For both of you who regularly read this, you will need to be sitting for this posting ... just like I was - at the trot - not posting, but sitting! (That analogy had so much potential, but I got carried away.)
Unlike many of my prior "ah-ha!" moments with riding, where my crafty and clever body figures out a way to continue not to ride properly until my next lesson, the movement I thought was the proper sitting trot last week really, actually was.
Now, I know for most riders, this isn't a breakthrough.
For me, however, it is. I have been trying to learn how to sit the trot since I was about 16, so for those of you counting, that's about 17 years. Yikes. That was a little hard to write.
And thanks to Mike, I got it.
Now, I can't do it all the time - I can only do it for a few laps, but I can now do it at something slightly less than a working trot - not just the plodding around western trot, and I can also do it with "no hands" (i.e. hands on the reins, where they belong, and not one finger on the pommel).
So Mike was suitably impressed, and my lesson was great. We still have tons and tons to work on, because now we can really get to work.
I started with sitting, and asked him to look at it, to see if I was somehow faking it.
He showed me a better way to cross my stirrups (pull 6" down, twist the bottom over the top so it lies flat and doesn't bruise your inner thigh), and then we worked about half the lesson on sitting trot without stirrups.
He worked on getting my legs longer and straighter, which requires a lot of effort from me thinking about dropping them straight down.
And then we worked on picking up the pace a bit.
He said it's a great start and a world of difference from my first lesson, just a few short lessons ago.
We talked a bit about lower leg - he thinks it's good to work on sitting trot without stirrups (that it's the 2nd stage of a 3 stage process), but that it's not as good for posting trot.
Then we worked on trot to canter transitions. He wants me to think 1 (get ready), 2 (you're about to go), and 3 (ask for it). I sit at 1, slow him down and give him half halts at 2, and then 3, ask for it, is a series of steps: outside leg back with a quick aid (not my squeezing headlock aid), sit tall and up, and ask for it by thinking about getting forward momentum on a swing set (the firm hands on the chain, the stiff back pushing forward). He had to try a variety of analogies for this one, and it was really a struggle. But when we started, Willig ran into the canter in about 4 hurried trot steps, and by the time we ended, it was just 1-2 steps without changing speed. Plus, the one time we really, really got it, I felt it. He just lifted up into canter and it was so smooth.
Willig has been really great. He has been very obedient and listening, and almost ... gasp ... patient. I think now that he's figured out I'm actually riding him, he's got more respect for what I'm asking him to do.
Yesterday we worked on our "homework" jump again. I didn't have the martingale, but I didn't really need it. He did 5-7 jumps over the fence each direction, with a couple little rubs on the ground pole each way, but nothing major, and absolutely no acting up. Then I just jumped off him and put him away.
I got him one of those ear nets with the crochet headpiece, which I think are for bugs, but I've seen the show jumpers wear. It made no difference at all.
There was, of course, much, much more detail to my lesson with Mike, but we're getting to the point where I can't quite articulate what I feel. I definitely feel it, but I've never had riding go so well, and I'm not sure how to put it into words yet.
I can say, however, how wonderful it feels to really be riding Willig instead of just struggling with him. He's happier, and I'm happier, and I'm glad we pushed through it because I feel like a better rider now.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
By George, I think I've got it!
I don't want to jinx myself or anything, but a few days ago, I noticed the sitting trot had suddenly gotten much, much easier.
Tonight, both the sitting trot and posting without stirrups were ... a cakewalk. I didn't even have to do the baby slow western trot.
My back is moving different, which lets my hips do the nordic track, but I'm not doing it on purpose. It feels great. I hope I can keep doing it.
Tonight, both the sitting trot and posting without stirrups were ... a cakewalk. I didn't even have to do the baby slow western trot.
My back is moving different, which lets my hips do the nordic track, but I'm not doing it on purpose. It feels great. I hope I can keep doing it.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Stop the presses! A good ride on Willig!
I had a lesson a few days ago with the owner of my barn, Shannon, who has been riding for years and years and years, and just got first place at Inavale in Novice on one of her horses. It was a great lesson.
