laura jeanne
2nd Dec 2006, 01:00 PM
I've got lots and lots of books on learning how to ride (serious problem with books in this house). I've read and re-read many of them and now I'm wondering what I get out of them really and I've come to the conclusion that it is mostly just inspiration and just a little bit of practical, technical help.
I KNOW what i am supposed to do (look up, sit up, keep heels down, etc.) but I still have trouble putting it all together most of the time. On a few occassions I have and it's been great but most of the time I still have to think about each thing and fix them one at a time. I suppose it will be second nature in time.
Right now I am reading Communicating With Cues. The first thing you need to do is be able to have the horse give his head softly to you on the ground. Everything else seems to build on this. I'm working on this with Hunni. I haven't even looked at Volumes 2 and 3 because I am now stuck with the very first exercise in Vol 1.
I also just picked up (again) Dressage Formula. So if I sink into the seat, have a D shape in front, keep my head up, heels down, arms relaxed, hands in a certain place with the little fingers slightly closer than the thumbs, an elongated S shape in my back . . . Sigh, I don't think I have enough years left to learn all this!!!
On a positive note, in my last lesson, I finally got Hunni to do a nice relaxed trot! His previous owner had never trotted on him and so he always wants to start out in canter instead. He was doing a quiet jog that was easy to sit to so we ended the lesson and he got lots of praise. He's such a good boy!
I KNOW what i am supposed to do (look up, sit up, keep heels down, etc.) but I still have trouble putting it all together most of the time. On a few occassions I have and it's been great but most of the time I still have to think about each thing and fix them one at a time. I suppose it will be second nature in time.
Right now I am reading Communicating With Cues. The first thing you need to do is be able to have the horse give his head softly to you on the ground. Everything else seems to build on this. I'm working on this with Hunni. I haven't even looked at Volumes 2 and 3 because I am now stuck with the very first exercise in Vol 1.
I also just picked up (again) Dressage Formula. So if I sink into the seat, have a D shape in front, keep my head up, heels down, arms relaxed, hands in a certain place with the little fingers slightly closer than the thumbs, an elongated S shape in my back . . . Sigh, I don't think I have enough years left to learn all this!!!
On a positive note, in my last lesson, I finally got Hunni to do a nice relaxed trot! His previous owner had never trotted on him and so he always wants to start out in canter instead. He was doing a quiet jog that was easy to sit to so we ended the lesson and he got lots of praise. He's such a good boy!