Another new experience this week... riding a "proper" horse... i.e. one that is about 16hh.
My first thought was "OMG how am I going to get on him", but getting on was no problem... I didn't even have to lower the left stirrup from where I measured it to.
My second thought (on collecting the saddle) was "OMG that saddle is sooo narrow" and true enough when I put the saddle on his back it was really, really tight over his withers and shoulders. This was manifested when I was riding by Jump being trippy and stumbly.
Other than being too narrow, Jumps sadle was like sitting on a block of wood, and it put me in the most hideous position with my legs waaaay out infront of me. When trotting, I felt so far behind the movement that it was really unbalancing, especially with Jump putting in the odd short stride here and there!
This week was more of the same of last week - using direct and indirect reins... this time on a 20m circle, trying to achieve correct bend.
For a while I was able to go it alone and do some experimenting on my own - but the saddle deffinitely did not help.
The one part of the lesson which I didn't achieve anything was the canter at the end. As soon as we were told to canter Jump started to lean on the bit and pull. I didn't even get a transition because I felt so out of control... pah!
Anyway there are no lessons for the next two weeks, so I'm planning on getting back into the manege with Pinto ;o)
Friday, October 26, 2007
5th lesson (Henry)
Had a new experience tonight! I rode a pony :oD Well, a 13.2hh Haflinger called Henry.
Henry is usually only ridden in the kids classes, and he has all kinds of evasions which go with that. Not that I blame him - imagine being kicked and kicked to go forward, but then being jagged in the mouth every stride.
It was very peculiar riding him. I mean Pinto isn't that much taller, but he is so much wiiiiiiider he takes up my leg, with Henry because he was so much narrower I felt that my leg was just dangling in mid air. I've seen other people who are taller than me (I'm only 5') ride Henry, and their response is to hike their stirrups up. I don't know how they can balance!
Back to the lesson...
Warm up in walk and trot was interesting, and I came across Henry's most annoying evasion - he stops to poop every 5 minutes! And some times he just slams on the anchors, lifts his tail and just stands there.
After the first couple of times I tapped him smartly with a short stick, and voila! no more stopping.
Henry has a really weird trot, wrong and correct diagonals feel completely different, to the point where the wrong daigonal is practically unridable because the movement is so bizzare!
Most of the lesson was concentrating on the use of direct and indirect rein and walking in circles... which was pretty boring.
However I did get quite a good canter at the end, even if I did had to tell Henry to go at the beginning.
Quite pleased with this lesson, even if it was a bit boring!
Henry is usually only ridden in the kids classes, and he has all kinds of evasions which go with that. Not that I blame him - imagine being kicked and kicked to go forward, but then being jagged in the mouth every stride.
It was very peculiar riding him. I mean Pinto isn't that much taller, but he is so much wiiiiiiider he takes up my leg, with Henry because he was so much narrower I felt that my leg was just dangling in mid air. I've seen other people who are taller than me (I'm only 5') ride Henry, and their response is to hike their stirrups up. I don't know how they can balance!
Back to the lesson...
Warm up in walk and trot was interesting, and I came across Henry's most annoying evasion - he stops to poop every 5 minutes! And some times he just slams on the anchors, lifts his tail and just stands there.
After the first couple of times I tapped him smartly with a short stick, and voila! no more stopping.
Henry has a really weird trot, wrong and correct diagonals feel completely different, to the point where the wrong daigonal is practically unridable because the movement is so bizzare!
Most of the lesson was concentrating on the use of direct and indirect rein and walking in circles... which was pretty boring.
However I did get quite a good canter at the end, even if I did had to tell Henry to go at the beginning.
Quite pleased with this lesson, even if it was a bit boring!
Friday, October 12, 2007
4th lesson (Ilan)
Tonight I was riding Ilan who is a brown, mealy nosed, skinny legged horse of indeterminate origin. He has a bit of a reputation, and for a while had to be ridden in a slotted kimberwick with a curb chain, but at the moment he is back in a regular single jointed snaffle.
He does, however, have the most uncomfortable saddle. It is an older Wintec where the girth straps are inside the saddle flap. There is no sweat flap, and the whole saddle must only weigh about 5lbs. Having said that I could feel every seam, all the internal gubbins, and the stirrup buckles with my thighs.