She pointed out a lot of little details, including my now teeth-grittingly bad lower leg, listened to my description of the woes we've been having, and then we did one simple exercise a whole bunch of times. This included a spectacular stumble where Willig almost went on his knees, and one time THROUGH the jump (so he learns it's easier to just jump it for the love of god), all down at the scary end of the arena where the new neighbor's poodle ran out at him last week in an incredibly ironic attempt to make him LESS scared of that end. All of this is build up for today's ride, where I brought T out (in case Willig had another stumble in which I did not stay on), where he ...
floated over it.
Over and over.
And over and over.
With scary things under it, he just jumped it.
He got it!
Willig IS smart after all! Shannon thought at the end of our lesson that we would have no problems coming along together, and while I was glad she thought that, I wasn't sure I 100% agreed since the last 18 months have been, well, tough.
But in explaining things to her, I realized that a) he has no xc experience, so his bad habits have been taught to him by me, and b) he just genuinely doesn't know what or how he's supposed to do things, and I don't know how to teach him. So we've needed a trainer, and simple exercises.
I had sort of come to the conclusion, which this sort of cemented, that I pushed him too hard too fast (he didn't need to work on a ditch or a bank yet), and now I've wasted time because we have to go back and build his confidence up. This is good though, because I'm learning how to teach him too.
So the lesson in detail:
Our jump was just a vertical with two ground poles on those little plastic stands that you can set at different levels. Then 9' from the center is a ground pole on each side, but tilted a bit in, so it makes a side of a circle.
Then we cantered it in a big circle, each way.
My homework is to do that until it's boring, which I think will only take a couple times after today. During his lesson, he was trying to jump the vertical, AND outside the next 9' pole, so he kept hitting it with his front or back legs, he'd stumble, I'd open my hands and the reins would slide out, he'd be on the wrong lead, and I couldn't collect everything back again in time for the next circle, so we'd have to make a medium circle to get collected.
Today, however, he had, upon reflection one presumes, figured out how to bounce in and out, and it was just a cake walk. There were a couple little knocks, but nothing like the lesson. And people (horrors!) were even walking around next door and he put one ear on them, but stayed focus on his job - the jump.
I am so impressed. After each perfect jump, I made a huge deal over him and he got a break, so today we didn't do it until boredom, but just two good ones in a row and then something different (other direction, scary barrel underneath).
Anyway, my lesson:
Heels down, toes up. Make my stirrups a hole shorter, and practice riding without stirrups to improve my lower leg.
Mostly we need to clean up on the little details (and he needed, for example, to learn to condense his body, not jump all splayed out), but it's not bad.
He needs to pay attention ALL the time. When I'm sitting on him talking, he doesn't get to fling his head around anymore. When we lead, no more stopping and looking around. No giraffe neck, no looking. So when I lead him, now I walk with my crop on the inside hand so I can tap him (like my leg would) if he tries to look. He's also caught onto this pretty quick.
When I'm riding him and he wants to fling his head around, he does extra work. Like if I wanted to walk in a straight line, now we make a circle and he has to leg-yield.
So, Shannon thinks he's a good horse, but I pushed him too hard too fast, which was my mistake, in thinking he had the nerve and the knowledge to do it.
And Shannon thinks I have a good seat (if a terrible lower leg) because even though he almost went all the way on his knees, I stayed on him. I had to grab around his neck, but it was a decent save.
We also tried different gear. A bit, I'm blanking on the name, that has the long shanks up and down so it has a bit more leverage on his cheeks, and a cute little martingale that fastens to the breastplate. Shannon had a horse with a similar personality to Willig, and found that those two pieces of equipment helped a lot with controlling his attention. It certainly seemed to help today.
Shannon said he's not getting too strong, when I feel him go towards the fence, but she said just to sit up and do a half halt and make sure I can slow him down, but otherwise, let him go to it. She said it's a great sign. She said it's also great that after he had to walk through the one fence (because it looked different, and I didn't ride him assertively to it even though *I* knew it would look scary to him - I am quite the passive jumper), he came to it the next time intending to, and actually jumping it. She said a bad horse would have come in planning to refuse even harder.
