In the meantime, the weather decided to take a drop into the low teens and below-zeros for several weeks and I haven't ridden at all. If you've been following me along on Facebook, you know how very frustrating that has been. There was even a point of "radio silence" when I couldn't even think of anything positive to update since the snow, ice, and cold had dampened my spirits. I kept reading and I kept active with dance and yoga, but we all know that one truth about riding:
To become a better rider, you NEED to spend some time in the saddle. Sadly, you can't read and YouTube your way to better equitation, or we'd all be perfect riders without any horses.
Last week was the first ride I'd had since that nice session with Thunder and it went really well. I had been trying for weeks to get a lesson scheduled between River Bend Jumpers (where I've been taking most of my lessons throughout this blogging process, home to the oft-mentioned Tubby) and a farm nearer to me that I hadn't tried before, Fox Den Farm. I figured that if the weather did not permit me to travel to one location, maybe I could increase my chances if I had two locations. The plan eventually worked!
The air finally warmed up by that afternoon so that I could have a lesson with Ashton at River Bend. I got to ride a new friend named Bucky and I had a great time as we worked on the flat and tried to recover some of the lost riding skill that had died off in winter dormancy. We definitely noticed some problem spots--
--Wimpy legs meant no proper leg position and a heavy seat as I tried to drive to compensate
--Unstable base of support meant a wobbly upper body: tipping forward, falling way behind
--Wobbly upper body meant uneven and unintentional rein contact
--Generally unprettiness and lack of technique
Turns out, all those weeks off did me no favors at all, and I was picking up all kinds of bad habits as my body tried to maladapt. But Bucky though-- he was a SAINT. Despite the tie-up in the line of communication, he kept a very good humor and toted me along with forgiveness. Ashton gave me some fantastic instruction with things to work on that I'd let slip.
Cue the agony of post-ride soreness for three days. Arrrrrrghhhh....
Then it snowed really hard the next week. It wasn't looking good. My job closed for a half day on Tuesday, and I was uncertain if I'd get a lesson in on Wednesday at either barn. Luckily, the weather cooperated and I got in to the new lesson program with Krissy at Fox Den Farm. I made yet another new horse friend, Ick, and a few new "people" friends, too. Krissy focused on regaining an independent seat and putting my body back into a good position-- let's just say that I hadn't really improved much since my lesson with Ashton. According to my muscles, she is a mean drill sergeant/Nazi (but according to me, she's very very nice!). She had us in two-point, posting the walk, walk/trotting without stirrups, cantering, and trotting over a ground pole and crossrail (my muscles are using this as evidence against her; I say it was a good lesson). At the end of the lesson, she even took away my reins and had me work on a lunge line-- my first such experience.
Cue the agony of post-ride soreness, although this time for only two days. Aaaaack....
Today I rode again with Krissy, this time on a "big" (somewhere in the 15.2hh ballpark) Appaloosa gelding named Judge. I mention "big" because at one point she had said he was a big horse, and I blurted out that he was small. He's not "small" (I hope I didn't hurt his feelings!), but I'll admit that compared to Tubby or even Thunder (both of whom are a bit taller and who just have much bigger bodies), he felt very small and narrow. The parents of the two children who were riding with me laughed; I felt like a jerk. What I'd meant to say is that I simply wasn't used to a horse like Judge.
Now to get to the part which really threw me for a loop: I rode Judge today in a hackamore (a bitless bridle, where contact is distributed from the reins into a special noseband which uses pressure points in the horse's face, rather than on the "bars" of the horse's mouth, his tongue, etc depending on the design of the bit). I've never ridden any horse in a hackamore-- it was a completely new experience for me. It was also a good lesson in keeping an open mind. As I rode, I struggled with the contact/lack thereof while working with the new equipment. It was difficult and frustrating for me to give up the control I had with equipment I knew how to use. I tried to be a good listener, but I can admit that I wasn't at my best. I was actually relieved when we got to the point of my lesson where we worked without reins because I at least had experience with that! How many riders do you know would say, "So then-- Thank God!-- we stopped using reins and stirrups!!"? That's right. I never thought I'd hear those words much less say them in my head.
Here's a generic picture of a horse in a hackamore, just to give you an image.
Despite the different approach, the end result of my lesson today was the same as the goal I'd had when I went in: develop a better position and independent seat. I'm happy with the lessons I learned and the new experiences I can say I've tried. George Morris and Denny Emerson (you know, my two favorite idols) would both say that they were important lessons and excellent exercise that will only help me in my continued quest for riding success. Next week-- barring any weather woes-- I'll have another lesson at River Bend with either Lindsay or Ashton and continue to build back up to a balanced and centered ride. At this point, I intend to alternate back and forth between the two riding centers to give me a broader base of instruction and a wider variety of horses to ride. Here's hoping that I work the kinks out quickly. In the meantime...
Cue the agony of post-ride soreness. Ouuuuuuuuuuch...