The South Dakota Horse Fair is in Sioux Falls Friday through Sunday this week. Eric's headed over, which meant lessons got juggled. My lesson ended up on Wednesday rather than Thursday.
The weather's holding beautifully, and since I'd have my lesson on Buddy I figured I'd get Sunny in prior to. It's good to have goals.
Horse 1: Sunny was in the mood to be a pill today, but I persevered. It took him half the time I had to ride to finally settle, but once he decided I wasn't going to put up with nonsense he gave up and behaved. Unfortunately, I spent longer on him than I'd planned, which left me with no time to work with Thunder before I had to pack up and head for my lesson, so he ended up a lick and a promise brushing and tomorrow I'll start with him. Sunny can go second. And hopefully he'll have his mind on business.
Horse 2: Eric had the farrier there when I got to his place. Luckily Buddy got shoes two weeks ago, so he was good to go - but there was a steady stream of horses in and out of the cross-ties, and it did make for an interesting time in the aisleway. What with one thing and another, Eric was running behind on his horses, so he was just heading out to the arena with Pride when I arrived. He asked me if I wanted to long-trot Pete for him again after my lesson. So not a problem! I collected Buddy, brushed him off and tacked him up and headed out to meet Eric coming back in to answer a question for the farrier. He wanted to warm Buddy up, so we hung out and enjoyed the spring sun while we waited.
Horse 3: When Eric reappeared from the barn he still had Pride in tow. He's gearing the stallion up for open reining this season. He had me hop on and walk him around while he started Buddy off. It wasn't a long ride, but it was fun to see where I could steer him with just my legs. I did my best to keep Pride's nose pointed in Buddy's direction so that I could watch what Eric was doing. Buddy appeared to have taken the same caffeine pill as Sunny, because he didn't want to settle and behave, either. But after a few high-stepping, snorty rounds, he decided cooperating was less work, and Eric and I traded.
Horse 2: Back on Buddy, we started off at a walk, working on collecting and keeping a cadenced walk without dashing off in all directions. Forward momentum is so NOT going to be a problem. Eric worked Pride and called directions at me - mostly reminders to pulse my inside heel and remember to release as soon as Buddy rounded and stretched into the bit. We were getting along quite nicely when Eric headed in to swap horses. I offered Buddy a break to stretch, then did some more collected walk.
When Eric came back he had me step up into the trot... Buddy rounded up for me, but it felt odd in back. He was off on his left rear. We changed directions and tried circling right, and he was still off.... He hadn't looked sore with Eric on him, and we hadn't done anything but walk.... But his trot was noticeably funky feeling, so, that was it for him for the day. Back in the barn I checked hooves and legs, and didn't find rocks or anything warm or swollen. Eric'll check him and give him a day or so off if he needs it.
Horse 4: Since Pete and I would be long-trotting, Eric said I'd be fine to use my saddle on Pete and I could work on my two-point. Whimper. We warmed up with some bending and spiral in/out, then settled into a nice loose-rein trot on the rail.
Eric headed in to swap horses again. Pete and I chugged along. Although he rolls his eyes so that the white shows and looks sort of big-eyed on the ground, once you're on top Pete feels nice and solid and not spooky at all. Even with the dog charging hither and yon and the wind rattling and flapping things, Pete was unfazed and I was comfortable with my relaxed reins. He did one bounce-and-dive spook at something only he could see midway through our ride, but since he didn't add a bolt to the end of it, I just went with him and sent him back to the rail again.
Pete has a really looooong neck, but very little throatlatch. His head is just sort of stuck there, which gives him a kind of different look, to say the least. My goal was just to keep him moving along evenly in a semi-round frame. I wasn't asking for any kind of collection, but I did want him driving from behind and moving around the corners without dropping his inside shoulder, so I kept just enough contact that I could supplement inside leg with a little "rein"-forcement if I needed it.
