with my hands but forward and I often am pulled forward. I realize that when Sheri is telling me to keep my elbows at my side, that I should have my chest open and my shoulders back. Unfortunately for me, my day job is essentially a desk jockey and this lends to my poor forward leaning posture. However, once I start reminding myself of this, I notice that things feel better and I feel like I have more control of what's happening.

Now, that's me but what about Aspen? He's in a little bit of a mood today and he wants to run a smaller circle around the ring and at the start of the lesson, I spend a good portion of it trying to get him to move outwards. He's also in a following mood and when Buddy tries to canter, Aspens does too! So I end up spending a lot of time readjusting him to do what I want.

We work on a lot of trot--both seated and posting and some directional changes. Nothing way out of the ordinary and all good to continue to improve our balance and feelings with the various gaits. We transition into canter from seated trot and Aspen takes off in a wonderfully smooth canter. So smooth, I wasn't sure if he was in fact in canter! What a wonderful feeling it is, to be able to ride a canter several times around the ring with good control. To go at that speed is exhilarating!

ADW and I switch things up because Indy's doing his twisty gaits where he's leading with his inside shoulder and it's really strange for a newbie rider b/c you don't quite know what to do because it's distracting! Anyways, he's being a bit of a suck today and doesn't want to canter no matter how many times I try to initiate.

After untacking and grooming, we take the boys to paddock 7 to have a nice long weekend break. Paddock 7 is a huge paddock with lush grass, a pond and space to gallop and frolick. Aspen is dragging ADW to the gate and as soon as I let Indy go, they gallop right down the hill and off into the distance! Sheesh, I spend all lesson trying to get Indy to canter and he takes off in a gallop, when he's done lessons! *sigh* This just further iterates that you really can't force animals to do something they don't feel like doing...

And away we go!

ADW here...This weekend, we had our very own double-header, riding on Friday evening and Sunday morning.

On Friday, the weather was nice so I thought that we might be riding outside. Unfortunately when we got to the barn, we were told that one of the horses during the lesson before ours (which was held outdoors) got spooked and bolted, with the rider falling off. Our instructor Sheri decided that the horses may be a bit skittish and we held our lesson in the indoor arena.

We commenced our normal trots and small jumps and then Sheri suggested that we…canter. “Canter…?” I thought to myself, “I’ve never initiated the canter before, I don’t even know what to do!” If you recall, I experienced the canter while in Iceland, but I have never initiated it myself. Sheri suggested that I try to by kicking Aspen while exiting a corner. After a few attempts that just resulted in a very bumpy and fast trot, Aspen responded and away we went! I was able to initiate the canter twice and I was surprised by how smooth it was compared to a bumpy trot. Hopefully now that I have my first canter down, I can get it going again next time and improve on my balance.

Then on Sunday morning, we headed up for another lesson.  This time, Sheri was comfortable in holding our lesson in the outdoor arena and it was a big difference! It took a bit of time to adjust to riding outdoors since there were no more walls holding us in, but the extra space, the fresh air, and general surroundings made for a very enjoyable lesson. Even the horses had more energy riding outside. With warmer weather coming up, I can’t wait to take more lessons outside!

Lesson #21: Crazy Town

Friday March 15, 2013

Today's main focus was to get the canter down some more. I started the class riding Indy and found that he was a bit of a lazy bones! Which is a rare occurance because he's usually raring to go. Apparently they had a special dressage clinic the day before and so it was likely he just wasn't feeling it. For the first time, I thought that this boy was being pretty lazy!

Even getting him into a canter was trying as he is usually particularly forgiving for a beginner rider like me. Instead, I spend a good deal of time trying to figure out why my canter aids aren't working. It was really frustrating because it didn't seem to matter what I did because he just sort of trot a little faster and then let me struggle up there! Sheesh.

A few times I felt Indy launch himself into a canter but nothing quite took. I was pretty tired after several go's. So, I thought to change things up and switch with ADW and get on Aspen again. After all, I didn't have too much trouble with Aspen before. He seemed to listen to me when I told him what I wanted of him.

While we were practicing our canters, the other girls from the class before were in the process of breaking down the jumps in the centre and moving then aside. I suspect they were getting ready for a jumper clinic or something. I mounted Aspen and he got right back into his old tricks and lowered his head as he was walking and when the other horses got going, so did he! The worst thing was that I didn't prompt any of his actions and he did just as he tends to do: follow. Buddy picked up the trot, Aspen picked up the trot. Buddy started cantering and Aspen took-off, cantering! Every time way before I was ready and he was cutting corners and just ignoring my rein aids! I thought that Indy was a chore... Aspen was clearly giving me a little perspective!

