So since I've been working so hard, I'm going to write today about some of the things I've been working so hard at doing. First and foremost, I've been pushing myself harder physically to regain some of my former strength and flexibility, which we all know will help me get even closer to my position goals (do you remember our discussion in March about my leg position woes? They are slightly less woeful, but always in need of improvement). I'm still working on finding my balance to sit back and keep my heels down and back (meaning underneath me as opposed to in front of me chair-style). It's coming along, but Tubby has shown me that I'm not rock-solid up there yet.
Next, I've been working hard to restore Thunder (my friend's horse) to his former butt-kicking fitness. I remember when this horse had six-pack abs and had me shaking in my boots because he was so big and strong. If you remember back to my earlier posts, I was still pretty intimidated by him in the beginning. As we've gotten used to each other again, what can I say? He's a little bit of a marshmallow. He's still big, and can still have an attitude like the "biggest, baddest horse in the world" when he feels like it, but his power and stamina aren't nearly what they were. Granted, he's coming along at a nice pace, getting a little fitter every time I hop on. I'm building him back up slowly so that I never overdo it and so that he doesn't learn to "cheat" and take shortcuts when he's at work. He's a good boy, and he has been working very hard to find his balance again.
In lessons, we're still working on my position and polishing up my aids. My trainer made the decision that next ride I'll go in a different saddle and see if that helps me. Now, don't get suspicious. She's not trying to sell me a new saddle when I don't need one or any of the other trainer tricks and horror stories you may have heard or experienced-- her decision comes from her good sense. I've been riding in my B.T. Crump Prix de Saute saddle for lessons, which is the classic, old-school close contact saddle that has no knee rolls, blocks, padding or anything. It goes like this: horse, saddle pad, skirt, billets, flap, leg. There's nothing else there. This is fine if you have a rock-steady position but I don't. Not yet. When I'm in my saddle, my leg is slipping around loosey-goosey forwards and backwards. We're going to borrow a saddle with those bells and whistles that help hold your leg in place so that I can get a feel for what's really right and build up those stabilizing muscles. Makes sense, right? I'm glad I have a trainer who thinks of everything and wants me to go as far as I can.
With my butt and leg where they belong, I should be able to really start growing in terms of using my leg aids to push my horse forward into the bridle. That sounds a little strange since the first thing that we're taught as kids going on our first pony ride is "pull side to side to steer, and pull back to stop." Really, the way it's meant to work is more like this great diagram I found (which I already posted to my Facebook Page:
See how Step One is using the leg (and not the knee or the heel) to get your horse to tighten his core, engage his hip and hind end, pull his center of gravity backwards towards his belly rather than beneath his girth, round out his back (which makes for a smoother ride for us!), lengthen his neck, relax his poll, put his nose vertical, and send nice "happy horse" contact to our hands. Now there is no tug-of-war on the reins. He's not yanking our arms out of their sockets by flipping his head around, we're not pulling the bit up to his ears. Horse is focused, rider is focused; we make a team. We make harmony and beautiful music.
These are all of my goals. I'm working so hard at them but I'm not abandoning my readers! Thanks for being so patient for an update, and I hope all of you are keeping busy doing all the things you love to do, too.
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