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back in the saddle
Jan. 22nd, 2007 09:00 amRode Fontana on Saturday- first ride in over a week. Actually, I take that back- I rode Valhalla on Monday. She has come a long way- she was soft, on the bit, and forward. She used to not want you to touch her mouth- it was actually kind of cool, because you can ride with loose reins and still have excellent steering (I think you should be able to do this with all horses) but she didn't like to go forward consistantly. She was such a pleasure to ride. It is wonderful to get on a horse and simply be able to enjoy it.
At any rate, my ride with Fontana went well. I will probably be sore as anything tomorrow. Not much out of Peggy- Crystal and I were riding at the same time, and she was having some trouble. I tried to stay out of the way and felt like we had a good workout. It wasn't a super long ride or anything really complicated- but it felt solid.
I started off lunging her a bit, then got on and found she was keeping a better connection at the walk, though I let her get a little too quick and bouncy and Peggy reminded me to keep her from getting pacey. For the first time when she brought her head up and stuck her nose out, I corrected her with my leg and pushed her back onto the bit- HOORAY! (It's a bad habit of mine to want to fix this with the rein instead of the leg- when I think about it or get yelled at, I use the leg instead, but this time I did it almost without thinking.) We did a lot of rising trot and she got nice and forward- it feels like her back is getting much stronger and more supple. Josie commented on how quickly Fontana's large strides cover the ground- "Other horses are like, trotting...and then Fontana goes Whizzing by...". ^_^ I felt pretty good and didn't have the usual battle I often have to get into position and sit in the saddle after a little time off- Peggy reminded me to stop pinching with my knee, and once I did that my leg was able to relax and stretch a bit.
We cantered both directions and the canter was the best it's been- I was able to sit and Fontana kept her balance pretty well. Her hindquarters didn't bounce up like they have in the past, and I think it's because she is stronger now. As for me, I've been working on driving, sitting, walking, etc with better posture, and obviously working on it when riding as well. I've been having friends take pictures and videos more often so I can judge my position and see for myself what my flaws are. I hate seeing myself hunched over the horse so I'm going to improve my back (and thus my abs)- it looks better and it helps me ride better when I straighten up. Funny that with all my concern about the horse being straight I forget about myself. I am SO GLAD I got my new saddle. I cringe whenever I see photos of myself in Phoebus's old saddle- lots of people loved it, but I always looked like I was sitting in a chair, with my legs too far forward. I know my weakness was mainly to blame, but I think that saddle didn't help me.
Nadia has decided to show Wally in the 4 y.o. young horse tests this year, and it's put a bee in her bonnet. They are looking really good and she seems happy to have a clear goal in mind. I think Wally is a very nice young horse and will do very well, and I hope they have a good time with it. It's going to be Nadia's first year showing dressage and I think she'll love it- she's always done hunter/jumper in the past.
At any rate, my ride with Fontana went well. I will probably be sore as anything tomorrow. Not much out of Peggy- Crystal and I were riding at the same time, and she was having some trouble. I tried to stay out of the way and felt like we had a good workout. It wasn't a super long ride or anything really complicated- but it felt solid.
I started off lunging her a bit, then got on and found she was keeping a better connection at the walk, though I let her get a little too quick and bouncy and Peggy reminded me to keep her from getting pacey. For the first time when she brought her head up and stuck her nose out, I corrected her with my leg and pushed her back onto the bit- HOORAY! (It's a bad habit of mine to want to fix this with the rein instead of the leg- when I think about it or get yelled at, I use the leg instead, but this time I did it almost without thinking.) We did a lot of rising trot and she got nice and forward- it feels like her back is getting much stronger and more supple. Josie commented on how quickly Fontana's large strides cover the ground- "Other horses are like, trotting...and then Fontana goes Whizzing by...". ^_^ I felt pretty good and didn't have the usual battle I often have to get into position and sit in the saddle after a little time off- Peggy reminded me to stop pinching with my knee, and once I did that my leg was able to relax and stretch a bit.
We cantered both directions and the canter was the best it's been- I was able to sit and Fontana kept her balance pretty well. Her hindquarters didn't bounce up like they have in the past, and I think it's because she is stronger now. As for me, I've been working on driving, sitting, walking, etc with better posture, and obviously working on it when riding as well. I've been having friends take pictures and videos more often so I can judge my position and see for myself what my flaws are. I hate seeing myself hunched over the horse so I'm going to improve my back (and thus my abs)- it looks better and it helps me ride better when I straighten up. Funny that with all my concern about the horse being straight I forget about myself. I am SO GLAD I got my new saddle. I cringe whenever I see photos of myself in Phoebus's old saddle- lots of people loved it, but I always looked like I was sitting in a chair, with my legs too far forward. I know my weakness was mainly to blame, but I think that saddle didn't help me.
Nadia has decided to show Wally in the 4 y.o. young horse tests this year, and it's put a bee in her bonnet. They are looking really good and she seems happy to have a clear goal in mind. I think Wally is a very nice young horse and will do very well, and I hope they have a good time with it. It's going to be Nadia's first year showing dressage and I think she'll love it- she's always done hunter/jumper in the past.
