Progress...

So (other than the fact that between my nerves, and forgetting to take Pepcid, I felt like I was going to hurl most of the lesson) I had a good night.  finally apparently reached a point where my trainer decided I am not only back, but ready to do more than I was doing pre-baby. I arrived just a hare late, but had to trudge through the mud to grab Magic so I was last on. Me and my mud caked beast quickly got to work. I did a few posting trot laps to wake us up and then did some rounds of cantering while L did some warm up jumps. Then we cantered a bit. Magic is pretty easy, once you get him going its pretty much just steer... which gets a little heavy in the corners. Last night was made a little more challenging because there was a pair of raccoon either fighting or mating right next to the arena wall. They were super loud and freaking all the horses out a bit.

Then we got to jumping. We first did an x back and forth, not super fun with 5 of us since it was at an angle and people were having a hard time figuring out when to cross back over, and kept cutting in front of whoever was setting their line to jump. I'm getting better at not falling behind the jump or falling in on my hands, now on to working on actually steering over and past the jump. The BIG thing was I finally cantered jumps. We did a panel to the x to another panel (K and L did an oxer). It was weird for me to keep Magic at the canter the whole time, but he really perked up once he realized what we were doing. I won't say I did awesome, especially since he'd get a bit spazzy when we got near the raccoon mating corner of the arena, but I didn't puke, stayed on and didn't knock anything over so I am happy. I feel like before I had my baby, I was just playing around at jumping, but now I'm really learning and training at it; and I like it.... Now to tell my stomach that I'm having fun, not dying ;)

Video/ pics to follow... takes a little longer these days to edit ;)

Rain, rain go away...

So last week was a bit of a departure from the norm. L went with our trainer to ride in GM's clinic so Karley and I were left to our own devices Mon and Tues. Luckily it was pretty dry and we even got to lunge in the round pen, a treat in the rainy season.

I just hacked Louie, Monday. I got wind he had been a bad boy with his owner, so I spent a little more time lunging than normal. We had a pretty good run of the indoor so I did lots of circling and transitions. I find my seat is just not independent enough from my hands, so we both fall apart on the downward transitions. Its all me, he's a well schooled boy. He still isn't clipped, so I spent a long time cooling him out, poor fuzzy bear.


  Tuesday was also a hack day since our trainer was gone. The normal lesson before us ran long since we weren't there as a group, which made working on circling a little more interesting seeing as others were jumping through the middle of our little indoor arena. Honestly I didn't do nearly the two-point and posting work I should have. I tried to not run into people, something my easily distracted self doesn't always succeed at ;)

I need to start thinking ahead of time what I want to do when I hack and work on one thing or two. I always think maybe I want to do something and then just end up kind of riding around without much direction. I did do some shoulder in/ haunches in, something Louie is a pro at. He makes hacking easy, little leg or clucking is needed, just occasionally reminding him of where the corners of the arena are or not to rub you off on the walls.

Wednesday, Karley and I braved the rain and drove up to GM clinic. It was a downpour, I didn't even get my good camera out. We quickly realized that we weren't going to get to watch riders in the big outdoor. It was a very intimate setting in their little "indoor" i.e. round pen with exerciser around it. We were finally given bales of hay to stand on so we could peer over the high walls. GM is amazing to watch, he is my dad's age (73) but still gets on a horse with each group (1 per hour) and rides around with no stirrups, cantering, jumping, and sitting all sorts of horse shenanigans I'd be lucky to ride out with stirrups. I feel like much of what he said will probably fade, but there were some great things, like how to properly half halt, sit downward transitions, etc; all things I REALLY need to work on. L rode lovely seeing as Carlos was high and the area for jumping was crazy small. Karley an I stayed til 1, ate our included meal and bounced.

GM getting his "proper" leg up

L and Carlos looking splendid

just a little wet

Hopefully this week will include hack Monday, lesson Tuesday.

Thankful

So once again, I prove at best, I seem to be able to post a week in review... then again, I don't really have enough interesting things to say daily anyways.

Monday I got out late afternoon and hacked Louie. K and another gal, M, were taking a lesson while others hacked around the indoor with us. It got a bit crowded, which makes it hard to do your own thing, especially when the dressage ladies are constantly cutting through the middle, leaving little room to turn circles or work on diagonals myself. I guess I never feel that I have right of way before others, something I need to work on, we ALL are sharing the arena, its an equal use area (unless someone's claimed it for a private lesson). A mare was being shown by another trainer, who apparently got Louie excited, so mid canter around the ring he got a bit full of himself, started spooking and just being a butt. Yay. So then I pretty much just did lots of trotting and took my time cooling him out. He's a fuzzy beast these days so I ended up graining him in a stall while he dried off so I could blanket him before I left.