I spend the remainder of the class being dragged around by Aspen doing whatever it was that he felt like doing. I'm pretty sure that Jason had to laugh seeing me go in circles with Aspen.. while Aspen was the lead. I really have to be tougher with this kiddo next time I ride him. No more nice guy! I mean who knows what might happen if I was less aware of what was going on!

Lesson #14: Back to Basics

This lesson had a variety of exercises that we worked on.

As usual, we start with a posting trot to get warmed up but both NR and I moved into the seated trot quickly. This is still not something I enjoy doing. Aspen seemed to be of a normal energy level. I didn't have to try too many times to get him going and he was happy to get moving quickly: this is good news.

I haven't done any stretches this week and I feel it when I try to lengthen my legs down--my heels just aren't going down like they were, last week, and the "stance" in the stirrups didn't feel comfortable either. This affected my balance and I found it more difficult to do what I needed to. We continue to work on alternating posting trot with seated trot and I try to remember to engage my abs, relax my hips, check my diagonals and stretch my heels down; as if wrapping my legs around Aspens belly. Thankfully, Aspen's belly isn't like Rock's.

Sheri has NR and I work on the Cavaletti jump again with the 2-point as well as our canter. This time, my canter isn't as fluid. Aspen was far more responsive and didn't require Sheri to stand in the corner with a lunging crop. I'm starting to give the aids correctly and he's responding in turn. It's satisfying when it comes together. But, there are moments where I'm just not getting it and all that's happening is a really fast trot with me bouncing around a lot.

I haven't even started to work on counting Aspen's pace, leading up to the Cavaletti and over the ground poles. That's going to help with change-ups and getting the most from aids. But for now, I'm going to continue to work on the basics.

My goals for this week include:
- daily stretching
- sleeping appropriately
- reviewing the classical seat position

I have to perfect these fundamental things so that as things come together, I will be assured that I don't need to fuss about fundamental things which should be second nature.

Lesson #13: Beyond Words

Friday seemed like it would never come.

AW joined me for his first lesson. We left from downtown and who knew that it would add another 30 minutes to my normal commute :( The normal rush hour really gets in the way! The weather was by no means a help to the situation since it was so foggy that you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you. The drive was rather stressful since I thought we were going to be late.

But, we made it in, just in time. I'm riding Aspen today and for some reason, he's not where he usually is. I wasn't even sure where he was until the stable girl tells me that he's not being ridden and that someone turned him out.... in the dark! Ugh. Thankfully I didn't have to go look for him but would you believe that they found him in his old stall? So now I have less time to tack than usual...

AW is riding Bud today and Bud's already in the arena. We start with the walk and then move into the posting trot once some of the preliminary items (like safety etc) were reviewed with AW. Today is going to be a struggle with my legs today. I notice I'm just not able to get my heels down where they need to be. We do alternating of seated and posting trot. I am just miserable at the seated trot! There really is no saving me with this one... I really am just not enjoying myself up there.

We work on some pole work and Sheri puts the poles out in a varied spacing and we're asked to trot over them while posting. The thing about this exercise is that the posting needs to be higher than normal. It's an interesting exercise to try since it forces you out of the rhythm I was doing at the normal trot since Aspen is forced to extend or shorten his strides. We continue on this exercise several more laps while Kent and AW work on their posting trot etc. Now, Sheri moves the Cavaletti jump to the end of the poles and we're now working on 2-point position over the jump.

It's as if I'm starting over again with the whole anticipation fear thing. I look down at the jump when Aspen and I approach and I over-think it and it's as if I'm not sure what to do next so I either end up delaying the 2-point or I don't quite get into it. It doesn't matter how many times we go over it... but nothing is coming together right tonight.

It isn't one of my better nights but that's ok. I know what I have to work on and it's mostly my mind-set with things. I need to forget what's going to happen and just do things. Like Sheri keeps telling us; horse back riding isn't something someone can tell you how to do. Someone like Sheri might be able to give us the technical breakdown but to actually do it? Well that's up to feel and our bodies being able to pick up on what it is that we need to do. It goes beyond comprehending the words.

Lesson #12: everything's coming up Milhouse!

It's the first week back from the holidays and I expected most people to be back to the things they normally do too but I got lucky again and I had the opportunity to have another private lesson. What luck!

In the previous post, I mentioned that I set goals for this lesson: 1. to initiate canter; 2. canter without holding onto the saddle; 3. ensure I'm not balancing through the reins/my hands. Documenting my lessons has been helpful to pinpoint things that went well and things that I need to work on. I'm determined to continually move forward so I can improve. I only ride 1 hour a week right now so it's important that I put in the appropriate effort. But "shhh!!" don't tell my parents! They would wish me to have put in this much effort into my school work.

