Building confidence on the freight train

K likes to refer to her percheron, B, as a freight train because she's difficult to stop, likes to spontaneously canter when trotting and will stop everything, walk to the edge of the ring and drop her head for some grass whenever she pleases. She also has no problem marching through the gate and towards her barn if you aren't 100% convincing that it isn't time yet. As you can imagine, as a beginner this is a horse I do not get a lot of exposure to in my lesson program.

Which is why it was so nice of K to let me come out and ride B for the second time yesterday. The first time, I was mildly terrified by the spontaneous cantering (I hadn't cantered since the day I broke my arm) and more-than-a-little embarrassed by how hard it was for me to control B when she strolled right out of the ring, nose to the ground, with me on her back. The second time went a little better. All of those things kept happening, but K's advice of having me to serpentines on B to distract her worked well and even if she did start misbehaving, I could eventually bring her back to attention. I tried to do all this without pulling her mouth, which just seemed pointless and cruel for a freight train and also rude to do in front the owner. This was a good way to get a better understanding of how to use my feet, legs and seat to convince a horse to do her job. K had me walk B out into the meadow, which was basically the first time I'd ever ridden out of the ring by myself (as you can tell, I note every first when they happen).

Overall, it is a great experience riding B, and I hope K can find it in her busy schedule to let me tag along again some time. I'm definitely not ready to ride B without K present, but maybe some day it could turn into a half-lease situation!

Horse nibbles and other firsts

Yesterday I had a lesson on Fame, who I never rode before. Getting him ready involved a lot of work since he was covered in crusty mud and would throw his head up when I tried to put his bridle on. I had to to keep his halter on the crossties around his neck to control him while putting his bridle on. I thought about asking for help from one of the girls near by but decided I was fed up with being bossed around by horses and very politely but forcefully made it happen. I was pretty pleased with myself, but while waiting in the indoor for J to ok my tack and let me mount, Fame bit me! I was pretty sure he hated me at that point, although I was also weirdly kind of interested in my first time being bit by a horse. I guess I'm pretty enthusiastic about horses if I find bites as interesting experiences. J told me not to worry and that he bites everyone and, once I started riding him, he was pretty good. He would test me, but not in a way that wasn't conducive to my lesson. Overall, I'm pretty happy that I get to ride so many different horses.

Anyways, we worked on trotting more. That's all I do, really, trot around one way then the other, then do circles. I never knew there was so much to the posting trot! And I learned to close my hip angle while posting at the trot which requires a lot more muscle (along doing better about keeping my leg on), so I'm finding that being a better rider means working a lot harder, but making it look more effortless. No wonder people who don't ride think the horse does all the work!

J will be moving, sadly, so I'm going to have to find another instructor at the barn, which wouldn't be a problem, except I'm starting a new job that will require extra commute time. Finding a stable (pun intended) lesson situation is pretty difficult when you work 9-5 in Boston so I'm going to have to figure that out. Sigh. Just as I was getting back into things. 

My growing book list

When I took my first riding lesson a couple years ago, I was so eager to understand where my lessons would lead that I ran out and grabbed the only book they had on horseback riding at the bookstore: Horseback Riding For Dummies. It wasn't such a bad book, and it definitely was useful for a beginner who really just needed to become acquainted with the basic language I would hear from my instructor and around the barn.

That Christmas my ever-supportive boyfriend got me a bunch of horsey books:
One Hundred and Four Horses - a lovely memoir about a family going through dangerous times in Zimbabwe that was dedicated to saving their beloved horses
Horse Stories (Everyman's Pocket Classics) - A really nice collection of classic short stories that I found interesting because it showed man's relationship to horses over the years
Zen Mind, Zen Horse - This is pretty interesting, although I haven't read it cover to cover. It talks about mindfulness with horses. I think this is something that is difficult to work on at my level, where I'm already trying to figure out a million things at once, but I'd be interested to see what more advanced riders' thoughts are on it.

Since then I've listened to Half Broke Horses on audio which was another interesting memoir about a resilient girl growing up on a ranch in turn-of-the-century West Texas. I've also read The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, The Horse That Inspired A Nation which is now one of my all-time-favorite memoirs, especially as I start lessons at a hunter-jumper barn. I read Horse People and had mixed feelings about it. It was an interesting look into a certain type of person's horse world, but was pretty elitist. The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls is a fairly new and beautifully written coming-of-age story about a girl that is sent to finishing school amidst a family scandal, forced to leave her pony and gain respect in the school's riding ring. I loved this book.

Right now I'm reading Geoff Teal on Riding Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation. I wanted to get into instructional books to go along with my lessons and this one seems really good so far. Geoff Teal has a great understanding of how people progress, where they make mistakes and how to be realistic in setting goals.

If anyone has more suggestions, I would love to hear them!

DOOR!

Yesterday I had a pretty good ride on Timmy. He would stop trotting the minute I got distracted, but I can't really blame him for that. The high school team was in the ring and I was so confused and timid moving around them. I need to get used to learning when it's ok to pass people, saying "rail please" or "on your left". To be honest I am still getting used to walking a horse up to a closed barn door and yelling "DOOR". It makes total sense but is a little strange to an outsider. I also do little things like tack up on a cross tie facing the wrong direction (because apparently there was another cross tie right behind me) that make me feel like I'm never going to get used to all the rules! I would like to start cantering again, but I doubt my instructor will have me do that so long as the team is inside and I'm showing my lack of confidence maneuvering around them.

In any case, for the trot I need to work on keeping my elbows in, keeping my leg on, not just being pushed out of the saddle but controlling the post at the trot, and not letting my outside shoulder drop forward when turning.

