Mini courses
Clover was a little sticky again starting out, so MaryAnn had me gallop around the quarter mile track once each way. The first time, going to the left, Clover was spooky and hard to get forward. MaryAnn kept yelling reminders to me to get my hands in front of me! Obviously, I'm weak and need to work on getting an independent seat back again. But once we galloped cantered fast going to the right, Clover and I both got into gear again.
We started out jumping a cross rail on a circle, focusing on approach, release and landing, and keeping everything steady and forward. For all that MaryAnn is friendly and gregarious between phases at an event (as it were), she is a stern taskmaster and keeps the lesson going. Once I got myself sorted out (following elbows and leg on--things I never really worked out before in lessons), we started jumping mini courses--low fences, but bending lines, in and outs, rollback turns that threw me for a loop. It's a great feeling to see all the dressage lessons pay off when I ask Clover to canter and she picks it up, no running into it or lazily pinning her ears back.
By the middle of the lesson I almost felt like a hunter rider ... almost. Clover got tired and I let her get heavy in my hand, and instead of half-halting I buried her to a fence. I need things like that pointed out to me, when they are, I can understand the feeling and stop being a passenger and start riding to fences, and start using the dressage. I know, duh. But I seem to have a disconnect between the mental and the physical understanding of riding concepts.
I'm so out of shape and feel so weak, I'm not sure if it's the beta blocker I take for the migraines or if it's just me being that out of condition. Sometimes I feel weak and out of breath just walking up a flight of stairs, and it's not like I'm a chronic elevator taker. Whine, whine. Anyways, We're having to make simple changes of lead on courses, and MaryAnn says for now that's ok while I work on my confidence and seat. But, this week was much better than last week!
We started out jumping a cross rail on a circle, focusing on approach, release and landing, and keeping everything steady and forward. For all that MaryAnn is friendly and gregarious between phases at an event (as it were), she is a stern taskmaster and keeps the lesson going. Once I got myself sorted out (following elbows and leg on--things I never really worked out before in lessons), we started jumping mini courses--low fences, but bending lines, in and outs, rollback turns that threw me for a loop. It's a great feeling to see all the dressage lessons pay off when I ask Clover to canter and she picks it up, no running into it or lazily pinning her ears back.
By the middle of the lesson I almost felt like a hunter rider ... almost. Clover got tired and I let her get heavy in my hand, and instead of half-halting I buried her to a fence. I need things like that pointed out to me, when they are, I can understand the feeling and stop being a passenger and start riding to fences, and start using the dressage. I know, duh. But I seem to have a disconnect between the mental and the physical understanding of riding concepts.
I'm so out of shape and feel so weak, I'm not sure if it's the beta blocker I take for the migraines or if it's just me being that out of condition. Sometimes I feel weak and out of breath just walking up a flight of stairs, and it's not like I'm a chronic elevator taker. Whine, whine. Anyways, We're having to make simple changes of lead on courses, and MaryAnn says for now that's ok while I work on my confidence and seat. But, this week was much better than last week!
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