Your hard work is paying off!
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Shannon came out yesterday to help me ride my Home Horse.
I lasted 26 minutes. This included 3 sessions of posting for 20 strides, twice with my feet in the stirrups and once with my feet on the platform. It is more tiring for me to post with my feet in the stirrups on the HH so I am building up gradually to hopefully be able to post for 25 times three times with my feet in the stirrups.
I only managed doing the walk in 2-point with my feet in the stirrups twice. This is very tiring to me so it will take me longer to build up to 3 times a ride. I did manage several sessions of walking for 25 strides both with my feet in the stirrups sitting in the saddle, and with my feet on the platform with my seat in the saddle.
I managed two circles on the rim on the HH, one in each direction. Shannon said that this was the first time that I really got out to doing the circle on the rim. Progress!
I was tired and I simply forgot to ācanterā.
Shannon said that my balance on the HH continues to improve in all directions. It is such a big help to have her checking the bubble balance so that I am confident that I am in balance.
Then in the afternoon I had to take a 3 hour nap because I could not keep my eyes open because I was so tired.
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Yesterday Debbie called from the hospital, she is in for tests for something I could not make out but she is getting a thorough look at her heart among other things. I hope I can get my lesson next week.
I did not get my lesson today. At least I have my Home Horse so I did not lose more muscle strength and fitness.
I did my usual on the HH. I am getting pretty determined to post for the equivalent of 25 stride of the trot three times each time I ride the HH. When I trotted my last lesson 25 strides of Cinnabarās lesson trot just took me 1/4 of the way around the ring, so to get fit enough to do the posting trot all the way around the ring I will have to aim to post 100 times each of my HH rides. It will take me a LONG time to get there! Then I will have to work on being able to post 100 x three times each HH ride. Right now I doubt I will ever get there but I am determined to keep on working on it. If I get myself fit enough to do this I might be fit enough so I could do one of Debbieās group lessons. If I do not aim high I wonāt get anywhere with my riding.
With my rides on a live horse getting rarer I know that I will have to keep and increase my fitness mostly by riding my HH. I need to get so I can ride my HH longer and doing more on it so that when I DO get to ride a real horse I will be fit enough to do so.
I did a good bit in 2-point, balancing at the āhaltā, and walking 25 strides. I did this both with my feet on the platform and with my feet in the stirrups. This is another exercise I will have to work to increase my endurance, darn it some horses some days need to walk with me in 2-point for more than 25 strides. I get really tired walking in 2-point on the HH, though not as tired as I get on a live horse.
I did my walks seated for 25 strides using my gut muscles to move the HH, then 25 strides using my butt muscles. Then for the rest of my walking I just got into the movement, using whichever muscle felt the best for where I am, plus I use my weighing alternate stirrups, making sure to keep contact with the reins, keeping my heels down and my head up with me looking forward plus keeping my shoulders back and relaxed. There is so much I have to keep track of since my proprioceptive sense is so bad-to-nonexistent.
When I got to 20 minutes I was just too tired to do anything more. I really hope that my riding muscles are getting fitter even though I am not riding a real horse every time I get into the saddle.
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I hope Debbie is feeling better soon! Good job on the work out!
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Shannon could not make it out this morning so my DH helped me on my Home Horse.
I was pretty shaky this morning and my balance was bad. I decided that it might be best for me to keep my feet on the HH platform.
I lasted only 17 minutes before I got too tired to continue.
I did get several sessions of posting in, I started off slow, just 10 strides, then I went up to 20 strides, and a few sessions later I got up to 25 strides.
I had a harder time than usual to get the bubbles on the bubble balance centered, first with me just sitting in the saddle, and then in 2-point. I did finally succeed but I was nowhere near perfect.
I walked both sitting and in 2-point, 20 strides sitting and I got up to 25 strides in 2-point.
My body was tired after this and my DH had to help me get my right leg over the cantle of my saddle. That was the most exciting part of my ride.
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I thought of you yesterday. I have the HH and one of my boarders, who sits VERY crooked in the saddle, got on it. It was an eye opener for her. She never believes sheās crooked in the tack but the HH made a believer out of her.