When I go and find Aspen from his stall, he's come forth and sticks his head over the stall door. To my surprise, his neighbour Morty sticks his head up over too and they start a silent disagreement. Ears go back and head throwing and nodding ensue. Good thing I didn't unlatch anything yet. I break up their little disagreement and latch Aspen to get tacked up. Things go well and I'm ready to get going.

When we get into the ring, Sheri wastes no time and gets me into the posting trot. Immediately, I remind myself to check the posting diagonal and then look up at the next letter, heels down with long legs, and to maintain balance in my stirrups--not my hands. Suddenly, things come together and I feel exactly what needs to be felt during a proper posting trot. We move onto alternating posting and seated trot around the ring and I learn to change directions properly by turning inside and continuing on a diagonal direction into the corner and turn the opposite way I would have turned:
(courtesy of Present Tense's post)

In addition, I also work on asymmetrical figure 8s in a posting trot where I have to turn my head and look where I want to go before I actually turn Aspen. This exercise is new to me because it didn't hit me that I would be able to stay balanced if I did that. Instead, it did wonders for my balance and I was able to keep Aspen going, rather than slow down like what's happened in the past. We continue to work on a lot of flat work over poles and turning.

The last thing we worked on was the canter. Dreaded canter? Perhaps. But like I said in my last lesson post, I was holding onto the past and anticipating something that wasn't guaranteed to happen. I threw out the idea of falling off and took a deep breath and just concentrated on what was happening in the moment. What was I going to be doing? Where was I going? There were a few times that I had gotten distracted with applying the aids and maintaining my seat (in the seated trot) as well as keeping my eyes up and at the next letter. But, at some point, something just clicked and the canter took off and I made the decision to let go of the pommel. I was flying. It was an amazing feeling for everything to come together so well today. Sure, there were moments when I lost focus but at least the canter was happening and I didn't need to hold onto anything to stay in it.

My next lesson goals to add?
1. initiate the canter while keeping myself together
2. keep my eyes up so that the canter is something I stop, not because I have to stop
3. continue working on keeping my heels down and legs long, during seated trot

Lessons also move from Wednesday nights to Fridays next week.

Lesson #11

I arrived at the barn nice and early for the lesson on Friday. This was a make up lesson for the one that was cancelled due to Boxing day. I've never been to the stable on Fridays to ride and expected at least 1 other rider. Another lucky break and I had a private lesson!

I was paired with the fuzzy silver ambassador of Greyden: Aspen. He's probably the fuzziest horse I have ever seen; he's like a big poufball! He's bombproof and a good gentle boy. And I soon discover that he's also a horse that will teach anyone to ask for the commands correctly since he's prone to ignoring you if you're not asking for things right. He's what Sheri calls a "schoolie" and he knows all the tricks in the book!

Since it's a private, we get right into things and I'm doing a lot of trotting (posting and seated) to get warmed up. As I'm going round and round, Sheri calls me to the center to adjust the stirrup length--says that it's a bit short for me. She's loosening up my hip joint and yanking my leg a bit. She then lays my leg down along Aspen's body and tells me my thigh needs to be tilted forward but not death gripping Aspen all the while my legs are long. I'm also not sitting only on my seat bones... the "seat" is a tripod of points in your actual "seat" where your pubic bone is the 3rd point that makes contact with the saddle. I feel my leg long along Aspen's body and for once, I can feel what it should feel like.

I get back along the rails and get into the trot and Sheri tells me it's time to give the canter a try. It seems that Aspen is ignoring my aides, which are still a total mess btw--Aspen is just trying to respond appropriately and he can't do that to the mess that is sitting on top of him since he likely isn't quite clear as to what it is that I want him to do! So, Sheri gets out a longer crop to show him that she means business. I suppose that the objective is to help me get the feel for the canter and to feel the seat in the canter: it's like a scooping motion with your hips forward and up and back and then forward again. There are moments where I can feel how it's meant to feel.

I'm determined to get into a canter on my own, regardless of what it is that it takes, to do it. The only thing that I'm holding onto, is the fall. I didn't realize it at the time, but after several tries, I recollect that everytime I prep to get into the canter, part of me tenses up again and panics. It's as if I'm  preparing for the exact same thing that happened in the past, on another horse. This sort of "memory" that leads to anticipation is something I think adults tend to hold onto. But in my other experiences of life, that's exactly what holds us back in the same rut that we eventually get stuck into.