Send some of that rain up north!
Glad you had a good ride today!
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Even though Shannon could not make it over today I got to ride my Home Horse with my DHâs help. I got on OK but I needed his help getting my right thigh over the cantle to dismount.
I only lasted 17+ minutes today.
Again I am using my Talavera Potrera saddle with Millbrook stability leathers (their new ones which are somewhat cheaper and the leather is a little bit thinner. From side to side they are just as wide as their more expensive leathers with the thicker leather.)
I started off with my feet in the stirrups. I balanced, both when sitting in the saddle and when trying to do 2-point, which was really 3-point I guess because some of my weight was on my pubic bone. When I was in that position I finally got balanced both side to side and front to back. Whenever I rested by putting my weight on my seat bones the Home Horse rocked back destroying my front to back âperfection.â
After a while I took my feet out of the stirrups and put my feet flat on the platform. Both with and without the stirrups I have to watch my toes because they want to curl up like they are holding onto a branch or something.
With my feet on the platform I did 2 sessions of posting 20x, more 2-point and a lot of balancing.
I am tired, but at least I earned being tired.
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Iâm really proud of you. You are truly inspirational.
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Great job!
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Debbie called me this morning just as I was starting to get ready for my lesson. Her college team has something major going on next week, she was worried about the hurricane bands coming through and not allowing her college team riders to practice, and she sounded frazzled about dealing with everything. So we decided next week would be better for my lesson, if Debbie is frazzled it is a pretty good guess that her lesson horses would be somewhat frazzled too.
So my DH helped me ride my Home Horse. I only lasted 15 minutes but I worked HARD for those fifteen minutes. For reference I was using my Talavera Potrera leather tree saddle, with stability leathers and the wavy sided safety stirrups.
The first 7 minutes I had my feet in the stirrups. I âwalkedâ for 20 âstridesâ while seated, then I got up into a 3-point position and walked for 20 more strides.
Most of the rest of the time I balanced, my side-to-side balance is fine but there was no way that I could get that front-to-back bubble on my bubble balance centered. When I scooted my seat forward my thighs ran into the WIDE pommel that acts like a thigh block. I had to get my seat off the saddle, lean as far forward as I could and put all the weight I could in my stirrups to get that darn bubble to start going forward to center, but I failed at getting it even close to center.
Then I put my feet on the platform. Since I can post like that I posted for 20 âstridesâ, rested for a minute and posted for 20 more strides. Then it was back to walking both seated and while in 2-point both for 20 strides. I also did 2 rim circles (not really circles but I tried.) At the end I added something new, I reached over with my hand to the opposite knee on both sides and the HH did not react too violently.
I am tired and I missed being around horses. At least with my HH I can get some exercise in the saddle when I have to miss a lesson.
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Sorry you had to miss a lesson. Hopefully next week you can ride and your hard work will have paid off.
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Shannon came over today. We had rather productive âridesâ.
First, I made it to 30 minutes today. I had my feet in the stirrups for around 17 minutes. I âwalkedâ with my feet in the stirrups both when I sat with my seat bones firmly in the saddle and in 3-point, which got me tired. I also managed to post 20x with my feet in the stirrups, the first time I have been able to do so without the HH pitching wildly back to front.
I then took my feet out of the stirrups and placed them flat on the platform of the HH. I did 4-6 sessions of posting for 20x, I walked, and I balanced. I am still good from side to side but it was really hard to get balanced front to back, I had to get my seat out of the saddle and lean way forward, so forward that my belly was resting against the pommel.
We put the bridle attachment on early, like right after I got on the HH. After a while of keeping contact I decided to try something and had Shannon turn the bridle attachment upside down from where I usually had it, so that what looks like the suitable place for the curb rein was on the top instead of the bottom (I will have to change my reins around.)
There was a big difference in the feel in my hands. Instead of feeling completely âdeadâ it almost felt like something alive was on the other end of the reins. The bridle attachment moved around a LOT more and I had to pay attention so it would not move too much.