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Yes, the HH does not āforgiveā the rider, at all! I already knew my riding was not that good now, and the HH showed me how much the lesson horses have been forgiving me for my sins of proper riding position.
I think that it could pay off in the long run if lesson stables invested in one or more. Just think, if the stable does not have an indoor arena a riding teacher could still give lessons on a HH if the weather or outside ring footing is bad, lessons that would be worth paying for as the HH shows up the riding faults that the riding horses forgive.
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Iāve started using mine again, thanks to your inspiring posts!
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That is good @NaturallyHappy!
PLEASE report your results here, I would love to read how other people use this and how they benefit from the idiosyncrasies of this piece of exercise equipment.
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On Wednesday I had my riding lesson. It was hot and HUMID, so humid that breathing just got me hotter. I only lasted 19 minutes though I did get two posting trots in and a decent amount of 2-point walking. I was wrung out after my lesson and I remembered reading that neurologists get lots of calls from MS patients when the hot and humid weather first arrives so I just figured my not-so-good riding and tiredness were normal physical reactions to the weather. I did get to try my new Total Saddle Fit Stability + leathers with the new type of buckle, with these leathers I can run my stirrups up which makes carrying the saddle around much easier for my husband. I think that my lower leg was more stable.
Today Shannon came out. I rode my Home Horse for 27 minutes including dismounting. I had switched my Total Saddle Fit SLIM Stability stirrup leathers from my lesson saddle to my ancient PDN on my Home Horse. These leathers have a way of twisting the lower part so that the stirrups hang at right angles to the side of the horse so I tried it.
I rode at first with my feet flat on the platform, balancing, walking (10 strides, 20 strides, then 25 strides), 2-pointing for a count of 20, then later walking in 2-point 10-20-25 strides, then I posted 10-20-25 times.
Then I picked up my stirrups and I did not need any help at all, it was much easier with the stirrups hanging at a 90 degree angle from the imagined side of the horse. Not having the bulk of the stirrup leather buckle under my upper thigh helped me ride better, Shannon said my lower legs were moving around less even when I was posting. I posted another 25 times with my feet in the stirrups and my usual stuff in 2-point.
Then Shannon got on. She LOVED these stirrups leathers, especially not having a lump under her upper thigh. For the first time in a long time Shannon put her feet in the stirrups for a good portion of her ride.
After a while Shannon took her feet out of the stirrups and put her feet on the platform. She told me that when her feet are on the platform she can work her core muscles better, with her feet in the stirrups her thighs get the workout.
I am very tired right now, but at least I got into a saddle today.
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I hope you get your lesson this week!
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I got my lesson from Debbie on her lesson horse Cinnabar today. Last week for some reason I started to have plantar fasciitis in my feet for the first time in my life. Luckily I had gotten some of the BOT socks and wearing them I can walk around pretty well so I wore them riding. I warned Debbie that I would not be as good as I usually am.
Cinnabar did NOT like that I picked up the wrong butt blanket today, so he did not get the Far Infra-red Radiation therapy for his butt. I did put the Resona Vibe on him, and I used the Posture Prep tool on his back, haunches and gaskins, but lacking his therapeutic butt blanket he still did not want to move at all. So right now to get him moving on at all I need the Resona Vibe machine on the tendinitis setting, the Posture Prep on his back, haunches and gaskins, and his SmartTherapy butt blanket on his croup. Then, if I am lucky, he will consent to move on out a tiny, tiny, tiny bit.
One problem is that he has had to give another ride right after mine, with a sort of scared beginner college student (woman) last week and this week. She is a small woman but even so he is being expected to do a bit more than before. He might have decided that it is much more important to save his energy than to give me what I ask for. I do not blame him at all, he is fulfilling Debbieās desire to have a nice quiet and sane lesson horse who is suitable for scared beginners, and I am working on not messing him up for his primary purpose in life.
This week I used my ice vest and neck fan as well as wearing the summer technical fabric shirt and tights. I lasted 27 minutes today, with a good bit of 2-point, 2 posting trots, and alternating my lower legs a lot at the walk. It got warm down here today, nearly 70 F when I started my ride up to 86 F now.
