Well… this is my new reality from today on until my trainer decides when I’ll be awarded with my saddle stirrups again… :)
I must admit that I’m fond on riding stirrupless but I’ll try hard to have them back because if we have them in the saddle there must be a reason! So… if I’m not planning in starting a new dressage discipline without stirrups I’d better get used to ride with them on.
But lets start in the beginning… or shall I say… with the stirrups on!
Warm up as usual. Trainer reinforced the need to keep the horse forward… and I think that somehow I achieved that with some help from some “jumping happiness moments” the horse showed while trainer was lunging an young colt.
Keeping that specific horse forward is still, somehow, an “obscure science” to me… but I believe that it all comes from still being unbalanced on my seat that makes me pull with my hands even if I think I’m not pulling. Unfortunately it seems that “good seat pills” weren’t yet invented so I’ll have to keep torturing this nice horse with my bouncing seat until I get it right… errrrrrr
After warm up I was asked to ride keeping the horse off the wall, along the arena 3/4s line. On the good side… this exercise is a real test to the ability of keeping the horse straight and I felt that sometimes I achieved that.
After this we moved on to Leg Yield, that I achieved better from the right leg.
And it was time for the Shoulder In / Volte / Shoulder In… and the problems started… specially to the left rein… not being able make the horse bend on the inside leg… after some tries… trainer decide in removing stirrups and work on my leg / seat placement.
And now without stirrups…
In the saddle with the horse in halt I was asked to kick my legs back (on saddle) one at a time… this was supposed to get them long and just “hanging”… I was also asked to straighten my back and keep it like that all the time… not totally achieved I may say… but I will get it… even if I have to place a stick on my shoulders….. grrrrrrr
Than… trot… trot… trot… seated … rising… asking the horse to enlarge and reduce the stride within pace just using the seat and shoulders and keeping the horse on a forward attitude all the times.
I noticed that the “landings” are getting better, not so strong on the horse’s back and in the end it was time to try again the Shoulder In… and they where much, much better!!!
Even if it is a little painful… I really feel that these wild stirrupless sessions are really useful so…
...I can’t wait to see what next lesson will bring…
I must admit that I’m fond on riding stirrupless but I’ll try hard to have them back because if we have them in the saddle there must be a reason! So… if I’m not planning in starting a new dressage discipline without stirrups I’d better get used to ride with them on.
But lets start in the beginning… or shall I say… with the stirrups on!
Warm up as usual. Trainer reinforced the need to keep the horse forward… and I think that somehow I achieved that with some help from some “jumping happiness moments” the horse showed while trainer was lunging an young colt.
Keeping that specific horse forward is still, somehow, an “obscure science” to me… but I believe that it all comes from still being unbalanced on my seat that makes me pull with my hands even if I think I’m not pulling. Unfortunately it seems that “good seat pills” weren’t yet invented so I’ll have to keep torturing this nice horse with my bouncing seat until I get it right… errrrrrr
After warm up I was asked to ride keeping the horse off the wall, along the arena 3/4s line. On the good side… this exercise is a real test to the ability of keeping the horse straight and I felt that sometimes I achieved that.
After this we moved on to Leg Yield, that I achieved better from the right leg.
And it was time for the Shoulder In / Volte / Shoulder In… and the problems started… specially to the left rein… not being able make the horse bend on the inside leg… after some tries… trainer decide in removing stirrups and work on my leg / seat placement.
And now without stirrups…
In the saddle with the horse in halt I was asked to kick my legs back (on saddle) one at a time… this was supposed to get them long and just “hanging”… I was also asked to straighten my back and keep it like that all the time… not totally achieved I may say… but I will get it… even if I have to place a stick on my shoulders….. grrrrrrr
Than… trot… trot… trot… seated … rising… asking the horse to enlarge and reduce the stride within pace just using the seat and shoulders and keeping the horse on a forward attitude all the times.
I noticed that the “landings” are getting better, not so strong on the horse’s back and in the end it was time to try again the Shoulder In… and they where much, much better!!!
Even if it is a little painful… I really feel that these wild stirrupless sessions are really useful so…
...I can’t wait to see what next lesson will bring…
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1 comment:
My dearest beloved Ana,
I think that we all will understand it much better if you show us some pictures or films...
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