Today was SUCH an improvement. I felt so much better with my legs. But of course, since I got better with my legs, my top half fell apart!
I rode Tommy today again (yay!). I'm becoming quite attached. I'm glad she's letting me stick to one horse until I figure out what to do with the bottom, balance, and but the top half and bottom half together over fences.
I feel so great that I can finally see and correct my diagonals. I'm super happy that most of the time now I start posting on the correct one to start with!
One thing that really clicked for me this week was leg position. With the Pasos, you're usually really quiet with your leg because if you slightly kick them (unless you're in Brie's mule mode or Harry's backing up to rear mode), they'll be heading for the hills! Stacy really drilled it in my head today to open up my hips and keep my calves in contact with the sides of the horse all the time. I also learned a semi-obvious but neat little trick about head pulling and such that I can't wait to try on Harry -- instead of pulling back the reins to try to fight them to tuck their head back and stop pulling, give them a little squeeze and pinch your shoulder blades together so you're not really pulling, just kind of locking yourself in a firm upper body position for a minute while pushing them onwards with your leg.
Trotting was awesome. She had me really working on my two-point position today in a trot along the long walls of the arena which helped me balance over the fences WAY better.
But, since I managed to do something right with the bottom half, my upper half was lacking. I completely kept collapsing my ribcage over the fences instead of keeping a nice and helpful frame that I had before when I couldn't balance with my bottom half. So I have to think about that and remember it for next week!
Stacy also gave me some at home kind of exercises that would help me strengthen my two-point, which I think is fantastic and I'll be doing them alllll week.
I can't wait to get better. Since my first show with the team will be in November, I decided to ask her if she'll let me jump in it. She said if I keep improving like did today, she'll see if she can move me up to beginning jumping!! I can't wait!
Showing posts with label head strong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label head strong. Show all posts
Friday, September 2, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Days 155, 156 & 157 - Fourth of July Weekend
(In advance, sorry for the huge amount of posting! I've had them all saved and never got around to posting this weekend!)
Saturday
I rode Brie today and she was such a good girl. An absolute angel in the indoor and her gait was sounding perfect on the board. Then we go in the outdoor for a little pass in there before we go out marching around on our own. Being outside on her own is what I think makes her antsy. Even though she loves to be leader, I guess it's no fun without anyone to lead! After a struggling-to-keep-calm pass around the front entrance, we headed back to the outdoor arena where my mom and brother join us and then she acts like a total doll walking around the property while Harry tap dances the entire way and Nina, as usual, is as cool as a cucumber.
When Paco was at the last show (we didn't go), he picked us up a rear-end-collector (which we charmingly call "the fruit basket"). We wanted two, one for Harry and one for Nina, but the vendor only had one, so that's what we took.
The basket part goes over the tail and is meant to kind of make them put their butts underneath themselves a little more instead of being so lengthy. We put it on Nina today and she looked entirely different! Once again, I wish I had a working camera =[ You could tell she was definitely thinking and responding very well to it. I think that together with the new shoes, she'll be ready to really compete at Nationals!
Sunday
I started Brie today, hopped on Harry, then finished on Brie. We did a lot of riding in the outdoor arena because it was so gorgeous out today! Once again, Nina had the fruit basket on, so she was like a little train. My mom worked on Harry's largo and he was going so fast that he was keeping up with Brie at her largo! I just hope he stays like that for when he shows!
When I got on Harry, he was feeling a bit tired because of working out in the sun and didn't feel as excited and animated as he usually is, so my mom got back on him and she and I went on a ride around the property. Both of them were better than yesterday, but Harry was a little bit freaked. As long as we keep bringing him out and about, he'll be fine, I know it.
Monday
To my fellow Americans, Happy Independence Day! To everyone else, Happy Monday!
We went out to ride as a kind of spur of the moment thing instead of staying home and deciding to clean our pool. Only my mom and brother came out with me, my dad stayed home. We got out there and no one was around, it was kind of nice. Then Jane showed up and we talked for a little bit, she showed us a bit she wanted to try on Taco and I offered to try it on him for her.
After we fished out some fly masks, cleaned out the water bucket, and stuck Brie outside to enjoy the grass, my mom put the fruit basket on Harry and I went over to the other side of the stable to help Jane put together her only-used-once jaquima with a new bosal, hung the new bit and took Taco out in the ring to lunge him. She told me that no one ever lunges him before they get on, they just go! I found that kind of weird and said that since he doesn't get ridden a lot and she comes out to feed him carrots often, she should just lunge him for a couple of minutes that way when she wants to ride him he'll be less energetic from daily exercise (she drives out just to give him carrots every day).