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I am glad to hear you got to ride! When the weather starts to warm up, it can get hot very quickly! I always want the moderate temps to continue for a while.
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Shannon came out today. I lasted 30 minutes riding my Home Horse, the first 7 minutes with my feet flat on the platform and the rest with my feet in the stirrups.
With my feet on the platform I started slow, just to a count of 10 for 2-point standing still, and 10 repetitions for walking strides using first my gut muscles then my buttock muscles. Then I posted 10 strides, then I walked in 2-point for 10 strides.
I put my feet in the stirrups and upped my count or repetitions to 20. I just could not make it to 25 āstridesā today.
I started with 20 strides of the walk using my gut muscles, then I got up in 2-point and stayed still for a count of 20 then I did 20 walk strides in 2-point. Next I posted 20 times. I was tired so I just balanced for a while. Then I did 2 more sessions at the posting trot, a session of walking up in 2-point, several 20 stride sessions of walking, more balancing, then I moved the HH seat from side to side using my upper thighs, then I ācanteredā for 20 strides seated for each lead.
After all of that I was up to 26 minutes so for the rest of the time I practiced my indirect rein in front of the withers and my indirect rein to the rear of the withers.
Shannon said that for most of the time I was in balance with all three of the bubbles of my bubble balance staying in the center, and that I am getting better with my balancing every ride and in every āgaitā. I will get back to working up to 25 repetitions again. Then Shannon rode the HH too.
This past week, for the first time in my life, I had plantar fasciitis in both feet though my right foot was the worst one. I tried to deal with it with my Posture Prep fascia tool and manually pulling my toes up to a 90 degree angle and holding, but it only helped a little bit. After a few days of this I hurried on-line and ordered 3 things from Amazon that might help me. I HAD TO hurry to get them because it seems that all these things were designed either in the USA or in Europe, then manufactured in China. Since they came today I am safe from the tariffs, whew!
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Thirty minutes is great!
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You had a great workout! Good job!
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I had my lesson with Debbie on Cinnabar yesterday morning. I rode for 30 minutes.
Or rather I used my lower legs for 30 minutes, well timed pulses of my calf/lower legs against his barrel.
Cinnabar did NOT want to move out. He was not mad at me for trying, he did not call me a slave driver. While we groomed at tacked up Debbie was going over the rather long list of which students would be riding him at her stable show this weekend. I think that Cinnabar heard the list and decided that he needed to save his energy.
Cinnabar has gotten quite affectionate with me. Since I do NOT feed him treats he is reacting to me making his body feel better with the Far Infra-red Radiation gear, using my Posture Prep on his back, loins, haunches and gaskins, putting my Resona Vibe PEMF thingie on the tendon program, brushing his mane with the Queenās brush (he also liked me grooming his head with the Queenās brush), grooming him with the Haas brushes (especially the Schimmel), and me praising him vocally for being such a good, wonderful and amazing lesson horse for riders who are not too sure about themselves on horseback. I got several nuzzles as I was near his head, if a rider takes good care of him and relieves his itches and soothes his hurts this beginner, frequently used lesson horse for beginners, becomes positively affectionate instead of just standing there with a neutral and patient expression on his face.
But he just did not feel like moving out at the walk or trot at all yesterday. I did a good bit of 2-point at the walk, I did several of the āriderās push-upsā to make sure that my lower legs stayed in position even though I was USING them yesterday, and I talked encouragingly when I asked him to extend his stride just a tiny bit. I think he gave me maybe 1/8th of an inch of extension and he ātoldā me that I would not get anything more out of him. Even the short posting trots did not get him out of his normal 2 MPH walk with zero impulse from his hind legs.
Debbie mentioned that for my MS I really needed to be riding another horse, one that would move out some and use their back more than he does. We settled on her other beginner reliable lesson horse Splash, a chestnut overo mare a little bit taller than Cinnabar. I can use my tack on her including my double bridle, which means that I will be introducing another one of Debbieās lesson horses to the double bridle. Debbie considers it a mild form or boredom relief for the horse when I am the rider.
