Jessica was teaching another lesson when I arrived at the barn so I watched for a few minutes before I got my own steed from his stall. The girl riding seemed to be around teen-age and was riding Rio around the course as I chatted with her mother. Something I noticed right away was just how good Rio looked in that girl's care. I was very impressed with her riding and his composure: they made a beautiful team. I secretly wished in my heart, "O Rio, teach me how to ride like that!" I watched a few more minutes then went back inside to get Tubby brushed up and tacked.
I approached Tubby's stall and he peeked out at me--- it was love all over again! I posted to the Sonata Equestrian Facebook page that I thought Rio was a nice horse but that I couldn't hide my horsey crush for Tubby-- and that's the truth. I brushed, tacked, and led him into the indoor arena where I adjusted his saddle and mounted up. From the start, Tubby was ready to go-- he wasn't interested in standing still and letting Jessica and I make our adjustments. As we walked outside to the outdoor course, he wasn't interested in taking it slow, either. He jigged into a trot when he thought I wouldn't notice and would stomp around if I made him walk. The weather was beautiful, and the air was cooler, so Tubby was in a good mood and eager to jump mountains. When we got to the course, he couldn't keep his excitement contained-- like it or not, we were off and trotting.
Jessica smoothly coached us into a focused, collected pattern. We started in small circles, as was Tubby's initial inclination. As he relaxed, we made larger circles, Figure-8's, and eventually trotted straight on the rail. This is where the Magic of the Outside Rein was discovered.
The Magic of the Outside Rein was a myth I'd often heard of, and that I'd often tried to invoke, without much success. It seemed very counterintuitive to pull back on a right rein while turning left. Or to pull back on one rein while trying to go straight. Or to pull on a rein at all when it seemed like he could possibly halt at any minute. The logic completely escaped me, no matter how many times my trainer told me so, or how often even the little voice in my head said, "She said the outside rein in these situations! Pull back on the outside rein!" The result was always a horse bent like a wreath and jigging to escape me as instinct had me trying out weird new neck-reining techniques and developing too strong hands for the job.
Jessica would say, "Outside rein!"
My brain would say, "Outside rein!"
My hands would reply, "Are you nuts?! That hillbilly at summer camp when you went for your first pony ride as a kid was very clear in his instructions that right rein turns right, left rein turns left, and two reins together means stop. Period!"
Well. Not that the hillbilly was wrong... But on that day all three of us (Jessica, my brain, and Tubby) overcame my hands to reveal to me the Magic of the Outside Rein. That--stuff--WORKS. If you're a rider and your trainer suggests "outside rein," don't even ask your hands, just do it. Do it and be amazed.
From this point in the lesson, things just got better and better. Suddenly, Tubby and I could try-- and successfully achieve-- leg-yields through our Figure-8's; we could make more even and upright turns; we could maintain straightness; we had better control of our pace and length of stride. This isn't to say I've never leg-yielded before, or that our speed, turns, and straightness have always been horrendous up to this point-- we've figured out how to do all of these things in other ways-- but it is SO much easier when you know how to make your outside rein work for you.
The cooler weather allowed me to work harder for longer rather than becoming exhausted before the end of my lesson. The last two lessons I'd had were in very warm weather and my brain and body had just gotten lazy before I could really stop; this lesson, I was ready to keep going. We took to jumping cross rails, navigating in-between jumps on the course to come over a single cross rail jump, and were met with success. From there, we took to jumping an outside line of two cross rail jumps, and that is where the title of today's post was born-- I'm so proud, I can't contain it.
There's my good boy-- my hero, my steed, my partner with the beautiful heart... He makes me feel like such a young girl with her first pony crush!
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