While he bobbed along, I alternated two-point and working trot, doing my best to catch my diagonals, interspersing walk-breaks when they felt right. When we'd worked for 40 minutes or so, Eric had me do some collected walk before I let Pete relax and cool out. Pete's a Country English horse, so it was head in my lap time - he may not have a throatlatch, but he certainly does get TALL when he's collected.
So I didn't get a lesson, but I did get to ride four horses - which was fun, but I can definitely feel my legs tonight.
Showing posts with label Pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pride. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Lesson day: Pride
So glad I'd already decided the boys were not going tonight. The road over to Eric's was shiny, just greasy-glazed with ice. I left early so I could go nice and slow, and I was glad I did.
Once I was in the nice warm barn, I didn't want to go back out - and Eric, who was fighting a nasty cold and had very little voice, didn't either. I got to ride Pride. He's so cute! Have I mentioned he's a stallion? You'd never know it - his manners are no different than any other horse in the barn, and he's not handled or treated any differently. Plain web buckle halter and a cotton lead.
The lesson was an interesting combination of hunt-seat and reining. I got to do two-point in a western saddle, and practice spins. My leg position (thanks to the two-point practice with Sunny) was much improved, but I'm collapsing my right shoulder consistently on lope departures, and I'm bracing into my stops. Nice to know I'm at least being consistent!
So... I got to practice lope departures with the reins in my outside hand and my inside hand planted on Pride's butt. Which both of us thought was odd, but it did work. At least until I got to try with both hands again. Sigh... The good thing was lesson I was able to give Pride much clearer cues and at least he was making the transitions smoothly.
We did a lot of stopping. And a lot of loping. And after Pride spooked and bounced at the dog, I got a serious lecture on not bracing. I stiffened up, which pushed my seat out of the saddle rather than sinking into it and going with him - I caught myself and Pride didn't take advantage, but it's apparently one bad habit Eric takes pretty seriously, as it was about as close to irate as I've heard him get. He reiterated that as much trail riding as I do, I MUST learn to go with the horse or I'm going to end up on the ground. Crud! I know that, too. I just have a hard time translating the knowing to the doing.
Unfortunately it's one of those nasty habits I've had for a very long time - hopefully he'll be able to help me fix it. And I could tell he was ready to get after me for it again, as he stopped discouraging the dog from playing in the arena, but he'll have to wait for another opportunity - neither the dog nor the horse cooperated. But it's only a matter of time....
Cool down was basically just a few rounds of the arena to let Pride stretch his neck and back. Living inside, he's pretty darn sleek and he's also in excellent shape - he wasn't the slightest bit sweaty when we finished, but I took some extra time brushing him off anyway. He was a very good boy, even if I could feel him getting lazy on me toward the end of the hour. All in all it was a good lesson, and as always I have plenty to think about and try to assimilate before next week.
Once I was in the nice warm barn, I didn't want to go back out - and Eric, who was fighting a nasty cold and had very little voice, didn't either. I got to ride Pride. He's so cute! Have I mentioned he's a stallion? You'd never know it - his manners are no different than any other horse in the barn, and he's not handled or treated any differently. Plain web buckle halter and a cotton lead.
The lesson was an interesting combination of hunt-seat and reining. I got to do two-point in a western saddle, and practice spins. My leg position (thanks to the two-point practice with Sunny) was much improved, but I'm collapsing my right shoulder consistently on lope departures, and I'm bracing into my stops. Nice to know I'm at least being consistent!
So... I got to practice lope departures with the reins in my outside hand and my inside hand planted on Pride's butt. Which both of us thought was odd, but it did work. At least until I got to try with both hands again. Sigh... The good thing was lesson I was able to give Pride much clearer cues and at least he was making the transitions smoothly.
We did a lot of stopping. And a lot of loping. And after Pride spooked and bounced at the dog, I got a serious lecture on not bracing. I stiffened up, which pushed my seat out of the saddle rather than sinking into it and going with him - I caught myself and Pride didn't take advantage, but it's apparently one bad habit Eric takes pretty seriously, as it was about as close to irate as I've heard him get. He reiterated that as much trail riding as I do, I MUST learn to go with the horse or I'm going to end up on the ground. Crud! I know that, too. I just have a hard time translating the knowing to the doing.