Cinnabar wonāt really miss me and my constant requests to extend his stride, and if I go back to riding him again he has good memories of me. I may be a slave driver to him occasionally, but I am humane when I urge him to move out freely and that is what counts for many horses.
We got into a discussion on the various methods of delivering PEMF therapy to a horse, and I suggested that with the coming weekend show that Cinnabar could probably profit from a session with the BEMER blanket. Debbie agreed. She likes having the BEMER blanket, she told me that it has already paid for itself because people like the results, and she agreed that Cinnabar has earned some sessions with the blanket, just for being such a wonderful lesson horse.
So after we untacked Cinnabar and Debbie gave him his treat Debbie lugged out the BEMER blanket and put it on him. At first it was just like we put a regular blanket on him, then he started feeling the PEMF pulses and he looked uncertain about it all. Several minutes later I glanced at him and his head was down and he was licking his lips, getting into the sensations.
Next week I will ride another horse who Iāve never ridden before! This is a huge benefit of being a student in a good lesson program that has its own school horses, I get experience riding horses that are different. That helps cure MY boredom too!
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I hope you enjoy your lessons on Splash!
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When I woke up it was cloudy. I looked at the weather forecastārain was predicted for 9:00 AM, in time for my lesson. I got ready to ride anyway, I am a hunt seat rider and we do not melt in the rain, at least we do not melt in sprinkles.
We drove to the stable. The rain started slow, but the nearer we got to the barn the harder the rain fell. I had something I wanted to give Debbie so we went on through the deluge.
When we got to the barn the rain let up. I gave Debbie her the ProStretch Plus Adjustable Calf and Foot Stretcher, telling her when I was its picture my first thought we āwhere were you when I started riding and I NEEDED you?ā After I pointed out how it is adjustable she liked it, she has one student who really needs the help with one leg. I also showed it to her daughter Sam and Sam liked it too, muttering about certain students who could benefit from it.
Debbie had put Splash, my new-to-me lesson horse in a stall before the hard rain so Splash was DRY! She told me to get acquainted with the mare so I got out my Posture Prep tool and used it on her back and hindquarters, with Splash showing great pleasure. I then combed out her mane, groomed her head (oh, yes, Yes, YES!!!) with the Haas Koko Mane brush, she even let me clean the inside of her ears even though she was not sure about that when I started on her ears. Then Debbie took over the grooming, I handed her the Haas Schimmel brush and from Splashās reaction to that I think I can go back to using my HandsOn grooming gloves on her (I have missed being able to use them.)
Then Debbie tacked her up. Let me list all the stuff put on her today that is different from her usual lesson tack, the BOT poll cap, the Fenwick Face Mask with Ears, the Fenwick Western pad that extends over her loins some, my Pegasus Butterfly Claudia Jumping Saddle, my Micklem bridle that I turned into a double bridle with an added bridoon strap with a leather bridoon and the Fager titanium Victoria Mullen mouth Weymouth curb, all new to her.
We led her to the ring and I got on. She started by striding out at the walk MUCH faster than Cinnabar. I introduced her to my upper thigh turning aid and Splashās ādoubtsā started, further magnified when I did a turn on the hindquarters. Something felt NQR in her front fetlocks during those turns so I sent her to Debbie so that she would be rewarded with āGOOD GIRL!!ā from the boss of the whole stable.
Then Debbie tried to get her going more by encouraging her from behind, resulting in a semi-startle that my upper body did not keep up with. Splash, using her experience as a lesson horse came to the same conclusion that all the other lesson horses have come to, that I need to PROVE to the horse that I can handle more than just plodding around each and every lesson before she will consent to moving faster.
So I was back to leg-leg-leg the rest of the lesson. She kept contact with the leather bridoon fine but she was a little leery about contact with just the Weymouth curb. Since this was the first time in her life she had a double bridle on it did not surprise me.
Splash was a VERY good girl today. I made sure to praise her a lot for being an absolutely wonderful lesson horse.
It was hot and muggy out, I lasted out my lesson but it made me really tired.
I rode a new horse today!
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Iām so excited for you, getting to ride a new horse! Iām glad you were able to have your lesson.
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