She said he's paying good attention to the fence, and just doesn't know how to use his body properly yet.
I asked her to ride him for a few minutes, and she said he is squirmy, but to work on giving him a task - like going over a pole, making circles, doing transitions, etc., and then he does better. And to get him to lesson, respond immediately (no four steps before the transition), and to make sure I get a nice working trot - not too fast or too slow, which I'm usually doing on him.
It was a great lesson, and I absolutely encourage anyone in the Oly area who needs a jump lesson to try Shannon out. I thought she was great to work, and I've made more progress with Willig with that lesson than I have the entire time on my own or at the clinics. (The ground work was really consistent with what Mike has been telling me too, and my lessons with him are also making huge improvements. For the first time, I really feel like me and Willig are going to learn a lot, be a good team, and have fun!)
She pointed out a lot of little details, including my now teeth-grittingly bad lower leg, listened to my description of the woes we've been having, and then we did one simple exercise a whole bunch of times. This included a spectacular stumble where Willig almost went on his knees, and one time THROUGH the jump (so he learns it's easier to just jump it for the love of god), all down at the scary end of the arena where the new neighbor's poodle ran out at him last week in an incredibly ironic attempt to make him LESS scared of that end. All of this is build up for today's ride, where I brought T out (in case Willig had another stumble in which I did not stay on), where he ...
floated over it.
Over and over.
And over and over.
With scary things under it, he just jumped it.
He got it!
Willig IS smart after all! Shannon thought at the end of our lesson that we would have no problems coming along together, and while I was glad she thought that, I wasn't sure I 100% agreed since the last 18 months have been, well, tough.
But in explaining things to her, I realized that a) he has no xc experience, so his bad habits have been taught to him by me, and b) he just genuinely doesn't know what or how he's supposed to do things, and I don't know how to teach him. So we've needed a trainer, and simple exercises.
I had sort of come to the conclusion, which this sort of cemented, that I pushed him too hard too fast (he didn't need to work on a ditch or a bank yet), and now I've wasted time because we have to go back and build his confidence up. This is good though, because I'm learning how to teach him too.
So the lesson in detail:
Our jump was just a vertical with two ground poles on those little plastic stands that you can set at different levels. Then 9' from the center is a ground pole on each side, but tilted a bit in, so it makes a side of a circle.
Then we cantered it in a big circle, each way.
My homework is to do that until it's boring, which I think will only take a couple times after today. During his lesson, he was trying to jump the vertical, AND outside the next 9' pole, so he kept hitting it with his front or back legs, he'd stumble, I'd open my hands and the reins would slide out, he'd be on the wrong lead, and I couldn't collect everything back again in time for the next circle, so we'd have to make a medium circle to get collected.
Today, however, he had, upon reflection one presumes, figured out how to bounce in and out, and it was just a cake walk. There were a couple little knocks, but nothing like the lesson. And people (horrors!) were even walking around next door and he put one ear on them, but stayed focus on his job - the jump.
I am so impressed. After each perfect jump, I made a huge deal over him and he got a break, so today we didn't do it until boredom, but just two good ones in a row and then something different (other direction, scary barrel underneath).
Anyway, my lesson:
Heels down, toes up. Make my stirrups a hole shorter, and practice riding without stirrups to improve my lower leg.
Mostly we need to clean up on the little details (and he needed, for example, to learn to condense his body, not jump all splayed out), but it's not bad.
He needs to pay attention ALL the time. When I'm sitting on him talking, he doesn't get to fling his head around anymore. When we lead, no more stopping and looking around. No giraffe neck, no looking. So when I lead him, now I walk with my crop on the inside hand so I can tap him (like my leg would) if he tries to look. He's also caught onto this pretty quick.
When I'm riding him and he wants to fling his head around, he does extra work. Like if I wanted to walk in a straight line, now we make a circle and he has to leg-yield.
