Diamond
I rode Diamond today in a lesson with M.
The difference between our last ride was huge. This time, I was actually able to get some nice bend at the corners and on the circles. And it took awhile, but I was actually able to convince her to drop her head a bit, relax through the poll and give to me. I couldn't hold these wonderful moments for very long. She'd toss her head or hollow her back and neck pretty quickly. But the nice moments lasted longer the longer we rode, and I had to do less to get her back together.
M. was a huge help today, and quite a confidence booster. She gave me some nice compliments about how I dealt with Diamond's issues. I can't wait to ride Diamond again and see how I do the next time.
The biggest thing I learned today, however, was that you really need to know the horse you're riding. Well, I guess I already knew that, but the lesson came through very clear today. Diamond is so different from Friday. She's green, just for a starter. She also likes her rider to keep a lot of leg on her. Not with pressure, but just kinda hugging her sides. I kept my calves softly holding her side at all times and it seemed to help a lot with her wiggliness. I think I could feel her better, and was able to catch her quicker before she went too far out from under me.
Last time I rode her, I didn't want too ask to much from her. She's green and I don't know her well. But in my desire to not push her too hard, I wasn't giving her any of the support she needs. To get her to go nicely for me, I needed a lot more leg, and more weight in the rein than I realized I would.
I love being able to ride. And ride different horses. Whee! It'll be fun to work with M. and help Diamond come along. She's a really nice horse. And I'm grateful for M. for giving me lots of great lessons.
I know this isn't the greatest photo ever. But you get the idea. She's cute.
The difference between our last ride was huge. This time, I was actually able to get some nice bend at the corners and on the circles. And it took awhile, but I was actually able to convince her to drop her head a bit, relax through the poll and give to me. I couldn't hold these wonderful moments for very long. She'd toss her head or hollow her back and neck pretty quickly. But the nice moments lasted longer the longer we rode, and I had to do less to get her back together.
M. was a huge help today, and quite a confidence booster. She gave me some nice compliments about how I dealt with Diamond's issues. I can't wait to ride Diamond again and see how I do the next time.
The biggest thing I learned today, however, was that you really need to know the horse you're riding. Well, I guess I already knew that, but the lesson came through very clear today. Diamond is so different from Friday. She's green, just for a starter. She also likes her rider to keep a lot of leg on her. Not with pressure, but just kinda hugging her sides. I kept my calves softly holding her side at all times and it seemed to help a lot with her wiggliness. I think I could feel her better, and was able to catch her quicker before she went too far out from under me.
Last time I rode her, I didn't want too ask to much from her. She's green and I don't know her well. But in my desire to not push her too hard, I wasn't giving her any of the support she needs. To get her to go nicely for me, I needed a lot more leg, and more weight in the rein than I realized I would.
I love being able to ride. And ride different horses. Whee! It'll be fun to work with M. and help Diamond come along. She's a really nice horse. And I'm grateful for M. for giving me lots of great lessons.
I know this isn't the greatest photo ever. But you get the idea. She's cute.