I have been having lessons on a greener horse who is very talented, but does not like mixed signals or pulling on the reins. Obviously, this is a great way for me to fine tune my steering. I've been thinking "Leg first, then reins" more than I used to, and it has helped quite a bit. I've also been better about my half halts, but this is still a work in progress.
I am less afraid when he runs to his friends (re: spontaneously gallops away) and sit it better, pull him up, and regroup. He really hasn't bucked or reared, and the gallop always has a clear end goal - getting to his friends. So now that I've realized that, I can keep my head clear and figure out how to improve.
Half halts seem like such a simple thing, but here I am, struggling with my hands. At first, I thought I was supposed to tug. Then I thought, just squeeze. Then I realized sometimes it required more than one half halt to get a job done. Even when I thought I was being gentle, if I became nervous (the horse likes to catch up with his friends, as in, run up to their butts and stay in that safe zone), I would stiffen up and not realize how tight I was being with the reins. But I noticed after we go over a jump, that I can get him to a halt nicely by just slightly wiggling my shoulders. By thinking less about my hands and thinking about my shoulders, I was more subtle and not overthinking anything. I probably look funny, but I figure you have to do something awkward at first to eventually get it right.
He has really nice movements and a great jump. I could sit his trot all day, or go over the higher jumps (those are 2'9" for me) without a worry. So it is rewarding when I successfully get him to do what I want, even if it's just a neat and tidy turn.
I can't imagine riding him in a ring full of horses - just one horse is still a variable for me. But I do think there is progress and I only wish (as ever) I had more time to have lessons. This summer I will only get to 3-4 between travel and the barn being closed on weekends.
Thankfully, I have the barn I volunteer at to get some quality time. This morning I was mucking, sweeping, watering and really just spending time doing something humans around the world have been doing for thousands of years. There's something great about doing that before heading into the office.
I am less afraid when he runs to his friends (re: spontaneously gallops away) and sit it better, pull him up, and regroup. He really hasn't bucked or reared, and the gallop always has a clear end goal - getting to his friends. So now that I've realized that, I can keep my head clear and figure out how to improve.
Half halts seem like such a simple thing, but here I am, struggling with my hands. At first, I thought I was supposed to tug. Then I thought, just squeeze. Then I realized sometimes it required more than one half halt to get a job done. Even when I thought I was being gentle, if I became nervous (the horse likes to catch up with his friends, as in, run up to their butts and stay in that safe zone), I would stiffen up and not realize how tight I was being with the reins. But I noticed after we go over a jump, that I can get him to a halt nicely by just slightly wiggling my shoulders. By thinking less about my hands and thinking about my shoulders, I was more subtle and not overthinking anything. I probably look funny, but I figure you have to do something awkward at first to eventually get it right.
He has really nice movements and a great jump. I could sit his trot all day, or go over the higher jumps (those are 2'9" for me) without a worry. So it is rewarding when I successfully get him to do what I want, even if it's just a neat and tidy turn.
I can't imagine riding him in a ring full of horses - just one horse is still a variable for me. But I do think there is progress and I only wish (as ever) I had more time to have lessons. This summer I will only get to 3-4 between travel and the barn being closed on weekends.
Thankfully, I have the barn I volunteer at to get some quality time. This morning I was mucking, sweeping, watering and really just spending time doing something humans around the world have been doing for thousands of years. There's something great about doing that before heading into the office.
