Non-lesson last night

[raingodz]

I was a bit dissapointed in last nights lesson. As some of you know, I have been getting extra lessons on a Tuesday night (my usual lesson is on Saturday) which is made up mostly from weekend helpers, who are all at a higher grade than me.

Being in a group of a higher grade has been really good because I have got to do some interesting things. But this week is compertition week at Cowley and we did several pony club style games, but with out stirups.

I was on Victor this week, who is a quite an accouplished horse, he is used for national RDA dressage competitions and has won medals at the special olympics, so I know the problems I had were entirly my own.

So basically I was compleatly out ridden in all the games (not altogether unexpected) because I still havent managed to canter with out stirups, I know that Victor would have been a good horse to get a stirrupless canter on because he has a very smooth canter.

If you remeber, last week, I failed to get a stirrupless canter when we were working on it and it really annoyed me this week that I failed at it again - although we do not get any instruction during competitions.

I hate to admit it, but I think the reason I couldn't get a stirupless canter was more out of fear and my own failings, this is the first time since I returned to riding in September that I have come accross a block like this. And it is really annoying me, I don't want to think of it as failing, but maybe I just not ready for it yet :(. This was probably last weeks problem too - I just didn't want to admit it :(

Annoyingly I can't go to my lesson on Saturday either :( so my next lesson will not be until a week on Saturday (I will try to get on the Tuesday lesson next week, but i will have to wait until Monday to see if there are any spaces).

[cvb]

Raingodz

you're aiming to try and get a "feel" that you haven't felt yet - thats a hard thing to do. So don't be too hard on yourself. Sometimes Mark Rashid talks about "the walk under the trot" or "the trot under the canter" and often in working on that, the next bit just sort of offers itself. Try working on your "trot under the canter" and see what happens ;)

[raingodz]

I think this is probably the down side of being in a higher grade group than I am meant to be.

cvb, that sounds like an interesting approach, I had not considered that it could be thought of in that way. I am comfortable with trotting with out stirrups, I have been doing that since November, but thinking back the first time I tried that is did feel abit worrying, but not enough to stop me doing it, and now I am fine with trotting stirrupless.

Not sure when I'll get to try again, if I get to go to Tuesdays lesson next week they will be working on jumping, which I am enjoying at them moment (unless it is going to be jumping with out stirrups :eek: ), so I hope there will be space in the lesson for me.

[Jubato]

*Huggles*

It's not a failing, it's learning. Don't be sad, you'll get it! :) :) :) ;) And some chicken soup ... ... you need your chicken soup! :p

[raingodz]

I know the power of chicken soup, it cures all things :D Infact I have a box of chicken cupper soup on my desk from last time I had a cold :rolleyes:

[Purple Hugs]

Hun, don't beat yourself up! Honestly, you are in a group of more established riders, and are holding your own most of the time, be PROUD!

I've read your post with envy so many weeks, as I'm far behind you. I can't even imagine wanting to strirrupless canter, let alone do it! I'm bad enough in stirrupless trot! :p I still have to hold the saddle.

You are getting on really well and it's all about the enjoyment.

Is there no way you can have a lesson on another day, or a hack? Might cheer you up a bit till your next lesson.

Go buy yourself a horsey mag, and have a good old read. ;)

[raingodz]

Thanks Purple Hugs, you are right, I think I let my perception of my last lesson take more prominace than perhaps it should have. This hasn't been a problem as I have had a really good run of lessons since xmas and have been having a lot of fun, but then I let this one thing annoy me :rolleyes:

So I will try and keep things in perspective. I am still looking forward to my next lesson :)

Compertition lessons are always a bit odd anyway since you don't learn anything and most of the people in this group are grade 6 or 7 (I must find the list that says what goes in to each grade) so I wasn't expecting to do that well.

The positive thing from last night is that of what I was willing to do (ie everything other than cantering with out stirups) I felt in control and was happy with what I did.


Go buy yourself a horsey mag, and have a good old read.

OH has got me another late horsie birthday present of a book called Vagabond which is the true story of the authors adventures as he rode accross Romania on horse back. I have only read the first two chapters, but it has been a good read so far. Also brings back other nice memories since OH and I met in Romania in 1993 (sounds along time ago now :eek: ).

http://www.classictravelbooks.com/authors/james.htm

[Ross]

I think you're doing really well :) Ghymkhana games are fun, but they do tend to be a bit frantic, with horses flying everywhere, so it isn't the ideal scenario to be trying anything you're not confident with...

Canter is actually much easier than trot without stirrups, because it's so much smoother. It's a good skill to have, because you never know when you might need it (mental pictures of OH having been rubbed against a tree while jumping a small hedge, and the stirrup coming off the saddle :))

It's a shame you might have to wait a while to consolidate, but try thinking back to how well (or not!) you were doing 3 months ago, and compare! You'll be surprised, I think.

Ross

[raingodz]

It's a shame you might have to wait a while to consolidate, but try thinking back to how well (or not!) you were doing 3 months ago, and compare! You'll be surprised, I think.


This seems a good excesize, I seem to have posted quite regularly about my lessons, so checking back through my posts to the Starting Out forum, and found a post after my 10th lesson in November, so a bit longer ago than 3 months but these were my problems then:


The main things I need to work on at the moment are keeping a good rising trot going - I'm fine with sitting trot, I sometimes let the horse go back to walk by mistake (usualy on 20m circles) and cantering still needs loads more work, but I think this just needs a bit of time to let me settle into it and figure things out. Oh and there are still a couple of horses at my RS that I still can not get a good active walk from.


So from that list:
problems with active walk I have found that getting a good active walk is very horse dependant and it seems to be the key to finding out what makes that particular horse go well. On one horse I have to carry a whip and not use it, no whip = no go, use the whip = stroppy horse, carry whip = good compramise.

problems with rising trot I am now happy with my rising trot and have done some work on collected and extended tort. The main problem I had was I was using my leg while risen rather than while sat and I often got the wrong diagonal (which on Daisy means she goes back to a walk when turning).

problems with cantering I am alot better at this now, still needs practice. cvb (thanks again :)) spotted that my main problem was that I was leaning into corners with the result of the horse spiral in to the center of the circle, I have done this a couple of times since, but it has been instantly obvious what I am doing wrong and I can correct it. The good news is I can canter a 20m circle that is mostly circular in shape.

Which does kind of put things in perspective a bit :D I wonder what I'll be doing 3 months from now?

[Hanamoon]

I wonder what I'll be doing 3 months from now?

After a recent frustrating/discouraging lesson that got me all upset about whether I'll ever get it right, etc., I think that's my new lesson mantra....:)

[raingodz]

Thanks guys for the support, I did get a nice PM from someone who pointed out that expecting to get it in two weeks was a little unrealistic, especialy considering I have only returned to riding in September.

So for the setting targets thing (as recomended by cvb in another thread), my target for the next few months is to learn all I need for my stage 1, and you don't have to so stirupless work until stage 2 :rolleyes:, so if I manage it before then it will be a bonus, and if I don't, I'll try and be more positive :D