horses
I haven't talked about riding in quite a while here. I have been riding, just not really talking about it.
Today, though. TODAY. I got to ride Allura, which I like because she makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. Last week I had ridden Tank, and he does the opposite. Though today I did ask for tips on how to deal with him if I ever ride him again, and got a few pointers that should help. He has a soft mouth, but tends to take advantage of soft hands (not necessarily on purpose - I didn't get that feel from him, just because he's maybe not trained to be all that sensitive). So reins with him need to be REALLY black and white. Go ahead and be mean to get him to listen, and when he does get super soft to let him know that was correct. (oh, and "mean" is by my standards, which I gather are very low)
ANYWAY. TODAY. TODAY I JUMPED! At first other people were jumping so I just walked and trotted. And, well, mostly walked. But then they all took a break and Penny told me it was my chance to canter without worrying about people charging around, so I took it and cantered three laps. I probably could have done more, but today was also a day to try to keep Allura from getting too sweaty (a combination of the weather and the current state of her coat). Then, when things quieted down more, Penny was all "hey, why don't you go over those cross ties?" and I was all "REALLY? OK!" and off I went!
At first I was hunching up a lot, which is not good. It's a normal nervous reaction and probably a normal human thing - we tense up and brace ourselves instinctively. Or at least, that's how it seems we do. Anyway, on a horse, that is the WRONG WRONG WRONG thing to do. Gotta stay relaxed and loose, no matter what. So I just kept jogging those two jumps every lap, trying to loosen up, straighten up, and not hunch. Eventually I guess Penny decided I was doing well enough that she suggested I canter the jumps! Which is scary! But I did it! And it was SO MUCH FUN that I went and did it again!
Then it was cool down time because Allura couldn't get too hot and while I technically had a little juice left, it wasn't much. Jumping is tiring; even with some juice left, I was still a tad wobbly once I dismounted. So. Yes. GOOD TIMES.
Today, though. TODAY. I got to ride Allura, which I like because she makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. Last week I had ridden Tank, and he does the opposite. Though today I did ask for tips on how to deal with him if I ever ride him again, and got a few pointers that should help. He has a soft mouth, but tends to take advantage of soft hands (not necessarily on purpose - I didn't get that feel from him, just because he's maybe not trained to be all that sensitive). So reins with him need to be REALLY black and white. Go ahead and be mean to get him to listen, and when he does get super soft to let him know that was correct. (oh, and "mean" is by my standards, which I gather are very low)
ANYWAY. TODAY. TODAY I JUMPED! At first other people were jumping so I just walked and trotted. And, well, mostly walked. But then they all took a break and Penny told me it was my chance to canter without worrying about people charging around, so I took it and cantered three laps. I probably could have done more, but today was also a day to try to keep Allura from getting too sweaty (a combination of the weather and the current state of her coat). Then, when things quieted down more, Penny was all "hey, why don't you go over those cross ties?" and I was all "REALLY? OK!" and off I went!
At first I was hunching up a lot, which is not good. It's a normal nervous reaction and probably a normal human thing - we tense up and brace ourselves instinctively. Or at least, that's how it seems we do. Anyway, on a horse, that is the WRONG WRONG WRONG thing to do. Gotta stay relaxed and loose, no matter what. So I just kept jogging those two jumps every lap, trying to loosen up, straighten up, and not hunch. Eventually I guess Penny decided I was doing well enough that she suggested I canter the jumps! Which is scary! But I did it! And it was SO MUCH FUN that I went and did it again!
Then it was cool down time because Allura couldn't get too hot and while I technically had a little juice left, it wasn't much. Jumping is tiring; even with some juice left, I was still a tad wobbly once I dismounted. So. Yes. GOOD TIMES.