- Developing a deeper and more elastic seat, especially in sitting the trot - So far so good. We pretty much have this down as far as I know. When we have our first lesson, our instructor will confirm this.
- Getting and staying on the bit - Definitely! Greta is getting the hang of it and I am doing very well in using my seat to drive her into the bit.
- Collecting and extending Greta's gaits (she can do, I know she can!) - Scratch this. We should be looking at trot lengthening and shortenings.
- Keep my legs still when posting the trot - Got it.
- Better steering (heehee) - She steers well in the trot in walk. Canter was what I was worried about, and we have canter steering down too.
- Confidence: for the both of us! - Pssh. Greta has enough cocky diva-ness for the both of us.
Goals for October:
- A much more collected canter. This has been a goal for a long time, and hopefully by the end of the year we'll be there if not close.
- Trot lengthening and shortening.
- We need more drive from behind and work on rounding out Greta's back. This will also be a long-term goal, I imagine.
- I want to start doing a lot of lounge work - so I can see how she looks on the ground before I hop on her - and walk work - so we can work on more advanced things such as shortening and lengthening and shoulder-in at a slower pace.
Oh, I remember how difficult it was to start riding in a crowded indoor arena in the winter, in the middle of lessons, where everyone's crammed in like sardines. I felt like, "Well, it's lesson time, and I don't want to take away from the kid's space."
ReplyDeleteBottom line? You're a border too, and you have just as much right to use the facilities as everyone else! This is really hard to learn, but you can't let a crowded arena keep you off Greta. So long as you call where you're going and are polite and apologetic whenever you realize you've cut someone off/have a near collision, it's not a big deal at all. Plus it's good practice for the warm-up arena, where so often no one plays nice!
I'm sure you first lessons with your new instructor will be really informative and good for you and Greta! Here's hoping they go well :)
Thanks! Oooh, you are so right haha. The most we have had in the arena with us is one or two other people. It'll do Greta some good to get used to having other horses nearby (not like she has minded this before though) and I will learn how to have superb steering lmao!
ReplyDeleteHaha how's this for being in the way in an indoor:
ReplyDeleteMarch '08, asked permission to ride during a dressage lesson at college in the big indoor. Big indoor is 90x200, but there are like 15 people in there. Trying to keep Gogo out of the way because every time we halt, she rears. The instructor turns to watch as she then bolts down the long side, slides to a stop, has a rearing fit to make Silver proud, and flips herself over RIGHT in front of the instructor. And I landed on my FEET! Instructor just stands there blinking. Rest of the class in an UPROAR as horses go bolting left and right!
I bet you're not in the way like THAT!
PS one more thing: be careful and judicious with the lunging that you do. Too much can be very stressful on the body. Case in point: crazy trainer that taught Gogo to do those magnificent rears lunged her every day for like an hour in tight sidereins, and now she has arthritic changes in her hocks because of it. Bad news.
Oh my God! What a mess lol! Yeah, I read about the misadventures of the half-ass trainer. Yikes. But Gogo is in much better hands now!
ReplyDeleteLoungeing is a repetitive motion: definitely a stress factor. Yes, I think the longest I have lounged her for was thirty minutes, and she was pretty beat after that. I am definitely shortening it, because I've seen other riders do far less than thirty minutes. But I don't know for sure. How long would you recommend?
The good thing about the two round pens we have is that they are not all dished out. It's totally flat all the way around because they are not to be used when wet and they are disced daily I believe. It stinks when your horse hasn't done anything for a week (not like she minds that haha) but it works in the end.
Tell Gogo that I hope she gets well and I wish y'all the best of luck wherever you guys go! Greta seconds that.
For longeing, I've always been told to do around 10 minutes going each direction. Also, the larger you make the circle, the easier it is on the horse. If you must use sidereins, make sure you've watched your trainer set them before and know how tight/loose they should be, or check them with your trainer.
ReplyDelete