Not so bad! Might get to ride B tomorrow if I can squeeze it in after a guitar lesson and before a birthday party. Would love to show K that I am more confident this time around (rather than bumping around in the saddle when Bianca spontaneously canters).

Beginner Rider meets Beginner Blogger

I have been following some other blogs for a while now (often on the sneak, at work) - mainly these two:

My Examined Life

Bit By Bit: Tales of a Newbie Horseback Rider

One is about someone picking up riding after a hiatus, the other about a true adult beginner like me. I've been learning to ride for two years and it's been a rocky road. Part of the reason for starting this blog was to feel more organized in my journey.

I was reading 9 Things You Need To Know If You Want To Ride Horses and finally decided I had too many thoughts in my head and not enough people I knew in my position to keep it inside any longer. Particularly, this excerpt hit home: 

8. Be wary of the “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” stage.This happens to everyone at least once in their riding career. There eventually comes a time, once you have made your mistakes and learned from them, that you begin to feel pretty confident about your equine-related skills. The tack no longer defies you. You develop the balance and coordination needed to walk, trot and canter without feeling like you might fall off any second. You can even ride and talk at the same time!When it all starts to come together like this, you might become a little more confident than were at the beginning. You start to take more riding risks. You might think about changing routines to suit yourself better – change the barn, or ditch your instructor!Before you head off into the land of grass is greener everywhere else, heed these words! You will want to spread your wings and fly – that is a fact.  However, although there are certainly many ways to Rome, especially in the equine world, don’t “instructor hop”. Nothing is more confusing than trying to comprehend different people’s systems over and over again. (http://horselistening.com/2013/09/30/9-things-you-need-to-know-if-you-want-to-ride-horses/)

I broke my arm this past fall trying out a horse to lease. The owner thought I was able to pop over a little crossrail, which, I sort of was (on a horse I knew VERY well - NOT a new horse) and I fell off and broke my arm. I felt bad for everyone involved (including my family and boyfriend who had to help out in the months to come) but I did not feel so sorry for myself. I had misjudged my abilities and learned the hard way that, as a beginner rider, there is no linear path to becoming a better rider. You can be competent at the walk trot and canter on one horse and be completely unable to get a jaded lesson horse to do more than walk around the ring.

I can hardly remember the imputus behind deciding to pick up riding lessons. I was in grad school at Brown in Providence and decided to look on Craigslist for affordable lessons (since everything seems more affordable in Providence than in Boston/Cambridge) and started taking lessons. At one point I took a few months off (they didn't have an indoor for the winter and I was short on cash), but I got to show walk-trot once, had an instructor who lay down great foundations for me. When I moved back to Boston, I stated taking lessons at a very nice Hunter-Jumper barn in the suburbs and, now that my arm is healed, am back on track.

I'd like to take a moment to introduce the characters in the play that has been infolding to catch you up to speed.

S - S was my first instructor. She was previously a jockey (her sister is still involved in the industry) and I learned to ride in her low-key barn on her pleasent rescued OTTB's. If I was still in Providence, I would still be with her.

J - J is my new instructor and she is AWESOME. She is taking me slowly through our lessons. She was pretty understanding of my irresponsible situation that got me the broken arm and didn't make any judgey comments (in fact she pointed out that she is in her 40's and still gets into dumb situations with her friends - I appreciated this little bonding moment). At first, she put me on a horse that was stubborn about trotting under my poor seat and other confusing cues. My last lesson was on a pony named Timmy and we trotted happily around for our half-hour private lesson.

K - K is my cousin's friend from work (they are orthopedic surgeons, NBD) and she has a percheron named B she is slowly introducing me to who is safe (though the spontaneously combusts into canters right now) and available for me to ride during the week for free. It is the sort of situation I was looking for that fateful day I broke my arm - but it is safer because 1. We are focusing on the flat and 2. Did I mention it involves and orthopedic surgeon? She knows how to keep me safe.

Maxy, Parker & Twister - These horses you will not meet in the blog, but they were who I learned to walk, trot and canter on with Sandy. They have left an impression on me and, when my arm was in a sling, I thought of them a lot and how it is more than a dangerous sport, it is a way to connect with animals on a whole other level.

I Got to show on Parker and, for one extra-special month when I was finishing up grad school, leased Max, who is my age (then 25). I remember riding him around the ring while everyone else was doing things in the barn and realizing it was the first time it was truly just us two. It was an amazing (and mildly scary) feeling.

Woody, Artie & Timmy - These are the lesson horses at the barn I have come to know. Artie was the one that I could not get to trot, even with spurs and a loose rein and trying to keep my seat in control. He represents that mysterious power that better riders seem to have (the other woman who rides him can get him to trot sure enough!) that I am striving towards.

The BF - I live with my awesome boyfriend and a cat. We are one happy family! He is very supportive. When I had broken my arm and cautiously mentioned to him I'd like to continue riding even though my parents were horrified by the idea, he very coolly stated "That was never a question, now, was it?" AMEN, BF!

The Parents and the bro -  My parents are the sweetest people. My mom is currently fighting breast cancer, so this summer will be full of chemo and other hard things, but we are confident she will come out on top. I wanted to let you guys know riding may become a very important outlet for me under these circumstances. I also have an awesome brother (we have a book club together) and some awesome friends! I grew up in this area and a lot of people are close to me. It can be hard to make time for riding when there is so much to do in Boston (especially since getting to the barn can take an hour), but it shows how important it is to me when I give up social activities for riding.

Sorry if this was a rambling post. I figured the re-caps of my riding lessons will be more interesting, but this could be a good reference! I have a lesson tomorrow, so I guess we will see!