His movement is very odd, the best I could describe it is that he 'slinks like a cat'. When we were just walking it felt like he was walking "S" shapes, not a straight line... it was very weird. He has a nice trot though, easy to rise to... not much elevation in his paces, and sitting trot was quite easy too.
We spent most of the lesson in walk and trot, practicing the jumping position, which I'm now finding much easier (thank goodness!).
Then... near the end of the lesson, Katia started getting poles out. I thought that we would be going over bars on the ground... you know, as an introduction... but no... she sets up a 25cm bar with a couple of trot poles before it, and that was our next exercise! Consequently I directed quite a few black looks in her direction. I would prefer to always have my BP on if I'm doing anything 'dangerous', and hopping over bars counts as dangerous in my book!
Anyway to cut a long story short, I managed to hop over quite happily 3 times! Ilan really looked after me and didn't tow me into the jump (like a certain other pone likes too)
So I'm well impressed with myself!
He does, however, have the most uncomfortable saddle. It is an older Wintec where the girth straps are inside the saddle flap. There is no sweat flap, and the whole saddle must only weigh about 5lbs. Having said that I could feel every seam, all the internal gubbins, and the stirrup buckles with my thighs.
His movement is very odd, the best I could describe it is that he 'slinks like a cat'. When we were just walking it felt like he was walking "S" shapes, not a straight line... it was very weird. He has a nice trot though, easy to rise to... not much elevation in his paces, and sitting trot was quite easy too.
We spent most of the lesson in walk and trot, practicing the jumping position, which I'm now finding much easier (thank goodness!).
Then... near the end of the lesson, Katia started getting poles out. I thought that we would be going over bars on the ground... you know, as an introduction... but no... she sets up a 25cm bar with a couple of trot poles before it, and that was our next exercise! Consequently I directed quite a few black looks in her direction. I would prefer to always have my BP on if I'm doing anything 'dangerous', and hopping over bars counts as dangerous in my book!
Anyway to cut a long story short, I managed to hop over quite happily 3 times! Ilan really looked after me and didn't tow me into the jump (like a certain other pone likes too)
So I'm well impressed with myself!
3rd lesson (Paco)
This is Paco. Look at them liccle tiny stick legs! The first time I rode him, about a year ago I felt that I was far too heavy for him, although he didn't seem to have any problems with carrying me.I didn't feel much different this time, only a bit apprehensive because he can be a bit of a git. He has his own mind and way of seeing things, and if they don't correlate with what you want, then you are in for a rare old time!
Fortunately we were learning school figures, and as I was tucked in right behind the leader we could keep going at a decent pace. Once Paco gets going (and I get over the feeling hat I'm sitting in a fence) his trot is nice and active and easy to rise to.
All we did was diagonals, over and over again, changing the rein and a few circles.
I was more than a bit apprehensive about the canter because I've seen so many people lose control and fall off Paco as he goes haring round the arena, so on the first rein I didn't manage to get canter at all. On the second rein it was much better, and once I realised that, yes it was a bit fast, and no he wasn't going to stay on the piste - but he also wasn't going to 180 on me, those few stride of canter I had was good, and I was OK!
2nd lesson (Fleche)
Tonight we had our first taste (well the newbies did) of mise en selle (MES), which is French for torture, actually it is all about gymnasticising the rider, promoting suppleness and balance... but it is still torture!
Again I was riding Fleche, and because I didn't know I was going to be having a MES lesson I took along with me my schooling whip... which of course I didn't need since we were all just working as a ride.
Anyway we started off with the easy stuff, touching the ears and tail while walking along (not at the same time obviously :oP), then we did a bit trotting, then came the fun stuff, leaning forward so your head touches the neck, leaning back so your head touches the back, right hand to right foot, left hand to left foot etc.
All interspersed with bits of trotting, which is great for me, but I don't know whether it is good for the newsters.
We then all had a bash at sitting trot (without stirrups!) again great for me... it is an area in which I need to gain confidence, but for people with only 2 weeks worth of lessons... I'm not sure if it is good for them. I managed really well (I think), for all Fleche is a bouncy type. I had to keep hold of the saddle pommel, but apart from that I was fine, and I even remembered how to breath.
After that came the canter. This week I couldn't get the transition on one rein, and on the other just amanged a couple of strides, but I still did it!
Finished the lesson feeling happily achy, but not too much. First time in a while I have enjoyed a MES lesson :P
Again I was riding Fleche, and because I didn't know I was going to be having a MES lesson I took along with me my schooling whip... which of course I didn't need since we were all just working as a ride.