So, Shannon thinks he's a good horse, but I pushed him too hard too fast, which was my mistake, in thinking he had the nerve and the knowledge to do it.
And Shannon thinks I have a good seat (if a terrible lower leg) because even though he almost went all the way on his knees, I stayed on him. I had to grab around his neck, but it was a decent save.
We also tried different gear. A bit, I'm blanking on the name, that has the long shanks up and down so it has a bit more leverage on his cheeks, and a cute little martingale that fastens to the breastplate. Shannon had a horse with a similar personality to Willig, and found that those two pieces of equipment helped a lot with controlling his attention. It certainly seemed to help today.
Shannon said he's not getting too strong, when I feel him go towards the fence, but she said just to sit up and do a half halt and make sure I can slow him down, but otherwise, let him go to it. She said it's a great sign. She said it's also great that after he had to walk through the one fence (because it looked different, and I didn't ride him assertively to it even though *I* knew it would look scary to him - I am quite the passive jumper), he came to it the next time intending to, and actually jumping it. She said a bad horse would have come in planning to refuse even harder.
She said he's paying good attention to the fence, and just doesn't know how to use his body properly yet.
I asked her to ride him for a few minutes, and she said he is squirmy, but to work on giving him a task - like going over a pole, making circles, doing transitions, etc., and then he does better. And to get him to lesson, respond immediately (no four steps before the transition), and to make sure I get a nice working trot - not too fast or too slow, which I'm usually doing on him.
It was a great lesson, and I absolutely encourage anyone in the Oly area who needs a jump lesson to try Shannon out. I thought she was great to work, and I've made more progress with Willig with that lesson than I have the entire time on my own or at the clinics. (The ground work was really consistent with what Mike has been telling me too, and my lessons with him are also making huge improvements. For the first time, I really feel like me and Willig are going to learn a lot, be a good team, and have fun!)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Another incredible lesson with Mike
This week I had another lesson with Mike, after a bit of a delay with our schedules.
And - although I worked diligently on my "homework" the first few weeks after my lesson, Willig had about 2 1/2 weeks off because of my work schedule (I spent a week in Colorado, so I really had an excuse not to ride), a short vacation (to TN to visit my family, another solid excuse), but also some general malaise on my part because of Odin and general lackluster effort.
My big question for him was about feeling pulling my legs back - towards Willig's butt - which generally just makes my knees go up. The sitting trot is improving - very very slowly, but at least there's progress, and my seat got really solid with the new leg position.
However, the first thing Mike noticed was my heels. Which will NOT stay down, whether I think to keep pushing them down or pulling my toes up.
And I was complaining and complaining how burned out I was on Willig and what feels like constant shenanigans and me not knowing what I'm doing and not being experienced enough (or good enough) for him, and how it's HIS fault I can't keep my heels down because I'm so busy up above trying to get him to quit flinging his stupid head around looking at everything.
So after a few minutes, Mike went and got draw reins, which I have never used before.
And the angels sang.
My lord. Willig put his head down and got to work, and he was SO easy and delightful to ride, and I could actually semi-sit the canter, and we made these glorious circles and it was another ride where I was just grinning ear to ear, and Mike said, once again, he thinks we can make a nice horse out of Willig yet.
And no, it did not cure my heels. It's my own damn fault my heels don't stay down, so this month I am working on my heels down/toes up and I have no excuse if I don't make progress before my next lesson.
Mike said when I normally ride, to give Willig more breaks - he expected Willig to be sore from such constant work over his topline - and I WAS sore from actually riding (and sweating! I love it!), but to think about the number of times I have ridden Willig incorrectly (18+ months) to estimate how many times I'll need to ride him correctly to fix it.
He also pointed out that it's not like I can sell Willig right now, and if I learn to fix it, then I won't want to sell him.
AND - he said after a while of working like this, he's going to just go right over the ground poles, then the little rails, then the jumps. He thinks (and I believe him) the cure is on the flat. I just don't have the right tools to figure it out myself.
It was great.
