Hello there,
As mentioned when I said hello in the Café it must be about 15 years since I rode regularly, other than an occasional hack, and at least 5 since I have even been on a horse. So it was really exciting to get a lesson booked. Don’t know what made me after all this time but horses never really go out of your life do they? Not that I have ever been fortunate enough to own one, but I've had many happy hours in their company.
So, there I was at the stable all prepared to spend the remainder of the weekend having to soak in Radox and essential oils and wondering how it would be. I was lucky that I got a sweet pony called Angel who behaved beautifully and was so willing despite having the equivalent of a sack of potatoes on her back! She cantered for me first time, but the trot – o my goodness, how AWFUL! It must have been soooo ugly to watch and I suppose I could make some excuse for being stiff and ungainly and trying to remember all the things I knew I should be doing all at the same time, but honestly, the instructor’s blood must have run cold watching it!! Still, by the end of the lesson I had settled in much more comfortably and it started to feel a bit better about being able to hit the rhythm in trot and stay pretty comfy in canter. The logistics of leg on and cantering were escaping me though.
All in all I felt it went ok considering the length of time it had been.
I was so excited I booked another one straight away.
Last week we had a little go at jumping , over a small cross pole. I was so busy looking forward and keeping going that I forgot all about jumping position. Oh dear! We had a couple more goes and although it felt untogether we made it (thanks more to the horse than to anything I was doing) so for a second lesson it felt pretty positive.
My instructor said it looked like I would be ok in the intermediate group lesson – this was progressing from half an hour to a full hour. But, since I got away with minimal John Wayne impressions the first couple of lessons I thought it would be ok. Should not have been so naïve – half of the first lesson was without stirrups and showed me exactly how awful my seat was!
There seems to be an unusual (to me) approach at warming up at the group lessons where everyone can practice transitions and circles in their own way to get the horse listening. This is fine, but it’s a bit hard to know where everyone is going when there are about 6 horses in the school. Is this approach familiar to other riders? What do you think?
I have spent the last couple of weeks really trying hard to take on board all the things I have been told and all the things I have been reading from you helpful folk on this splendid website. I am scared of getting addicted as I keep sneaking off to read what’s happening in the threads!!! I think my worst points at the moment are my seat and keeping my heels down. I don't know if I am taking it all too quick thinking off the long break or whether I should be pushing more.
I am going to save my pennies and see if I can get a lesson on the lunge.
Sorry to have gone on so long, I just get a bit carried away as although my other half is happy I am doing something that makes me happy, I know that discussing the merits of serpentines and 20 metre circles do not thrill him! There, it’s all out of my system now.
Byeeee! for now
As mentioned when I said hello in the Café it must be about 15 years since I rode regularly, other than an occasional hack, and at least 5 since I have even been on a horse. So it was really exciting to get a lesson booked. Don’t know what made me after all this time but horses never really go out of your life do they? Not that I have ever been fortunate enough to own one, but I've had many happy hours in their company.
So, there I was at the stable all prepared to spend the remainder of the weekend having to soak in Radox and essential oils and wondering how it would be. I was lucky that I got a sweet pony called Angel who behaved beautifully and was so willing despite having the equivalent of a sack of potatoes on her back! She cantered for me first time, but the trot – o my goodness, how AWFUL! It must have been soooo ugly to watch and I suppose I could make some excuse for being stiff and ungainly and trying to remember all the things I knew I should be doing all at the same time, but honestly, the instructor’s blood must have run cold watching it!! Still, by the end of the lesson I had settled in much more comfortably and it started to feel a bit better about being able to hit the rhythm in trot and stay pretty comfy in canter. The logistics of leg on and cantering were escaping me though.
All in all I felt it went ok considering the length of time it had been.
I was so excited I booked another one straight away.
Last week we had a little go at jumping , over a small cross pole. I was so busy looking forward and keeping going that I forgot all about jumping position. Oh dear! We had a couple more goes and although it felt untogether we made it (thanks more to the horse than to anything I was doing) so for a second lesson it felt pretty positive.
My instructor said it looked like I would be ok in the intermediate group lesson – this was progressing from half an hour to a full hour. But, since I got away with minimal John Wayne impressions the first couple of lessons I thought it would be ok. Should not have been so naïve – half of the first lesson was without stirrups and showed me exactly how awful my seat was!
There seems to be an unusual (to me) approach at warming up at the group lessons where everyone can practice transitions and circles in their own way to get the horse listening. This is fine, but it’s a bit hard to know where everyone is going when there are about 6 horses in the school. Is this approach familiar to other riders? What do you think?
I have spent the last couple of weeks really trying hard to take on board all the things I have been told and all the things I have been reading from you helpful folk on this splendid website. I am scared of getting addicted as I keep sneaking off to read what’s happening in the threads!!! I think my worst points at the moment are my seat and keeping my heels down. I don't know if I am taking it all too quick thinking off the long break or whether I should be pushing more.
I am going to save my pennies and see if I can get a lesson on the lunge.
Sorry to have gone on so long, I just get a bit carried away as although my other half is happy I am doing something that makes me happy, I know that discussing the merits of serpentines and 20 metre circles do not thrill him! There, it’s all out of my system now.
Byeeee! for now