Back to school
The last week or two the swamp at our yard has returned to it's summertime status of arena, so I've done bits of schooling with Iris. After reading this piece on skeletal injuries I was very conscious that we need to work on our correctness a little, so for the last few days I have been working with real focus on softness and balance.
As ever Iris comes through beautifully- she is starting to learn to release her poll, which gives the chance for softness to start reaching through her body ( I have an idea that relaxation in a horse stops at the first brace, so if they are resistant in their mouth it won't reach back to their poll, if they are tight in the poll they won't be relaxed down their neck and so on ) and that smoothness to start permeating her movement. I've also been working on straightness around corners and on circles. We have an ongoing dispute about whether she can turn without leaning like a motorbike, but all these things get so much better with time.
I am also acutely aware that I am not really a good enough rider for her, so I'm applying my attention closely to the feel I get through my seat when I ride, what happens to bounce me around and cause me to lose connection with her and what I need to do to correct it; almost always more relaxation in the back and don't let heels creep up - both pernicious and beginnerish habits I should have long since shifted. Unfortunately I don't learn to change a quarter as fast as Iris does, so it's very much an ongoing effort, but I am confident that if I can keep my focus and remain mindful in my riding, I will improve, if gradually.
Today, as we trotted smoothly and softly through racing clouds of fallen leaves torn from the trees by the winter's first real gale, it felt like we have some pretty awesome places to be. My responsibility is to ensure we reach them.
As ever Iris comes through beautifully- she is starting to learn to release her poll, which gives the chance for softness to start reaching through her body ( I have an idea that relaxation in a horse stops at the first brace, so if they are resistant in their mouth it won't reach back to their poll, if they are tight in the poll they won't be relaxed down their neck and so on ) and that smoothness to start permeating her movement. I've also been working on straightness around corners and on circles. We have an ongoing dispute about whether she can turn without leaning like a motorbike, but all these things get so much better with time.
I am also acutely aware that I am not really a good enough rider for her, so I'm applying my attention closely to the feel I get through my seat when I ride, what happens to bounce me around and cause me to lose connection with her and what I need to do to correct it; almost always more relaxation in the back and don't let heels creep up - both pernicious and beginnerish habits I should have long since shifted. Unfortunately I don't learn to change a quarter as fast as Iris does, so it's very much an ongoing effort, but I am confident that if I can keep my focus and remain mindful in my riding, I will improve, if gradually.
Today, as we trotted smoothly and softly through racing clouds of fallen leaves torn from the trees by the winter's first real gale, it felt like we have some pretty awesome places to be. My responsibility is to ensure we reach them.