I got on him and soon discovered that he doesn't like flexing to the right, so I got off and worked that on the ground, trying first with the rein over the saddle, then on the right side just pulling it back, then finally just grabbing his head and pulling it over like a hug. He likes hugs =] So she said she'd start doing that too. As an older horse who gets ridden very seldomly, I'd sure not want to flex either!
After all of that, I started to ride. He was very calm at a walk, but as soon as I went into a corto he wanted to take off like a freight train and when I pulled back for more than a second he only went faster! Now I can understand what she and Annie mean when they say that their arms hurt when they're done riding him. They have to be pulling and then pulling harder when he keeps going faster, ignoring the bit and the rider. He absolutely HATES people hanging on his mouth.
We did some walk-corto-stop transitions and he got better at the end. His gait on the sound board is kind of icky, but it also got better at the end. He wanted to charge the board too, but I made him walk it and then speed up a tiny bit. When he sped up that tiny bit, he sounded phenomenal, but then he charged again and it was just plop-plop-plop from then out. He could use a lot of exercise and I hope that she remembers to lunge him often because I think he would definitely benefit from it.
It was nice getting back on Taco after not riding him for a long time and being able to help Jane with a couple of tips. I only hope she follows them!
Saturday
I rode Brie today and she was such a good girl. An absolute angel in the indoor and her gait was sounding perfect on the board. Then we go in the outdoor for a little pass in there before we go out marching around on our own. Being outside on her own is what I think makes her antsy. Even though she loves to be leader, I guess it's no fun without anyone to lead! After a struggling-to-keep-calm pass around the front entrance, we headed back to the outdoor arena where my mom and brother join us and then she acts like a total doll walking around the property while Harry tap dances the entire way and Nina, as usual, is as cool as a cucumber.
When Paco was at the last show (we didn't go), he picked us up a rear-end-collector (which we charmingly call "the fruit basket"). We wanted two, one for Harry and one for Nina, but the vendor only had one, so that's what we took.
 |
| Rear end collector |
Sunday
I started Brie today, hopped on Harry, then finished on Brie. We did a lot of riding in the outdoor arena because it was so gorgeous out today! Once again, Nina had the fruit basket on, so she was like a little train. My mom worked on Harry's largo and he was going so fast that he was keeping up with Brie at her largo! I just hope he stays like that for when he shows!
When I got on Harry, he was feeling a bit tired because of working out in the sun and didn't feel as excited and animated as he usually is, so my mom got back on him and she and I went on a ride around the property. Both of them were better than yesterday, but Harry was a little bit freaked. As long as we keep bringing him out and about, he'll be fine, I know it.
Monday
To my fellow Americans, Happy Independence Day! To everyone else, Happy Monday!
We went out to ride as a kind of spur of the moment thing instead of staying home and deciding to clean our pool. Only my mom and brother came out with me, my dad stayed home. We got out there and no one was around, it was kind of nice. Then Jane showed up and we talked for a little bit, she showed us a bit she wanted to try on Taco and I offered to try it on him for her.
After we fished out some fly masks, cleaned out the water bucket, and stuck Brie outside to enjoy the grass, my mom put the fruit basket on Harry and I went over to the other side of the stable to help Jane put together her only-used-once jaquima with a new bosal, hung the new bit and took Taco out in the ring to lunge him. She told me that no one ever lunges him before they get on, they just go! I found that kind of weird and said that since he doesn't get ridden a lot and she comes out to feed him carrots often, she should just lunge him for a couple of minutes that way when she wants to ride him he'll be less energetic from daily exercise (she drives out just to give him carrots every day).
I got on him and soon discovered that he doesn't like flexing to the right, so I got off and worked that on the ground, trying first with the rein over the saddle, then on the right side just pulling it back, then finally just grabbing his head and pulling it over like a hug. He likes hugs =] So she said she'd start doing that too. As an older horse who gets ridden very seldomly, I'd sure not want to flex either!
After all of that, I started to ride. He was very calm at a walk, but as soon as I went into a corto he wanted to take off like a freight train and when I pulled back for more than a second he only went faster! Now I can understand what she and Annie mean when they say that their arms hurt when they're done riding him. They have to be pulling and then pulling harder when he keeps going faster, ignoring the bit and the rider. He absolutely HATES people hanging on his mouth.
We did some walk-corto-stop transitions and he got better at the end. His gait on the sound board is kind of icky, but it also got better at the end. He wanted to charge the board too, but I made him walk it and then speed up a tiny bit. When he sped up that tiny bit, he sounded phenomenal, but then he charged again and it was just plop-plop-plop from then out. He could use a lot of exercise and I hope that she remembers to lunge him often because I think he would definitely benefit from it.
It was nice getting back on Taco after not riding him for a long time and being able to help Jane with a couple of tips. I only hope she follows them!
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