I had a flat lesson with Shannon today - I wasn't sure Willig was going to be sound for jumping, but there is plenty to work on from the ground, and I didn't want to miss yet another lesson weekend.
This was, it turns out, a brilliant idea. (Go, Martha.)
After my normal ploddy around crap for warm-up (the take away: it really isn't necessary. Do a few laps of plodding (<10 minutes) and then get to work.), we did something really, really cool. Are you ready? Can you wait to hear this? Are you on the edge of your seat?
I was telling Shannon about how when I rode Pablo, I tried to steer from the inside hand to turn him, and it took me most of the lesson to start steering with the outside hand and leg, like she told me to do maybe a year ago?
And I'm worried that I'm somehow faking it on Willig, and don't know how to do this yet. First, she pointed out I rode Charlie fine, and second, she hasn't noticed anything egregious, but ok, we'd work on it.
And so I latched my hands onto the gel pad and ....
steered Willig with my legs and seat only!!!!
With other horses in the arena, I could make circles, move him in and out off the wall in the circle, go from walk to trot to canter and back down.
And I didn't need my hands for ANY of it.
It was amazing. I was grinning like a fool again.
We tried this, outside, maybe a year ago or so, and I couldn't even go a few steps without freaking out and letting go of the saddle pad and hanging onto the reins again. I kept telling her (that time) that there was NO WAY I could go around the arena without my hands. She'd tell me to try again, and I'd try to sneaky use my hand.
This was so amazing and cool and also just such an objective sign of progress.
And ... still not lame! Those first few days were maybe just him bouncing off the walls. I haven't felt a flicker since.
Although he's still got his hives - so far just neck and saddle area - not behind the saddle.
So the lesson was that I micro-manage with my hands, but if I can think about them being still, I am perfectly capable of riding with my seat and legs for pretty much everything I need.
And he was a gentleman. Lots and lots of horses and the rain and he's been kind of wild this week, but not during this lesson.
Charlie with the long sought after cooler
Spring NWEC 2013 Novice
1 comment:
I always love your decriptions of lessons! Half the time you're saying what I'm thinking!
My gelding (who I ride sporadically and who is way behind in his formal dressage education) steers perfectly off my seat and legs- so easily I forget that's what I'm doing and take it for granted. My mare (who I take regualar dressage lessons on from a very good trainer) still needs schooling on this because the more she ignores it the more I start trying to ride with my hands. That's why we get lessons though, right? If we're not fixing me or her, we're fixing the bad habits that I've taught her from my weaknesses, or the bad habits she's taught me with her weaknesses!
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