Anyway we started off with the easy stuff, touching the ears and tail while walking along (not at the same time obviously :oP), then we did a bit trotting, then came the fun stuff, leaning forward so your head touches the neck, leaning back so your head touches the back, right hand to right foot, left hand to left foot etc.
All interspersed with bits of trotting, which is great for me, but I don't know whether it is good for the newsters.
We then all had a bash at sitting trot (without stirrups!) again great for me... it is an area in which I need to gain confidence, but for people with only 2 weeks worth of lessons... I'm not sure if it is good for them. I managed really well (I think), for all Fleche is a bouncy type. I had to keep hold of the saddle pommel, but apart from that I was fine, and I even remembered how to breath.
After that came the canter. This week I couldn't get the transition on one rein, and on the other just amanged a couple of strides, but I still did it!
Finished the lesson feeling happily achy, but not too much. First time in a while I have enjoyed a MES lesson :P
1st lesson of the (academic) year (Fleche)
Was pretty pleased with myself. I eventually got round to telling my instructor that from now on I would prefer to have my weekly group lesson on a school horse so I could concentrate on my own riding for a bit rather than on Pinto who I have to try and teach as well as teaching myself (I felt like a bit of a traitor, to be honest, but I *do* need to concentrate on my own riding for a bit... and there is lots I can do with Pinto on days other than Thursdays... like try to get him fit etc)
So got to my lesson today to find out I was riding Fleche, who is an anglo-arab x trait, and a bit of a sweet old boy; probably about 15.1 and definitely on the cobbier side... still felt like sitting on a fence after riding Pinto for so long though!
Also found out today that 6/8ths of my class have been replaced by complete novices (all adults); including 3 men I guess the others have moved up a different class... my nerves completely get the better of me by the end of the last school year and I started to really dread lessons. Now have absolutely no excuse!
So today we worked on steering, working at the correct distance in a ride, using judgment on when to find a new space etc.
I found, to my horror, that my leg muscles are completely wasted away! After riding Pinto, who is soooooo light and responsive off the leg, riding Fleche, who is - dare I say - a typical riding school horse, was a bit of a shock to they system... just a tad!
It has been so long since I have ridden such a switched off, dead to the leg, follow-the-leader horse, I didn't know what to do with myself. Yet, once he was trotting (following someone else ) he is such an active, forward little thing. Could I get him to turn away from the horse in front? grrrr... well grrr was said quite a lot tonight.
When we were meant to be trotting round the piste as a ride, if the horse in front even looked like it was going to slow down, Fleche slammed on the anchors and back to walk it was. I felt so guilty, because it really felt like I was having to kick his ribs in to get him to move off. (seat aids? woz them then? la la la *hoofs in ears* not listening....) Next time I'll know, and I'll carry a schooling whip.
I dunno, all in all the lesson completely baffled me. Here you have a group of complete beginners (like only ever sat on a horse before once or twice), and the majority of the lesson was in rising trot (or at least supposed to be)... even at the end of the lesson all the newbies had to have a go at cantering from the front of the ride to the back (which I managed on the second attempt... aaaaaaaaand managed to keep in canter round the corners of the school
So I think that I will probably get bored with the flat work after a few weeks, but going right back to the beginning is exactly what I need for the cantering and (eventually) the jumping. And as I said before, I have no excuse, as I've been riding longer than anyone else in my group now.
All in all I really enjoyed my lesson (even if I did feel a bit traitorous), and very pleased with myself that I managed the canter exercise... roll on next week
So got to my lesson today to find out I was riding Fleche, who is an anglo-arab x trait, and a bit of a sweet old boy; probably about 15.1 and definitely on the cobbier side... still felt like sitting on a fence after riding Pinto for so long though!
Also found out today that 6/8ths of my class have been replaced by complete novices (all adults); including 3 men I guess the others have moved up a different class... my nerves completely get the better of me by the end of the last school year and I started to really dread lessons. Now have absolutely no excuse!
So today we worked on steering, working at the correct distance in a ride, using judgment on when to find a new space etc.
I found, to my horror, that my leg muscles are completely wasted away! After riding Pinto, who is soooooo light and responsive off the leg, riding Fleche, who is - dare I say - a typical riding school horse, was a bit of a shock to they system... just a tad!