Unfortunately it's one of those nasty habits I've had for a very long time - hopefully he'll be able to help me fix it. And I could tell he was ready to get after me for it again, as he stopped discouraging the dog from playing in the arena, but he'll have to wait for another opportunity - neither the dog nor the horse cooperated. But it's only a matter of time....
Cool down was basically just a few rounds of the arena to let Pride stretch his neck and back. Living inside, he's pretty darn sleek and he's also in excellent shape - he wasn't the slightest bit sweaty when we finished, but I took some extra time brushing him off anyway. He was a very good boy, even if I could feel him getting lazy on me toward the end of the hour. All in all it was a good lesson, and as always I have plenty to think about and try to assimilate before next week.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Riding the Slide
Lesson day yesterday, but it was just too cold to get Sunny all sweaty again. He'll get his turn this weekend, outside in the sunshine on the trail.
I had my choice when I arrived - since this is a down period for lessons (apparently not too many people are interested in riding in the cold... go figure!) and the wind-up for show season hasn't started yet, the barn is pretty quiet. I could pick: hunt seat, English pleasure, western pleasure, or a reiner. English pleasure is so far out of my arena that I wouldn't know where to begin - I opted for a reiner.
Eric had me get Pride out. He's a cute little bay Arab; fine-boned and delicate with a compact build. Very catty and light on his feet. And very narrow after Sunny's barrel-shape.
Tacking up was western, of course. A simple O-ring snaffle and blue leg wraps. Eric demonstrated the proper method on the fronts, and had me do the rears. Something I've always wanted to learn, but have been afraid to try on my own for fear of screwing it up. Very cool.
From memory, so hopefully right - I'm going to have to practice!
Once Pride was dressed, Eric put us through the usual warm-up exercises, which also served as an opportunity to get connected. Riding a finished horse, it's amazing the difference in balance and cadence - and lightness. He was a bit fresh to start with, but forward is good, and he was cooperative about it, so no worries there. Is it comforting, or disheartening to know that I can consistently muck up a sidepass on a horse that actually knows what he's doing? Sigh...
So. Other than the saddle, there are a few definite differences between hunt seat and reining. In a nutshell:
Oddly, although I struggled as usual with lope departures, stopping that hard felt fairly natural. Other than forgetting to say "whoa" a couple of times, and getting slightly stiff and rocking forward once, sitting deep, relaxed, and pushing my feet forward into the slide felt fine. Unlike riding Sunny, where I struggle just to keep him from breaking back to a trot, and whose balance on a circle is still developing, Pride patters neatly around. Asking him to speed up is as simple as moving your hands forward and driving with your hips, leg and seat. Want to slow down? Slow the rate of your hips. Stop? Take your legs off and remember to say, "Whoa!"
Loping off was a challenge, though. Ideally, from a collected walk with the horse bent slightly on the circle, I would cue for the lope by tipping his nose in and sliding my outside leg back, then squeezing with both legs and kissing. And he should step nicely up into a lope. Except not... or at least not consistently. Ultimately, we determined that I was being too busy with my hands and legs in preparing for the transition. If I kept everything crisp and clear, he'd step up. If I monkeyed with trying to get him perfectly in frame and moving forward, he was getting so many signals he just ignored me. I suspect I've been doing the same thing with Sunny. And believe me, I was making mental notes!
Spinning... Do you get dizzy easily? Here again, right and left were not my friends, but I managed to successfully coordinate myself to get a couple of decent efforts. And actually, I learned as much from doing things wrong - I was having a horrible time to the left. Until I shifted my weight back and suddenly Pride was spinning. With my weight off his shoulders he was able to rock back on his hindquarters properly.
It didn't feel as if I worked as hard as I usually do with Sunny, and Pride certainly wasn't as sweaty, but I'm pleasantly sore this morning in some interesting places. Different muscles at work, quite definitely! And I'm looking forward to using them again!