Tuesday night we did lesson an hour early since most had the day off because of Thanksgiving. We had our usual group plus C came and rode Louie (without lunging brave girl). I rode Magic, who was his usual happy (not) self. We did the usual flat work, plus some no-stirrup work (ugh). Actually I realized Magic has a great sitting trot, and I was lucky enough to not have to try to post yet without stirrups (which wasn't going to happen lol).

We trotted some poles (which apparently I cannot find the center of) and then we were broken up into groups to canter so that it was a little easier, than we took turns jumping. We kind of went by skill level, as in I, the rookie, was up first. That actually worked well for me, no time to get nervous. I went back and forth over an X a few times, than did the X around to a panel.

 It felt like a tight turn back to the panel, and I found I was always messing with my rein length, stirrups etc as I was approaching the jump. Then I'd circles the wrong way back to the X. Ah the things we learn the hard way lol. I didn't do any canter to the jump work, I was tired so since my trainer didn't make me, I didn't ask.





My video montage for the lesson ;)

More Pics: 

How Kitty Got Her Groove Back

Cookie?!

Ok, so if Monday's lesson was the "hey look, I don't feel like I'm gonna die" breakthrough, then Tues nights lesson was the "yep, still not gonna die, can I do more" moment.

Tues night I was super sore, not that my trainer cared much. It was really cold, but I didn't notice after a few laps warm up posting and two-pointing  on good ol' Magic. There was more two-pointing at a canter work than usual, and I'm now adding not gripping with my knees to my LONG list of fix-its. Admittedly once I achieved proper leg contact, I felt so nice and secure, now I just have to learn to hold it. After watching L and K jumping bigger jumps our trainer lowered the x, making me have a moment of feeling bummed I was jumping so low (say what?!). Then I remembered I was tired and sore, and probably shouldn't push a good thing right away. I still don't feel coordinated enough to steer, jump, not fall etc. I did ask to start cantering the jumps instead of just trotting next lesson, guess I really am feeling more confident, I just want to feel some progress and not have to watch video of me on the baby jumps pfr too much longer (not that I want to jump very high either). I was also told not to hold mane over the jump (geez one good lesson and I gotta give up all my vices?).

Here's some video,  My trainer finally made my hubby go stand at the end so I could have a point to ride at and see later in the video how much I was drifting. It is far more obvious when I'm watching it now.

 Probably wont ride again until next week, hack Mon, lesson Tues.

Catch up

Ok so lets see, I am apparently a few weeks behind...

The Tues after my last post (2 weeks ago) I rode Magic, and did some ugly but ok jumping. We went over different little combinations, unfortunately after watching the better gals go first over larger fences, leaving me enough time to over think everything, and my husband to wander out to feed the baby, so no video/ pics. Poor Magic had a bad case of the runs, making him a little grumpier than normal. I was still pretty nerve racked, even though he's a begrudgingly good packer. Other than my head screaming "no no no" every time our trainer said again, it went well enough.


Last Monday I didn't ride, Louie had the runs and was still under the weather, so he got some loving and a day off.

Tuesday lesson I rode him but between nerves and a rotten feeling gut myself, I totally became a big weenie and didn't jump. I just couldn't get past the nerves over if I would be able to sit Sir Bouncy after we landed and he decided to lead change. I got an earful from everyone, and our trainer let me know this was my last pass. (gulp) I did get to watch Lyssette do the circle of death, which was great to watch.

George supervising our lesson 

Karley taking her Instagram pic, me lurking in the background

Decided to take an afternoon lesson Monday, since riding in the cold and dark all the time is a bit glum after awhile. I rode Magic again, he needs lots of motivation to move, but only needs steering once in motion. C rode Louie, which was nice to get to see how he is with someone else. Karley was there while we flatted, lots of posting trot, and two-pointing at the trot and canter. We jump a small x and vertical back and forth, back and forth.

Sweetest barn cats ever!

 It felt really good after the first time or two I might even go so far to say I enjoyed it :) Hubby got a few videos, and while its not pretty, I'm not so all over the place, and I stayed on so there's that. I was SUPER sore which made last nights lesson even more fun... More about last night and more  video to follow :)