Then yesterday I volunteered for the morning at the show. It was pretty cool, because I was the bit (and spur and whip and body) checker, which I haven't done before, and the rules are a little different from eventing to dressage. It was neat to feel all the different kinds of bits and the different ways the horses reacted (the FEI level horses just opened their mouths and let me look!), but what was coolest was watching the riders. The show didn't go from training level on up, so I got to watch a bunch of different levels and different riders.
And every horse is different. (Duh.) But the lower level horses were more consistently spooky (not necessarily in messing up their movements, but being afraid of the mirror, judge's stand, wheelbarrow, noises, etc.), while the upper level horses weren't. So maybe there is hope for Willig, that he just needs that experience and miles under his girth.
AND - they almost all were nastier spookers than Willig! His little jerky spazzy spooks actually looked really mild next to some of these guys! And the riders just rode them through it, so maybe I have been having too high expectations and being kind of a chicken.
Anyway, the ride with Mike felt amazing. And best was how cool it was to feel what it should feel like, so now I have something to work toward (a while back Practical Horseman had that "what kind of learner are you" and I'm kinesthetic, so feeling the proper movement is way more useful to me than having someone tell me or show me what to do). Plus, it was great to know Willig and I can do it. The "real" way is to ride from your legs to the bit, but Mike is going to teach me how after we improve the other stuff (like my stupid heels).
And - although I worked diligently on my "homework" the first few weeks after my lesson, Willig had about 2 1/2 weeks off because of my work schedule (I spent a week in Colorado, so I really had an excuse not to ride), a short vacation (to TN to visit my family, another solid excuse), but also some general malaise on my part because of Odin and general lackluster effort.
My big question for him was about feeling pulling my legs back - towards Willig's butt - which generally just makes my knees go up. The sitting trot is improving - very very slowly, but at least there's progress, and my seat got really solid with the new leg position.
However, the first thing Mike noticed was my heels. Which will NOT stay down, whether I think to keep pushing them down or pulling my toes up.
And I was complaining and complaining how burned out I was on Willig and what feels like constant shenanigans and me not knowing what I'm doing and not being experienced enough (or good enough) for him, and how it's HIS fault I can't keep my heels down because I'm so busy up above trying to get him to quit flinging his stupid head around looking at everything.
So after a few minutes, Mike went and got draw reins, which I have never used before.
And the angels sang.
My lord. Willig put his head down and got to work, and he was SO easy and delightful to ride, and I could actually semi-sit the canter, and we made these glorious circles and it was another ride where I was just grinning ear to ear, and Mike said, once again, he thinks we can make a nice horse out of Willig yet.
And no, it did not cure my heels. It's my own damn fault my heels don't stay down, so this month I am working on my heels down/toes up and I have no excuse if I don't make progress before my next lesson.
Mike said when I normally ride, to give Willig more breaks - he expected Willig to be sore from such constant work over his topline - and I WAS sore from actually riding (and sweating! I love it!), but to think about the number of times I have ridden Willig incorrectly (18+ months) to estimate how many times I'll need to ride him correctly to fix it.
He also pointed out that it's not like I can sell Willig right now, and if I learn to fix it, then I won't want to sell him.
AND - he said after a while of working like this, he's going to just go right over the ground poles, then the little rails, then the jumps. He thinks (and I believe him) the cure is on the flat. I just don't have the right tools to figure it out myself.
It was great.
Then yesterday I volunteered for the morning at the show. It was pretty cool, because I was the bit (and spur and whip and body) checker, which I haven't done before, and the rules are a little different from eventing to dressage. It was neat to feel all the different kinds of bits and the different ways the horses reacted (the FEI level horses just opened their mouths and let me look!), but what was coolest was watching the riders. The show didn't go from training level on up, so I got to watch a bunch of different levels and different riders.
And every horse is different. (Duh.) But the lower level horses were more consistently spooky (not necessarily in messing up their movements, but being afraid of the mirror, judge's stand, wheelbarrow, noises, etc.), while the upper level horses weren't. So maybe there is hope for Willig, that he just needs that experience and miles under his girth.
