Lesson Stuff
is anyone else having issues with photobucket taking AGES to upload pics? fer chrissakes, it used to take about 3mins to upload 20 'large' size pics & now it takes bloody hours. it's been this way for a couple of months. it's quicker to upload a 100mb video to youtube!
anywho.
video from May 30th. i was just figuring how to operate my MAC & never got around to uploading it.
lesson july 25th.
i think he's starting to work beautifully. i obviously have a lot of things to work on, but he's not jackhammering around like a giraffe anymore & helicoptering his tail & scaring himself. he's also starting to become a bit 'dead' which is GOOD because it's a far cry from how he has been in the past. he does ride quite deep when he's tired tho, so i have to keep him going forward to work on that. yesterday he had a couple of lala moments & carly said he had such a shy he sat DOWN on his haunches - it was evidenced by a massive hole in the sand too. but i just rode him forward, had a bit of a canter, then got back on with it... progress, i think. too bad she didn't get that stuff on camera, i'd love to see exactly what happens.
FINALLY tho i feel i am able to start working on myself & my riding issues. yesterday we focused on my HANDS & the fact that they MOVE so fucking much. argh. any tips on that, dear flisters?
Carly is very demanding about me holding a consistent contact and to SHORTEN the reins. that's one of my probs is that i get loose reins & as a result it's very inconsistent for him. loose reins also then affect my hands & result in a curl at the wrists! she said to visualise that i'm in the show ring & going for my rider class & need to be as straight & still as possible. we had MOMENTS of it yesterday, but nothing consistent yet. because our arena is fairly deep sand as well, he's working hard which results in a lot of movement as well. i should prob work a lot more on the woodchips.
she was very impressed with how much our flexion & bend has improved. even if i didn't have a chance to ride a lot these past 2 months, i've still practiced what she's left us with, so all our work is building on that. flexion is the most important thing for him.
she's still insistent about DEMANDING flexion & not just asking politely. if i ask politely with him, he'll fob his way through it & avoid it, especially going to the right.
i also had an epiphany because i schooled him on friday night (and he was awesome) but my back was getting tight and sore. realised "o, core muscles" and sucked my guts in and VOILA, almost instant relief. so remember to ride using my core!
friday was a REALLy good schooling session - we putzed around at walk & then trot & i gave him lots of rein & he was seeking that contact almost immediately, so we were ALMOST able to warm up on long & low, rather than just cool down on it (he usually needs to have a hoon, then some good work, then he'll do long & low). it was awesome.
anyways.
anywho.
video from May 30th. i was just figuring how to operate my MAC & never got around to uploading it.
Click to viewlesson july 25th.
i think he's starting to work beautifully. i obviously have a lot of things to work on, but he's not jackhammering around like a giraffe anymore & helicoptering his tail & scaring himself. he's also starting to become a bit 'dead' which is GOOD because it's a far cry from how he has been in the past. he does ride quite deep when he's tired tho, so i have to keep him going forward to work on that. yesterday he had a couple of lala moments & carly said he had such a shy he sat DOWN on his haunches - it was evidenced by a massive hole in the sand too. but i just rode him forward, had a bit of a canter, then got back on with it... progress, i think. too bad she didn't get that stuff on camera, i'd love to see exactly what happens.
FINALLY tho i feel i am able to start working on myself & my riding issues. yesterday we focused on my HANDS & the fact that they MOVE so fucking much. argh. any tips on that, dear flisters?
Carly is very demanding about me holding a consistent contact and to SHORTEN the reins. that's one of my probs is that i get loose reins & as a result it's very inconsistent for him. loose reins also then affect my hands & result in a curl at the wrists! she said to visualise that i'm in the show ring & going for my rider class & need to be as straight & still as possible. we had MOMENTS of it yesterday, but nothing consistent yet. because our arena is fairly deep sand as well, he's working hard which results in a lot of movement as well. i should prob work a lot more on the woodchips.
she was very impressed with how much our flexion & bend has improved. even if i didn't have a chance to ride a lot these past 2 months, i've still practiced what she's left us with, so all our work is building on that. flexion is the most important thing for him.
she's still insistent about DEMANDING flexion & not just asking politely. if i ask politely with him, he'll fob his way through it & avoid it, especially going to the right.
i also had an epiphany because i schooled him on friday night (and he was awesome) but my back was getting tight and sore. realised "o, core muscles" and sucked my guts in and VOILA, almost instant relief. so remember to ride using my core!
friday was a REALLy good schooling session - we putzed around at walk & then trot & i gave him lots of rein & he was seeking that contact almost immediately, so we were ALMOST able to warm up on long & low, rather than just cool down on it (he usually needs to have a hoon, then some good work, then he'll do long & low). it was awesome.
anyways.