A sitting trot to make your heart swell

Well, horses being horses, the plans for a longe lesson got cancelled due to horse injuries. So I was back on Radar. I was a bit worried as soon as I got on because my back was really tight and achy. Posting the trot didn't really feel all that good, so I basically went straight into a large circle at the sitting trot. My sitting trot was actually really good, I was able to relax my hips and sit really well. Mia had me working on different ways of opening up my right hip, eventually telling me to visualize my crotch opening up and facing right (a little graphic, but I'll take whatever works!) and that helped to much... I finally was straight! I was able to sustain this on both the circle and going around the entire arena. We tried a few baby leg yields in this position and my right leg (of course, the leg with the problems!) isn't quite strong enough to effect my pony--thankfully I have spurs now--but I will work on that.

As I was untacking, Mia said my sitting trot was enough to make her heart swell -- aww! Occasional validation is always nice, especially for those of us who don't show so don't have the ribbons for "proof" that what we're doing is exciting and important for anyone other than ourselves.

Mixing it up a bit

Today at Xenophon I rode Bandit before all of the students came, it was the first time I had ridden him in about a month (when I was riding Echo instead). Bandit is basically the antithesis of what I've been working on in my dressage lessons: slow, doesn't particularly like contact, basically a western pleasure-type horse. And for what therapeutic riding is, he's excellent. So part of riding him, for me, is working on letting go of my dressage ideals and going with how he wants to be ridden. And once I get past that, his little jog and lope are so cute and comfortable I could definitely get used to them! Tomorrow I have a longe lesson, my first in about two years... should make for an interesting day!

Counterbend, leg-yielding and the canter

So I'm capable of executing fairly decent counter-bends and leg yields at the trot, especially on Radar who likes to hang his head left and drift right. I understand the concept of essentially bending him to enable straightness. After doing some really good sitting trot work (well, once got my right hip and thigh released) I tried some of the same ideas at the canter. Weirdly enough, tracking right was actually slightly easier, I worked on trying to release my hips while still bending him, etc. It was harder tracking left since I needed to keep the slight counter bend to get him straight while still paying attention to my seat... so much to think about! But a great ride overall.

Sitting trot success, now on to the canter...

Had an "extra" lesson today- I'm going to try to lesson twice a week for the next few weeks, since I have no idea how I'm going to be able to ride after I graduate and (hopefully) get a real job. I rode Radar, who was his usual wonderful self. Worked on getting him bending by doing nose-to-the-rail bends down the quarter lines turning into true bend through the short ends. That was very successful so we went into the sitting trot, wow! It has improved so, so much over the past few months! My hips have gotten so much looser in the trot that I can really let myself follow the horse's bounce and still be able to influence the horse. Unfortunately, I also learned that my hip looseness hasn't quite helped me at the canter! I literally completely tighten up my hips in the transition, which definitely doesn't help Radar's so-so canter in the first place. Mia said I need to work on thinking about rounding my back a bit more in the canter (not ideal, but just for now) because that slightly releases the hip angle. That did work, and our last canter was better.

Envy! Maybe not?

I think almost all of us wish something were different about our riding life sometimes. Of course I wish I had access to expensive, high-quality schoolmasters and shows. Perhaps someday I will, but I do have to realize every so often that I am learning and growing immensely as a rider - perhaps more than I would grow in a different riding environment. I like having the horsemanship knowledge and background that makes me confident and knowledgeable, and am continuously amazed when people who are exposed to echelons of the horse world that I will never reach don't know things such as identifying horse breeds that I spent my entire childhood reading and re-reading about. It's just nice to get a bit of perspective every so often. It was ridiculously hot yesterday, so I just walked Echo around a bit before lessons. He was good, as usual, I love older, well-behaved Arabs!

The Little Things

It's amazing how the little things can drastically change your ride and your horse's performance. I was having a perfectly fine lesson today, I was getting the job done... but I was crooked. Actually, more like torqued oddly to the left. So, for the rest of my lesson I worked on moving my left hip forward and upward... and it was amazing what this little change did! Suddenly, bending and flexing to the right became so much easier, we could leg yield both directions with minimal effort, and were generally working very well together. Have I said I love this pony?

Aren't horses amazing?

We all know that horses are wonderful animals, but every so often something happens that makes me think about it. I volunteer at a therapeutic riding center, where children with a multitude of disabilities receive therapeutic riding and hippotherapy. This year I started leading a young girl who is nonverbal, and was very afraid to get on the first lesson... once she was on, however, she didn't want to get off! I love doing her lessons because she's so happy to be there and conveys that happiness even without being able to tell us. Another girl I lead has an ASD and becomes easily overwhelmed and confused by directions and stimulation, but the mare she rides seems to sense this and compensates for her. These horses and ponies are simply incredible in their patience, their calmness, and their ability to sense what their rider is capable of and adapt to it.

I think as a rider, and especially as a dressage rider, I've become attuned to every little part of my body and my position that needs to be better, or that will never be as good as I want it to be. I guess it is good to step back every so often and realize how fortunate I am to be able to ride and to have had access to horses in my life.