It has been so long since I have ridden such a switched off, dead to the leg, follow-the-leader horse, I didn't know what to do with myself. Yet, once he was trotting (following someone else ) he is such an active, forward little thing. Could I get him to turn away from the horse in front? grrrr... well grrr was said quite a lot tonight.
When we were meant to be trotting round the piste as a ride, if the horse in front even looked like it was going to slow down, Fleche slammed on the anchors and back to walk it was. I felt so guilty, because it really felt like I was having to kick his ribs in to get him to move off. (seat aids? woz them then? la la la *hoofs in ears* not listening....) Next time I'll know, and I'll carry a schooling whip.
I dunno, all in all the lesson completely baffled me. Here you have a group of complete beginners (like only ever sat on a horse before once or twice), and the majority of the lesson was in rising trot (or at least supposed to be)... even at the end of the lesson all the newbies had to have a go at cantering from the front of the ride to the back (which I managed on the second attempt... aaaaaaaaand managed to keep in canter round the corners of the school
So I think that I will probably get bored with the flat work after a few weeks, but going right back to the beginning is exactly what I need for the cantering and (eventually) the jumping. And as I said before, I have no excuse, as I've been riding longer than anyone else in my group now.
All in all I really enjoyed my lesson (even if I did feel a bit traitorous), and very pleased with myself that I managed the canter exercise... roll on next week
Welcome to my newest blog!
A potted history of my horse-riding life:
After many years of begging and pleading I eventually got a riding lesson for my 13th or 14th birthday. After that I took lessons whenever I could afford them, which was not often, however by the time I was 15 I was at the stage of being able to fling myself over an 18in x-pole from a trot, though I had never really learned how to canter.
That summer I managed to get a riding lesson every week for 6 weeks, then disaster struck! Being a complete novice (still) and knowing nothing about tack, I didn't check the girth on my stubborn little pony, and during the brief canter exercise the saddle slipped and I came off, landing heavily on my lower back. For many minutes I couldn't feel my legs at all! I know I gave the instructor quite a shock. Anyway eventually I was able to get back on (in the great British tradtion, of course) and continued the lesson. What I didn't realise at the time was that I had severely damaged the muscles around my right hip, an issue which still causes problems today, more than 15 years on.
Fast forward to the summer of my 16th year, and I was on a family holiday in Morocco. One of the activities advertised in the hotel was horse riding, so again, I pleaded with my parents (my mum mostly) to be allowed to go on this excursion. After much humming and harring, I was allowed to go. We got to the riding centre and I said that I was a novice rider, and they said that they would put me on a quiet horse (hah!). I was so pleased to be back on horseback (wearing shorts, t-shirt and sand shoes... NO hat (the very thought makes me quivver now) and we set off. A couple of minor incidents later, and I can't really remember much due to a forthcoming accident, and we came to a village. Out shoots a dog and it starts barking at my horse... my horse bolts and I'm left clinging on and hoping for the best. Now once we stop, after jumping up onto a concrete bank, I'm now sure if I fainted and fell off, or if I fell off and was knocked unconscious then. I certainly have no idea how long I was unconscious for until the rest of the group found me. Anyway I had to get back on and ride for another 30 mins before we got back to the centre.
This episode has left me with a deep fear of going fast, and being out of control. It has certainly dominated the rest of my riding ever since.
OK... now we can fast forward to April 2003, when newly transplanted to Switzerland, I find out via a colleague that I can get riding lessons in English. So my riding career starts again, and I have to relearn everything from scratch. After 2 years I'm starting to get bored, I feel that I'm not progressing, and my regular instructor is coming abck from maternity leave and is not there fore more than half my lessons. Lessons with the other instructors is boring, and I'm really starting to feel like giving up... apart from it is so expensive - 540CHF (about £250) for 6 lessons.
In May 2005 my Dad dies due to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, which he had been fighting for less than 18 months, and in the July I meet the niece of my manager who was looking after her horses. We got talking and after a few beers (!) we decode that it is a great idea that I should buy my own horse and I'll progress faster that way (hah!)
By the beginning of September I was the proud owner of Pinto, and now all my fears began to surface once again.
During my lessons in Switzerland I'd had a couple of bad falls, including one where I thought I may have cracked my pelvis, and all occurred in canter, so now my confidence in canter was zero.
I was also terrified to hack out, and even riding in a field was almost incapacitating, which was too bad, considering I had to do all of my riding in a field!
