My RI offered me a hacking lesson today and I bit her arm off because I just about felt ready to get back on after my fall and it's nice to have your RI with you even if you don't feel shaky.
We tacked up and got on and rode up the lane, and I blethered about the Mark Rashid clinic, and we rode up the lane, and I blethered. After about half a mile my RI (who likes MR and was very interested) said, "I want to make an observation about your riding. Your contact is much firmer than usual, and your body is very strong. Your position is excellent. See how Ziggy is responding with obedience. You should talk about Mark Rshid all the time you are hacking."
It felt as if a worm has turned. Ziggy can be my pet pony in the field, but when I am handling him and riding him he is my riding horse and needs to behave like it. I think he didn't know what had happened - he seemed puzzled! But he was obedient. When he rushed, I stopped him. When he rushed again, I made him rein back. He stopped rushing. We went past the place where he spooked and I fell last week and he was anxious, but I remembered, "He has to behave as if it's ok even if it isn't ok," and he behaved as if it was OK!
My Ri sighed and rolled her eyes because she has always told me just the same things about firmness, rigour and consistency. I said that watching MR doing it, and watching the reaction of the owners who felt about their horses the way that I do, was salutary and felt like a real turning point.
Ziggy behaved himself all the way round. I need to do this all the time!
We tacked up and got on and rode up the lane, and I blethered about the Mark Rashid clinic, and we rode up the lane, and I blethered. After about half a mile my RI (who likes MR and was very interested) said, "I want to make an observation about your riding. Your contact is much firmer than usual, and your body is very strong. Your position is excellent. See how Ziggy is responding with obedience. You should talk about Mark Rshid all the time you are hacking."
It felt as if a worm has turned. Ziggy can be my pet pony in the field, but when I am handling him and riding him he is my riding horse and needs to behave like it. I think he didn't know what had happened - he seemed puzzled! But he was obedient. When he rushed, I stopped him. When he rushed again, I made him rein back. He stopped rushing. We went past the place where he spooked and I fell last week and he was anxious, but I remembered, "He has to behave as if it's ok even if it isn't ok," and he behaved as if it was OK!
My Ri sighed and rolled her eyes because she has always told me just the same things about firmness, rigour and consistency. I said that watching MR doing it, and watching the reaction of the owners who felt about their horses the way that I do, was salutary and felt like a real turning point.
Ziggy behaved himself all the way round. I need to do this all the time!