Pedro
8th Jan 2001, 03:39 PM
Hello everyone!
I've been a bit busy, so I'm behind schedule with the chronicles. Anyway, here is last Wednesday's lesson.
Wednesday, 3 January
After two lessons with forward going horses (even too forward going), returning to lessons with Juby was a little of a let down. At least, for once, Juby was not troublesome in getting out of his box and into the arena.
As always he stood calmly waiting for me to check the tack and mount. After the initial warm up walk, we began with a little sitting trot, followed by rising trot at a more extended stride. As it was predictable, that exercise found difficulties. Getting Jubileu to trot at anything faster then his usual slow gait, meant a lot of work for me, squeezing strongly with every stride. It felt like I was working harder then he was - I do think Juby is the first squeeze-operated means of transport :). I frequently had to check him as he tried to go into canter. We didn't keep at it for too long, just enough to work us out - well, at least to work me out!
We did some work at trot with and without stirrups. Mostly circles, changes of rein and working the corners. As we were the only pair in the lesson and so there were no butts to follow, all those exercises presented no special problems.
After a bout of work without stirrups, Francisco told me to so some work at canter, also without stirrups. I confirmed with him that I was to canter without stirrups, in what might be interpreted as hesitation. In fact I was ecstatic, I love cantering without stirrups. If I could only ditch the saddle I'd be happier than a pig in s**t (having experienced being immersed in porcine excretion up to my knees, I find it hard to understand why a pig would be glad at such predicament but, alas, I'm not a pig - at least not the four legged oink-oink type, but I digress :D).
Anyway, the canter work with Juby is always a pleasure. Without stirrups to boot, it was just perfect. Juby is a love to canter, he goes to it willingly (and there are few things other than eating to which he goes willingly :)), and not only does he not resist, but he even goes calmly and smoothly. Just a joy to ride - although I can't claim that it all came from my expertise!
For all the pleasure, there was always the work of guiding Juby closer to the limits of the arena and correcting my own posture - feet too forward, flapping arms, loosing the rhythm once in a while, etc. After the work without stirrups in both reins, we did it again with stirrups. It definitely was not as fun. I believe I must be tensing up and fumbling with my feet trying to keep them in the stirrups. The problems starts in the toes and propagates all over...
A bit of walk to cool over and the lesson was over. As usual I stayed around to watch the next lesson with newer students. I've been reading on horse motion, so watching horses being ridden is a good complement, trying to see what I've been reading about. I waited for the lesson to finish and them helped close up.
And that's it for the first lesson of the new millennium!
Pedro Fortunato
Lisbon, Portugal
I've been a bit busy, so I'm behind schedule with the chronicles. Anyway, here is last Wednesday's lesson.
Wednesday, 3 January
After two lessons with forward going horses (even too forward going), returning to lessons with Juby was a little of a let down. At least, for once, Juby was not troublesome in getting out of his box and into the arena.
As always he stood calmly waiting for me to check the tack and mount. After the initial warm up walk, we began with a little sitting trot, followed by rising trot at a more extended stride. As it was predictable, that exercise found difficulties. Getting Jubileu to trot at anything faster then his usual slow gait, meant a lot of work for me, squeezing strongly with every stride. It felt like I was working harder then he was - I do think Juby is the first squeeze-operated means of transport :). I frequently had to check him as he tried to go into canter. We didn't keep at it for too long, just enough to work us out - well, at least to work me out!
We did some work at trot with and without stirrups. Mostly circles, changes of rein and working the corners. As we were the only pair in the lesson and so there were no butts to follow, all those exercises presented no special problems.
After a bout of work without stirrups, Francisco told me to so some work at canter, also without stirrups. I confirmed with him that I was to canter without stirrups, in what might be interpreted as hesitation. In fact I was ecstatic, I love cantering without stirrups. If I could only ditch the saddle I'd be happier than a pig in s**t (having experienced being immersed in porcine excretion up to my knees, I find it hard to understand why a pig would be glad at such predicament but, alas, I'm not a pig - at least not the four legged oink-oink type, but I digress :D).
Anyway, the canter work with Juby is always a pleasure. Without stirrups to boot, it was just perfect. Juby is a love to canter, he goes to it willingly (and there are few things other than eating to which he goes willingly :)), and not only does he not resist, but he even goes calmly and smoothly. Just a joy to ride - although I can't claim that it all came from my expertise!
For all the pleasure, there was always the work of guiding Juby closer to the limits of the arena and correcting my own posture - feet too forward, flapping arms, loosing the rhythm once in a while, etc. After the work without stirrups in both reins, we did it again with stirrups. It definitely was not as fun. I believe I must be tensing up and fumbling with my feet trying to keep them in the stirrups. The problems starts in the toes and propagates all over...
A bit of walk to cool over and the lesson was over. As usual I stayed around to watch the next lesson with newer students. I've been reading on horse motion, so watching horses being ridden is a good complement, trying to see what I've been reading about. I waited for the lesson to finish and them helped close up.
And that's it for the first lesson of the new millennium!
Pedro Fortunato
Lisbon, Portugal