Since the reins felt somewhat âaliveâ I experimented. Debbie is always getting after me to get my hands together. I simply tell her that my contact is better when there is a straight line from my elbow to the bit when I look down from above as well as a straight line from my elbow to the bit from the side.
So I experimented. When my arms were where I had a straight line from my elbow to the bit both from the side and from above I had no problems following the âheadâ motion of the HH. However when I moved my hands together so that there was NOT a straight line from my elbows to the bit looking down from above it was like both my elbow joints and my shoulder joints sort of froze up some, and I could not keep as consistent a contact.
This also happens when I ride a horse, when I move my hands so that they are only 5" apart, like Debbie wants, the horses start sucking back from contact, they raise their heads some, and the relaxation of their head, jaw, poll and neck disappears. Looking down from above then there is NOT a straight line between my elbows and the bit, from my elbows to my wrists my arms have less and less distance between them, with a definite break in the straight line at my wrists, then the line is straight from my wrists to the bit. When I spread my hands back out the horses then willingly reach for contact, until the next time I move my hands together.
I discussed this with Shannon and asked her to see if she got similar results between having around a foot apart or 5" apart. She concentrated on this, agreed with me, adding that holding her hands 5" apart started irritating and then hurting her elbows, resulting in her not being able to follow the bit as well as when her hands are around a foot apart.
When I move my hands together it is my shoulders that start feeling irritated and frozen since I have problems with my rotator cuffs. Shannon has equivalent problems with her elbows from using her elbows so much doing her jobs over the decades. Though our frozen points on our arms might be different, whether the elbow joints or the shoulder joints are irritated and/or frozen keeping good relaxed contact just is not possible.
So if you are having some minor problems with contact those problems just might go away if you move your hands further apart. With me it is the difference between the horse cheerfully reaching forward for good, constant contact when my hands are wide apart to the horse sucking back, refusing to relax their poll and lower jaw, making it extremely hard to have a constant soft contact without any interruption in the contact when my hands are the âequitation approvedâ distance apart.
When riders come to me, often in desperation about the way their horse stiffens his back, neck, jaw, tongue and lips which ends up in choppy, irregular strides my mantra is âyou are riding a horse, NOT PRAYING, move your hands apart!â at which point the horse relaxes and reaches out for the bit which ends up with smooth, reaching and fluent strides.
Yeah, I know that this is heresy for todayâs equitation. Maybe, just maybe, todayâs equitation is not correct about the distance between the riderâs hands, at least this is what the horses I ride seem to be telling me.
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I got my lesson today. It was hot and muggy so I did not get out of the walk. I will be so glad when it gets cooler and I can risk trotting again.
I rode 30 minutes, I was able to get my right thigh over the cantle both mounting and dismounting, and I was TIRED from getting ready to ride, getting over to the stable, and helping Debbie with the grooming (I deal with the Posture Prep on his back and neck, cleaning his mane and head, and putting on the fly spray.)
I had to talk Debbie into putting his Smart Therapy butt blanket on. IF he does not get to wear it for around 10 minutes I have to spend my whole lesson warming him up enough so he will actually move freely. With the far infrared therapy butt blanket he warms up so so so much quicker! Yes it was warm today but MJ really does not care about that, he wants the therapy for his croup.
We did our usual boring, basic stuff at a walk. After a lot of persuasion I finally got him to extend his walking stride. He did a much better back-up than usual, it was so much better than his usual that I rode him up to Debbie so she could praise him for being such a good boy.
I am going to continue to try and increase the posting trot I do on my Home Horse in the hopes that when I finally get to trot in real life that my muscles will be up to it.
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It sounds like you had a really nice lesson today!
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Shannon came by today.
I rode my Home Horse, with the Talavera Potrera leather tree Spanish saddle and the Millbrook stability leathers, for 34 minutes!
I picked up my stirrups after balancing for a minute. I did TWO 20 strides posting âtrotsâ, two sessions of "walking in 3 point for 20 strides, and my regular walking for 20-30 strides each time.