AND - they almost all were nastier spookers than Willig! His little jerky spazzy spooks actually looked really mild next to some of these guys! And the riders just rode them through it, so maybe I have been having too high expectations and being kind of a chicken.
Anyway, the ride with Mike felt amazing. And best was how cool it was to feel what it should feel like, so now I have something to work toward (a while back Practical Horseman had that "what kind of learner are you" and I'm kinesthetic, so feeling the proper movement is way more useful to me than having someone tell me or show me what to do). Plus, it was great to know Willig and I can do it. The "real" way is to ride from your legs to the bit, but Mike is going to teach me how after we improve the other stuff (like my stupid heels).
Willig vs. the dead mole
Last week, after lunging, Willig had another turn-out opportunity. He was doing pretty well - following me around but eating, and not too much staring at the barn or running around all crazy man.
But then as we were heading back on our last loop, he was in the middle eating, and then he stopped, sniffed, snorted, jumped with all four legs straight, sniffed, snorted again, and ran over to me and almost ran me over.
So I walked over to where he'd been sniffing, snorting, etc. and there was a dead mole (or something) that the lawnmower ran over.
Willig followed me over to investigate again, and repeated the whole performance.
As we walked back to the gate, he stayed right on my shoulder - like twice he stepped on my heel, and I couldn't get him away from me.
So apparently Willig is afraid of death.
But then as we were heading back on our last loop, he was in the middle eating, and then he stopped, sniffed, snorted, jumped with all four legs straight, sniffed, snorted again, and ran over to me and almost ran me over.
So I walked over to where he'd been sniffing, snorting, etc. and there was a dead mole (or something) that the lawnmower ran over.
Willig followed me over to investigate again, and repeated the whole performance.
As we walked back to the gate, he stayed right on my shoulder - like twice he stepped on my heel, and I couldn't get him away from me.
So apparently Willig is afraid of death.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Quotes from a Yoga book
I was looking for hip openers, and wasn't successful, but did find these quotes, which may or may not be inspiring:
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but an ability to do it has increased"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Nothing would be done at all
if we waited until we could do it so well
that no one could find fault with it."
- Cardinal Newman
"Practice is the best of all instructions."
- Aristotle
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but an ability to do it has increased"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Nothing would be done at all
if we waited until we could do it so well
that no one could find fault with it."
- Cardinal Newman
"Practice is the best of all instructions."
- Aristotle
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Mercury is at his "new" home
I was very fortunate to send Mercury back to the owner I bought him from four years ago. They were very excited to see him, and he seemed happy to be home. He even gets to go out with his old pasture mate, and will get to just "be a horse" and go on trail rides for a bit. Julie is a very experienced rider, so I have high hopes she can figure out what weird thing was going on this month and cure it and turn Mercury back into a happy horse.
www.aspenfarmperformancehorses.com
I am, of course, going to miss him very much. He was a great horse for me, and just the horse I needed during the time I had him.
www.aspenfarmperformancehorses.com
I am, of course, going to miss him very much. He was a great horse for me, and just the horse I needed during the time I had him.
Monolith's gas mileage
A distressingly low 9.8 mpg.
That is, however, on a warm day, towing the horse trailer (1/2 way with 1 horse), over one mountain pass and three "hills" (1-3000 feet each), averaging about 50 mph.
We went 339 miles that trip and used 34.6 gallons. Before we left, I fileld it (17 gallons). At $2.85/gal for biodiesel blend, not cheap. ($150!)
And next weekend I have to drive it mucho more miles.
That is, however, on a warm day, towing the horse trailer (1/2 way with 1 horse), over one mountain pass and three "hills" (1-3000 feet each), averaging about 50 mph.
We went 339 miles that trip and used 34.6 gallons. Before we left, I fileld it (17 gallons). At $2.85/gal for biodiesel blend, not cheap. ($150!)
And next weekend I have to drive it mucho more miles.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Willig at work on Sunday
Good news - he's making an effort.
Bad news - I'm fat and STILL - after all these years and a real effort not to - jumping ahead.
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