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buymeaclue on 2008.07.04 at 14:31
My horse is never getting a day off again.
Well. No. His days off are important, for his body and his mind, not to mention, y'know, mine. But man, it's easy to forget, when we're only going two or three days in a row, how good and happy he gets when I can string together five. Or six. Or more. Of varied work; I wouldn't try it in the winter, say, when we're stuck in the indoor. But a jump set on a conditioning day on an XC school on a dressage school on a hack on a dressage school--he's just about as cheerful as can be, and feels downright awesome. I should maybe make a point of doing this a little more regularly.
Perhaps needless to say, our jump lesson with L. today went smashingly. We seem to be settling, at least for now, on the stirrup length from the ICP workshop and also kept one of their tricks: setting the stirrup farther back on my foot, actually behind the ball. Which may inspire me to see about getting some safety irons (I dislike peacock stirrups, but I've had my eye on the kind with the all-metal curved outside bar) on the saddle if we end up sticking with it, but in a controlled schooling situation (and in, of course, heeled boots), it makes a useful antidote to my habit of getting my heel excessively far down and in the process, pushing my leg out in front of me (and taking the shock absorption out of my ankle, in the process).
Worked on the gallop position, first standing and then in motion, to which my main response was, "Ow." This is definitely going to require some dig-the-weirdness time. Or, as L. put it, "When it feels right, move your leg farther back." But I begin to understand, I think, the particular sort of weirdness that I'm meant to be digging, here, so that will help me find it on my own.
Then: we jump! Gymnastic line, just crossrails, trying to dig the weirdness (and the other folks in the lesson, of course, working on their own stuff) and in the process discovering that we have some work to do on that pesky rightward tendancy that I usually camoflague effectively when I'm not focused on something else but that, of course, shouldn't be there to need camoflaguing. (And doesn't, I think, show up as much in the turn/jump/turn/jump courses that T. normally sets as it does in a straightahead gymnastic.) One part not quite finishing my turn to the jump, one part not quite getting the horse channeled straight from seat and leg rather than trying to fix it with that little opening left rein over the fence. So! We shall be seeing more of this work, I think, over the next few lessons-with-L.
And then onto some little courses, not big fences--2'3" or 2'6"?--but making a point to include wider ones--oxers, the rolltop, etc.--to give me a little airtime over the fence to get the feel of my fold. And hey, it worked. Not perfect or automatic by any means in just the one session, but I was definitely starting to grok it as almost a two-step process: the close of the hip angle and then the slide back of the hips to keep the upper body balanced, comfy and secure, over the hell. Tucker seemed to enjoy it, too, which makes sense: done properly, it keeps me more out of his way and invites/allows him to stretch out over the fence. Not that he has to stretch much over this height, but the other way was going to get us into trouble down the line, and nice to start good habits early on...! He was just super, happy and attentive and keen, offering his good canter right up with little-to-no fuss. We disagreed on one distance--our first trip to the rolltop; he was right--but that was it all day; otherwise, he was taking the half-halt out of the corner and my eye was right on and he moved up or eased back or stayed just the same as requested, every time.
And y'know, I love my horse. I wouldn't trade him for anything else in the barn. But even so, there's something a little extra-special to those days when he's just an utter joy--an honor--to spend time around and on. This was one of those.
So he had many pats and a nice hand-graze after, moseying about the front of the property to find the very best grass, before heading back out into his paddock. We'll do some dressage tomorrow and he'll get a longe after the show on Sunday, and then Monday off. Onward.
Well. No. His days off are important, for his body and his mind, not to mention, y'know, mine. But man, it's easy to forget, when we're only going two or three days in a row, how good and happy he gets when I can string together five. Or six. Or more. Of varied work; I wouldn't try it in the winter, say, when we're stuck in the indoor. But a jump set on a conditioning day on an XC school on a dressage school on a hack on a dressage school--he's just about as cheerful as can be, and feels downright awesome. I should maybe make a point of doing this a little more regularly.
Perhaps needless to say, our jump lesson with L. today went smashingly. We seem to be settling, at least for now, on the stirrup length from the ICP workshop and also kept one of their tricks: setting the stirrup farther back on my foot, actually behind the ball. Which may inspire me to see about getting some safety irons (I dislike peacock stirrups, but I've had my eye on the kind with the all-metal curved outside bar) on the saddle if we end up sticking with it, but in a controlled schooling situation (and in, of course, heeled boots), it makes a useful antidote to my habit of getting my heel excessively far down and in the process, pushing my leg out in front of me (and taking the shock absorption out of my ankle, in the process).
Worked on the gallop position, first standing and then in motion, to which my main response was, "Ow." This is definitely going to require some dig-the-weirdness time. Or, as L. put it, "When it feels right, move your leg farther back." But I begin to understand, I think, the particular sort of weirdness that I'm meant to be digging, here, so that will help me find it on my own.
Then: we jump! Gymnastic line, just crossrails, trying to dig the weirdness (and the other folks in the lesson, of course, working on their own stuff) and in the process discovering that we have some work to do on that pesky rightward tendancy that I usually camoflague effectively when I'm not focused on something else but that, of course, shouldn't be there to need camoflaguing. (And doesn't, I think, show up as much in the turn/jump/turn/jump courses that T. normally sets as it does in a straightahead gymnastic.) One part not quite finishing my turn to the jump, one part not quite getting the horse channeled straight from seat and leg rather than trying to fix it with that little opening left rein over the fence. So! We shall be seeing more of this work, I think, over the next few lessons-with-L.
And then onto some little courses, not big fences--2'3" or 2'6"?--but making a point to include wider ones--oxers, the rolltop, etc.--to give me a little airtime over the fence to get the feel of my fold. And hey, it worked. Not perfect or automatic by any means in just the one session, but I was definitely starting to grok it as almost a two-step process: the close of the hip angle and then the slide back of the hips to keep the upper body balanced, comfy and secure, over the hell. Tucker seemed to enjoy it, too, which makes sense: done properly, it keeps me more out of his way and invites/allows him to stretch out over the fence. Not that he has to stretch much over this height, but the other way was going to get us into trouble down the line, and nice to start good habits early on...! He was just super, happy and attentive and keen, offering his good canter right up with little-to-no fuss. We disagreed on one distance--our first trip to the rolltop; he was right--but that was it all day; otherwise, he was taking the half-halt out of the corner and my eye was right on and he moved up or eased back or stayed just the same as requested, every time.
And y'know, I love my horse. I wouldn't trade him for anything else in the barn. But even so, there's something a little extra-special to those days when he's just an utter joy--an honor--to spend time around and on. This was one of those.
So he had many pats and a nice hand-graze after, moseying about the front of the property to find the very best grass, before heading back out into his paddock. We'll do some dressage tomorrow and he'll get a longe after the show on Sunday, and then Monday off. Onward.
amused
awake
bouncy
busy
I'm...not quite sure
