A Constructive Day!

Do you ever have those moments where you realise that what you've been doing previously seems so ridiculous and that you wished you had done it another way earlier?

Today I arrived at my paddock, full of unexpected nerves that soon was overtaken by focus on what was at hand. I felt like after my rides on both Honey and Evo, I hadn't really been focussing until this point. Sure, I'd be getting up in the saddle with a plan of what I wanted to achieve, and having really good rides because I've been trying hard. And today I didn't have the best of rides on either horses - but I hopped off of them very proud of us all... I hopped off realising what I needed to do... what I needed to ask of them... and goals for the immediate time and the future. It was a weird thing to have happen... but I'm really glad it did.

I'll start with Evo first. Like I mentioned, our ride wasn't perfect. He kept zoning out and I had a hard time keeping his focus. He started twisting his head to the side and following it through his shoulder. I didn't know what I was meant to do ... as he hadn't done that to me in the manner he was. I managed to get passed it... keeping him forward, growling when he did it, and give him a firm nudge in his side to knock it off. I believe it was a nappy sort of thing... he was only doing it around the area of our large circle towards Honey... anyway, I decided that we'd done enough walking and went into the trot. I'm not gonna lie, his trot is a million times better, but when warming up I want to let him stretch, like every horse should be ... naturally this is his bouncy trot... the one for months on end that I've yet to succeed with. I think we did okay today. I believe it had to do with the way I rode his trot... I recently made a list of the things I wished to fix about myself (should have posted it on this!)... and one of them was my rein length. I need to relax and allow myself to have longer reins than I'm usually comfortable with. After my lesson with Rahn before Evo came home... I have been applying this rule to riding all my horses... but especially Evo, who I do reel up a bit because I have a bad habit of balancing with my hands. In the walk today I was almost on the buckle.... until I asked for a bit more contact. And I did take up more contact when I prepared to trot, but once we were going, I let it slide back to the length I was walking at. I was really proud... because Rahn had been onto me about lengthening my reins, putting a little faith in my horse and myself and I would find my balance. Like always, she was right! I feel so foolish for only really seeing it now... I guess it also had more impact with me riding by myself. Anywho, it was a feat for us to get two circles at a forward tempo non stop on both reins today... and I didn't fall on his neck when we stopped either... wahoo! Now I know what I need to be able to do on him, I'm sure we'll be trotting - and cantering - with ease in due time!


Honey was a different story today... on Sunday she learnt how to canter... with the canter came her pace. With both came Honey's need to rush everything, wobbling etc. I admit I must have done something wrong for it to all go like this. But never the less, I was prepared to sort the problem - and ride the way I needed to start doing too! At the beginning we had an argument... I was warming her up... I planned to walk and trot, then settle into some schooling and give her a chance to try the canter at the end, cos she does enjoy it. I stuck to that plan... but before we got to the schooling, Honey decided that she was gonna canter on the corner she had been asked on Sunday. So it was an argument between relaxation vs speed. After a plunge sideways on Honey's behalf (she was really annoyed that I wasn't about to let her speed around), we were able to settle it, and she trotted probably better than she has in the past week and a half. It was just lovely, and made our schooling in the walk just that better! I was able to not have to focus so much on her while trotting and sort myself out (steady my hands, bend my elbows, sit up tall, keep my core stable, and keep my stirrup on the ball of my foot) and therefore really began to feel what I was after, and know I was riding as good as I could! Of course because she was a darling after our fight, I allowed her to practise her canter, which of course Honey and I thoroughly enjoyed!

It just really goes to show, that you may have the ability to ride well physically, but you have to be riding mentally too. I felt completely switched on today... and therefore I didn't find my leg to be as much as a limitation as it usually is. I've come away with ideas on how to continue improving both myself and my horses, and cannot wait to ride Bailey to see if I can indeed improve on her also.

Let's hope the weather holds out for this weekend. I'm going to my first event this weekend (not in it myself but helping a friend), and dont exactly want to spend it in the wet! Also, I'm glad but also not glad to feel my stomach muscles - looks like I worked my butt off today... a good sign! Lol.
Chelle x