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.
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.
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