I had my choice when I arrived - since this is a down period for lessons (apparently not too many people are interested in riding in the cold... go figure!) and the wind-up for show season hasn't started yet, the barn is pretty quiet. I could pick: hunt seat, English pleasure, western pleasure, or a reiner. English pleasure is so far out of my arena that I wouldn't know where to begin - I opted for a reiner.
Eric had me get Pride out. He's a cute little bay Arab; fine-boned and delicate with a compact build. Very catty and light on his feet. And very narrow after Sunny's barrel-shape.
Tacking up was western, of course. A simple O-ring snaffle and blue leg wraps. Eric demonstrated the proper method on the fronts, and had me do the rears. Something I've always wanted to learn, but have been afraid to try on my own for fear of screwing it up. Very cool.
From memory, so hopefully right - I'm going to have to practice!
Wrap to the inside.
The roll should unwrap counterclockwise,
or the velcro fastener will be backwards when you finish the wrap.
It should be snug, but not tight, with no wrinkles.
Start just below the knee on the cannon bone and wrap downwards,
lapping about halfway down each time.
At the bottom of the cannon,
take a wrap down under the bulb of the fetlock,
around once, and then back down
under the bulb once more.
The wrap should have a small V in the middle/front
of the leg if done properly.
Then wrap back up to the top of the cannon bone again
to finish the where it started.
Once Pride was dressed, Eric put us through the usual warm-up exercises, which also served as an opportunity to get connected. Riding a finished horse, it's amazing the difference in balance and cadence - and lightness. He was a bit fresh to start with, but forward is good, and he was cooperative about it, so no worries there. Is it comforting, or disheartening to know that I can consistently muck up a sidepass on a horse that actually knows what he's doing? Sigh...
So. Other than the saddle, there are a few definite differences between hunt seat and reining. In a nutshell:
- Hunt: lots of trotting - sitting and posting
- Reining: no trotting. It's either walking, loping or galloping
- Hunt: seat is centered or forward.
- Reining: seat is deep and balanced, but never forward.
- Hunt: stop is round, collected, and legs stay on through the entire downward transition, only coming off when the stop is complete.
- Reining: stop is round, collected, and the stop comes through your seat - when your leg comes off their sides and forward, the horse stops. And when you're preparing for a stop, you go faster.
Oddly, although I struggled as usual with lope departures, stopping that hard felt fairly natural. Other than forgetting to say "whoa" a couple of times, and getting slightly stiff and rocking forward once, sitting deep, relaxed, and pushing my feet forward into the slide felt fine. Unlike riding Sunny, where I struggle just to keep him from breaking back to a trot, and whose balance on a circle is still developing, Pride patters neatly around. Asking him to speed up is as simple as moving your hands forward and driving with your hips, leg and seat. Want to slow down? Slow the rate of your hips. Stop? Take your legs off and remember to say, "Whoa!"
Loping off was a challenge, though. Ideally, from a collected walk with the horse bent slightly on the circle, I would cue for the lope by tipping his nose in and sliding my outside leg back, then squeezing with both legs and kissing. And he should step nicely up into a lope. Except not... or at least not consistently. Ultimately, we determined that I was being too busy with my hands and legs in preparing for the transition. If I kept everything crisp and clear, he'd step up. If I monkeyed with trying to get him perfectly in frame and moving forward, he was getting so many signals he just ignored me. I suspect I've been doing the same thing with Sunny. And believe me, I was making mental notes!
Spinning... Do you get dizzy easily? Here again, right and left were not my friends, but I managed to successfully coordinate myself to get a couple of decent efforts. And actually, I learned as much from doing things wrong - I was having a horrible time to the left. Until I shifted my weight back and suddenly Pride was spinning. With my weight off his shoulders he was able to rock back on his hindquarters properly.
It didn't feel as if I worked as hard as I usually do with Sunny, and Pride certainly wasn't as sweaty, but I'm pleasantly sore this morning in some interesting places. Different muscles at work, quite definitely! And I'm looking forward to using them again!
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