Due to family reasons, my friend left in Jan 2006, and I felt that I had to find somewere with an indoor school to move Pinto to. Luckily there was a place available at a riding school not too far away, and we moved at the end of Jan.
Since then I have had group lessons on Pinto once a week, but once again I felt that I was getting nowhere, my confidence in some areas was improving, but in others it was lower and lower, til by June this year I didn't want to ride at all!
So I basically gave Pinto a break over the summer, we hacked out occasionally, by ourselves and sometimes with friends, but we didn't go near the manege. Once classes started again in September I asked my riding instructor if I could continue the lessons on club horses. She agreed, and 4 weeks ago my rehabilitation began!
After many years of begging and pleading I eventually got a riding lesson for my 13th or 14th birthday. After that I took lessons whenever I could afford them, which was not often, however by the time I was 15 I was at the stage of being able to fling myself over an 18in x-pole from a trot, though I had never really learned how to canter.
That summer I managed to get a riding lesson every week for 6 weeks, then disaster struck! Being a complete novice (still) and knowing nothing about tack, I didn't check the girth on my stubborn little pony, and during the brief canter exercise the saddle slipped and I came off, landing heavily on my lower back. For many minutes I couldn't feel my legs at all! I know I gave the instructor quite a shock. Anyway eventually I was able to get back on (in the great British tradtion, of course) and continued the lesson. What I didn't realise at the time was that I had severely damaged the muscles around my right hip, an issue which still causes problems today, more than 15 years on.
Fast forward to the summer of my 16th year, and I was on a family holiday in Morocco. One of the activities advertised in the hotel was horse riding, so again, I pleaded with my parents (my mum mostly) to be allowed to go on this excursion. After much humming and harring, I was allowed to go. We got to the riding centre and I said that I was a novice rider, and they said that they would put me on a quiet horse (hah!). I was so pleased to be back on horseback (wearing shorts, t-shirt and sand shoes... NO hat (the very thought makes me quivver now) and we set off. A couple of minor incidents later, and I can't really remember much due to a forthcoming accident, and we came to a village. Out shoots a dog and it starts barking at my horse... my horse bolts and I'm left clinging on and hoping for the best. Now once we stop, after jumping up onto a concrete bank, I'm now sure if I fainted and fell off, or if I fell off and was knocked unconscious then. I certainly have no idea how long I was unconscious for until the rest of the group found me. Anyway I had to get back on and ride for another 30 mins before we got back to the centre.
This episode has left me with a deep fear of going fast, and being out of control. It has certainly dominated the rest of my riding ever since.
OK... now we can fast forward to April 2003, when newly transplanted to Switzerland, I find out via a colleague that I can get riding lessons in English. So my riding career starts again, and I have to relearn everything from scratch. After 2 years I'm starting to get bored, I feel that I'm not progressing, and my regular instructor is coming abck from maternity leave and is not there fore more than half my lessons. Lessons with the other instructors is boring, and I'm really starting to feel like giving up... apart from it is so expensive - 540CHF (about £250) for 6 lessons.
In May 2005 my Dad dies due to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, which he had been fighting for less than 18 months, and in the July I meet the niece of my manager who was looking after her horses. We got talking and after a few beers (!) we decode that it is a great idea that I should buy my own horse and I'll progress faster that way (hah!)
By the beginning of September I was the proud owner of Pinto, and now all my fears began to surface once again.
During my lessons in Switzerland I'd had a couple of bad falls, including one where I thought I may have cracked my pelvis, and all occurred in canter, so now my confidence in canter was zero.
I was also terrified to hack out, and even riding in a field was almost incapacitating, which was too bad, considering I had to do all of my riding in a field!
Due to family reasons, my friend left in Jan 2006, and I felt that I had to find somewere with an indoor school to move Pinto to. Luckily there was a place available at a riding school not too far away, and we moved at the end of Jan.
Since then I have had group lessons on Pinto once a week, but once again I felt that I was getting nowhere, my confidence in some areas was improving, but in others it was lower and lower, til by June this year I didn't want to ride at all!
So I basically gave Pinto a break over the summer, we hacked out occasionally, by ourselves and sometimes with friends, but we didn't go near the manege. Once classes started again in September I asked my riding instructor if I could continue the lessons on club horses. She agreed, and 4 weeks ago my rehabilitation began!
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