Then I put my feet flat on the HH platform. Then I did 3 or 4 sessions of posting 30 times, some 2-point walking, regular walking, and balancing. I actually got balanced according to the bubbles both from side-to-side and front-to-back when I had my weight FORWARD in the saddle. Every time I sat and relaxed the HH swung back some.
I have not been wearing my ice vest this summer because I was afraid that it would trigger my fibromyalgia, which means that I just have not had enough energy to do posting trots. I am determined that by the time it gets cool enough to do posting trots on a live horse my leg muscles, especially my thigh muscles, are fit enough to do the work.
It is so much easier for me to work hard in the saddle when I do it in my air-conditioned living room rather than out in the hot and humid summer air down here (NC).
I am encouraged by what I did today. My balance is improving some, my leg muscles are getting stronger, and I can last for longer when I am ACTIVE in the saddle. Maybe, just maybe, when it gets cool enough I will be able to produce a posting trot that meets with Debbieâs approval. Part of this goal is also to do a posting trot that meets with MJâs approval, which is harder than pleasing Debbie.
I am making progress!!!
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I am in awe of your determination and drive to continue riding. You are an inspiration to me 
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You are my hero!
Rebecca
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Fantastic!
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Mine too!!!
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Thank you all for your support!
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I got my lesson today on MJ. The stable was sort of chaotic, preparing for a show this weekend. Debbie told me she almost canceled my lesson because she has been BUSY.
It was cooler this morning (finally). Both my husband and I woke up with our usual pre-storm aches and pains even Milton is hundreds of miles away from us and is not supposed to get anywhere near us. Our weather forecast is for dry weather, cooling down gradually.
I was not in top form this morning. I did manage to help Debbie some with the grooming. She was in a hurry because some of her students HAD to get some preparatory lessons before the show. MJ will probably be showing, Debbie was wondering if she should keep him in the walk class or if he was comfortable enough to do the walk-trot class. (MJ is over 30 years old with some aches and pains that come with age. This is part of the reason why I am riding him, Debbie trusts me to tell her if I feel something off and I wonât make him go beyond just a little bit over his comfort zone.)
It was still cool when we started our lesson. After a few minutes of walk he felt well enough to try short posting trots so we began trotting. Man I got tired quickly, like 6 strides, and I did not feel very secure in the saddle. I guess I will need many more hours of practice on my Home Horse before I get fit enough to do this on a real, live horse. Then after a few minutes at a walk I trotted in the other direction, his bad side, but he did not show any signs of soreness that either of us noticed during the second set of six strides at the posting trot.
The rest of the lesson I walked. I practiced the super slow walk heading toward the gate using light rein and leg aids. He did not want to slow down but finally reduced his speed a tiny bit, but he was also trying to go to the left. So I went back to the start of the long straight line toward the gate using just my upper thighs to keep him straight, my reins were drooping and my legs were still.
By the second walk stride he slowed his walk WAY down, he slowed down a lot better than when I used my rein and leg aids earlier. So I did some alternating getting him to extend his stride going away from the gate (from MJââWHY?â) and shortening his stride going back toward the gate just using my upper thighs. I even got him to halt by tightening both thighs at the same time (yes, we were almost at the gate but this is the first time he stopped from me just using both my upper thighs at once with sagging reins.)
His backing up continues to improve. I no longer have to have a relatively long âdiscussionâ with him about what I want him to do. So he is improving somewhat! Backing up two strides without a lengthy discussion is good since before two weeks ago he only gave me half a step with the same leg and rein aids while muttering under his breath about how unreasonable I was being to him.
I never really felt like I got my energy back after my Home Horse session on Sunday, so now I am feeling really, really tired.
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Get some rest and glad the storm is not in your area!
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Shannon could not come over yesterday.
I did not mind because I was TIRED and needed to rest. My upper right thigh gripping muscles and tendons felt funny too. I would have ridden my HH if Shannon came by because she is more aware of the teeny details that make it difficult to mount and dismount, but without her there I was too scared that I would make stuff worse for myself.
At least this morning I did not feel exhausted.
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Sometimes rest is a good thing!
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Iâm glad you listened to your body abd didnât push it. Maybe you can get you lesson in this week.
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