- I've been having some really fun rides on Bridget lately. She's forward, sharp off my leg, and she feels good mentally and physically. She feels like she wants to be my dressage pony. Except no, we've been down that road where I get all excited and I think our struggles are solved and B wants to do dressage for real. I'm promising us both to continue to keep it fun and light. I can still learn a lot on her without pushing things.
-Audrey has been teaching me a lot about riding. I wonder if Bridget is going so much better because I'm more effective and blocking her less with my body.
- On the topic of blocking: I'm not sure coaches emphasize enough how important it is to be "loose" in the saddle. I know my brain is always translating "shoulder back" to holding it there, or "use your core" as being solid/strong. I'm lucky in that my coach is more concerned with effectiveness and what works for your body and horse rather than her students looking like the traditional equitation picture, but I still was holding my body where I thought it should be. Audrey is teaching me that if I can't be perfect, being slightly too loose is better than holding tension anywhere in your body.
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| Bridget is getting a slight winter fuzz already! |
- You really can make a better trail horse thru dressage. B mechanically has a good walk, so we never wanted to change that. What did drive me nuts was that if left to her own devices, her walk was more of a slow meandering path that was not getting us efficiently from point A to B. We worked hard on getting her moving out in the ring. I've been noticing since we moved home that if I let her move out at that same free moving, steady pace on the trail we're usually ending up way out in front of everyone rather than the meandering along behind that used to be the norm prior to EC's help. Riding with the same group of people again has made the difference super obvious. I like this confident pony who now goes places happily and with a purpose. It is such an improvement!
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| From last weekend. Nothing in front of us except a few wasp nests, lol |
- B's dressage saddle...I really like it. I was kind of "meh" about it at first, but a few weeks ago my hip was bugging me so I lowered the stirrups a couple of holes. Total game changer...I feel like my leg can just hang and I'm not fighting anything. I'm finding myself getting on and kind of sinking in to the saddle and feeling pretty comfy! The seat is still a bit big for me and the flap too long, but I can live with that when the balance of the saddle puts me in the right spot and it feels so close to the horse. That being said, I'm not sure I'd like this saddle on the Audreys of the world - I do enjoy the security of the thigh blocks on hers!
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| Nothing fancy - it's a 10 year old Jeffries Elite in a wide tree. I'd highly recommend trying if you've got a cob shaped horse and are shopping on a budget- they're British made and IMO equivalent quality to County of the same vintage for about a quarter the price I think due to not bring repped or trendy here. |
When TP said, "Aren't these trails like yours back home?" yesterday I couldn't really describe the difference. The steepness, yes, everything else, no. Your picture sums it up. Single track in dark pines. I have this odd conviction that if I were to find such a trail here, I'd feel 100% better on Mag's back.
ReplyDeleteYour black stirrups are so cool. It's Darth Vader's saddle.
I never realized how much Bridget and Mag resemble each other in expression. They don't just have soft eyes, they have innocence.
I'm selling my Wintec Endurance saddle though I never want to part with it. I put the price high enough it probably won't sell. Someone wrote me and asked if they could buy the colorful blanket I posed the saddle on, sort of a SoutWest design in turquoise, black, and burgundy. I said, "For 1000 Euros, you can have the saddle and the blanket, including shipping. No Paypal." I wonder if he's considering it! I love that blanket almost as much as I love my saddle....it was with me when I won my first blue ribbon at a dressage show (training level). But I'm on an "expunge" kick right now, selling things on Ebay that I don't use.
Honestly, I feel safer hopping on a green/unknown horse on our trails rather than an arena, because there is simply nowhere for them to go but forward on the path - I feel like the dense bush and single track trails do add a sense of security.
DeleteYou sound like you’re in such a good place with the horses. It makes me happy to read. That trail is lovely- nothing like a trial to get a horse to stride out. Your saddle looks a lot like mine-except mine has thigh blocks (they are removable)
ReplyDeleteMine has the teensiest blocks, but sadly it's of a vintage where they sewed them in permanently. We're lucky to have many nice trails here...even some relatively flat ones, which is a slight miracle given we live wedged in between mountains and oceans :)
DeleteGlad you are having fun on B! Tate is getting his winter coat (and has been getting it the last few weeks). I am like dude not yet. We are still 80s or 90s most days (Tho today is high of 70 due to rain and tonite is low of 59 degrees say what)??? IT is so funny how the ponies start to prep for it faster than the horses!
ReplyDeleteAnd glad your saddle is working out too!! I bet you riding Audrey is def helping you when you hack out Bridget. Very cool:)
and I too do my best thinking while picking out stalls :)
My commute for work and my hours of my poo picking are my best thinking time! Point to ponder : WHY do ponies assume we need to prep to live in the arctic year round?
DeleteYay :) Glad you are having some fun rides on B lately.
ReplyDeleteIt's a little bittersweet - like "Oh yeah, here's all that potential we were so excited about before!" I'm learning to simply accept the excellent rides as a gift, tho :)
DeleteSo happy to hear you're having good rides on B! I am learning all about being loose (particular in my elbows) from my mare who is very offended by my tension haha that part really spoke to me XD
ReplyDeleteIt's neat that some horses are able to tell us things to help us so clearly :)
DeleteI always felt Dante's walk lacked energy, and it is kind of a meandering one but he tracks up well in it from what I've observed out of the saddle so then I just wonder if I'm in optical illusion town. I'm glad B is in a good place and you two are enjoying each other.
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