First Lesson on Rosie..... [Archive] - New Rider Message Board

domane

2nd Dec 2006, 04:44 PM

I booked a half-hour with our resident RI for both of our benefit really.... for an ex-racer, Rosie is quite lazy actually... it would appear that schooling holds no interest for her and therefore I feel like rubber from the hips down :p She didn't really respond to my leg aids until I moved my calves further back to a sensitive spot - THEN we had a response.... but that pitched me forward and brought my heels up so I daren't post the photos :o
It wasn't entirely without incident...

Bad points... LOTS of leg work, losing interest really quickly, poking her nose out, tantrums - spinning, stamping of feet etc because another TB was CANTERING around the track around the outside of the school and Rosie thought that would be far more fun ;)

Good points... She DID occasionally settle and listen to me and when she did I felt her back lift and she dropped into a lovely head and neck carriage, she CAN do it... she just needs some discipline to persuade her that it's not so bad and RI told me I have a "quiet" seat which I think is really lovely of her. She also said it was weird seeing me on such a big horse - hehe

So it was good to see Rosie being a little more TB-ish... I knew it was in there and coupled with being a MARE too :eek: I have had a little glance of how she could be... didn't put me off a jot, it was fun.... although there was one point where she was spinning and I had lost both stirrups and I thought "sand, here I come" and then she stopped.... phew! Not this time!!! Yet..... :D

Next lesson two weeks....

Dreadful pictures anyone???

CER1389

2nd Dec 2006, 04:48 PM

Dreadful pictures anyone???

Of course, tis the only reason we endure all the text - for the piccys! :p ;)

Clare-22

2nd Dec 2006, 04:51 PM

Nothing like a challenge is there :) Sounds like with time you will be showing us how it is done in the dressage arena.

Pictures ......... oh no we hate photos ........ Of course we want photos!!!! :D

palmerlover52

2nd Dec 2006, 04:52 PM

PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!

and well done!

domane

2nd Dec 2006, 05:10 PM

:o Well it's just as well I have no shame really isn't it? Here we go then...

LAUGH YOUR SOCKS OFF....

Thank goodness for a well place piece of fencing, but you get the "gist" of my feet... :p
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/domane/RLess12.jpg

A-HA.... the heels DO come down occasionally...
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/domane/RosieLess11.jpg

Me: "Rosie! Will you concentrate?" Rosie: "Ooh, a camera, do you want me to smile???" RI: "Jane - HEELS!! And GET CONTROL OF YOUR MARE!!!" :D
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/domane/RosieLess13.jpg

This one just because the sky is soooo gorgeous!!!
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/domane/RosieLess14.jpg

So... she DID make a pretty outline on one or two occasions, but this malarkey is all new to her and it was generally all happening at the opposite end of the school to where Dom was kindly standing with the camera!! I'm sure I will have some better ones to post over time....

Critique away... no-one could be harder than I am on meself anyway... :p

CER1389

2nd Dec 2006, 05:53 PM

What do you mean critique? Thats what you pay a RI for...we just sit here and admire the prettiness of Rosie!

Shes looking fabulous domane, and so what if her head isn't perfect, and if you're toes obey gravity rather than your heels (mine do that!). shes looking fabulous, you look happy and thats all that matters.

jenren!!

2nd Dec 2006, 06:02 PM

Is Rosie quite small? Or are you tall? Glad things went ok. Are you riding her for breeches?

neen

2nd Dec 2006, 06:10 PM

Oh, Domane, what a lovely girl! Very posh ;)

I love that one of you two against the big blue sky.

domane

2nd Dec 2006, 06:20 PM

Is Rosie quite small? Or are you tall? Glad things went ok. Are you riding her for breeches?
She's 16.2, I'm 5'6 but I am slightly longer than average in the body... do I make her look SMALL??? She does have a sharks-fin wither but it's deffo further down than Chez when dismounting!! Oh dear God, I need to get back to Weight Watchers.... :eek:

Here I am riding Chez (14.2-15hh depending on who measures her ???) back in the summer and OMG, I just noticed - :o *wearing the same clothes* :o
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/domane/School9.jpg
... and look at my FEET again??? WHY CAN'T I GET SOME CONTROL???? :mad:

Jenren... I am Breeches' sharer... I am schooling (in the very loosest sense of the word :p ) Rosie as B prefers fastwork and hacking and I like structure so it suits all really. Because I am basically a cr@p rider, Rosie and I need some lessons as a pair and today was the first one :D

Sammii

2nd Dec 2006, 06:28 PM

Firstly Domane, i think you should stop putting yourself down! You really think Breeches would give you the opportunity to school (even if it is in the loosest sense :p) his beloved Rosie if you were such a "cr@p" rider as you say you are? Do you? No, i didn't think so ;)

You both look excellent in your pictures and you can tell from the pics where your heels are defying gravity that you are putting concentration into Rosie and forgetting about yourself! Which is just you in a sentence - you animal lover you!

Have fun & good luck with the next lesson! I don't know if i can wait another 2 weeks for photos....*hint hint* :D How's Chez btw? xx

jenren!!

2nd Dec 2006, 06:29 PM

Oh right, cool. Sorry i wasnt implying you were overweight i just thought you looked quite tall! I am 5ft 6 and i look quite perched on my 16.1hh! Although i am very very skinny :p. You look fine on her.

cvb

2nd Dec 2006, 06:50 PM

thinking about those heels, and picking up on your comments about control..

and just putting two and two together to see what it makes - try this on for size and see whether it works or not ?

I wonder whether you feel you have to control, manage, "put Rosie together" ? And as a result you may be breathing a little shallow, and tightening up down the front of your body and just lightening in your seat bones ? (It could just be the top you have on mind you ;) )

To balance that really slight forward "tip", your heels then come up slightly.

So it may be that thinking the heels down, by itself, won't totally fix the problem ? But by breathing fully into your lungs, opening down the front of your body, and "plugging in" your seat bones (a la Sally Swift), you will find the heels get better ?

(often it works better to think of something positive to do, rather than thinking about "not doing" something ;) )

Sammii

2nd Dec 2006, 06:57 PM

Ooh CVB talks sense *copies into mind for when I ride tomorrow* :D

I just thought i'd add, did a search on your thread's a minute ago, and I bet when you wrote this thread you didn't think you'd be dismounting a 16.2!! :p
Thread (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61132)

domane

2nd Dec 2006, 07:20 PM

I just thought i'd add, did a search on your thread's a minute ago, and I bet when you wrote this thread you didn't think you'd be dismounting a 16.2!! :p
Thread (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61132)
:o I still have to take a deep breath but it's not so bad these days! Thank you for bringing that one to everyone's attention again!!!! :D :D :D

cvb - thank you for your comments. Food for thought there. The trouble is that there just seems to be SOOOO much to think about and being a fully paid up member of the "old school" way of riding (grip with your knees, armchair seat) I am trying desperately to recondition myself to modern practises as they make so much sense to me but from the neck down I easily fall into the old stance... I am a firm believer of deep, calm breaths on and around horses. I seem to be better when it's just me and my mount - in a lesson I panic about trying to remember everything, so yes, I could well have been breathing in a very shallow manner.....(ANOTHER thing to think about ;) ) I have dropped my stirrups to try and deepen my seat and straighten my leg but it just doesn't feel right (yet).

BUT thank you so much for your suggestion... I shall endeavour to assess myself next time I am up there.... :)

cvb

2nd Dec 2006, 07:30 PM

......a fully paid up member of the "old school" way of riding (grip with your knees, armchair seat) I am trying desperately to recondition myself to modern practises as they make so much sense to me but from the neck down I easily fall into the old stance

LOL - you make it sound like you are about NINETY ! :p

I should point out that I started to ride in 1971 (was not allowed before that as was too young). And from those photos, I'd be surprised if you started before that ?

(Mind you, I also tell people that the reason I eat fast is because when I was little my two older sisters would steal my food if they finished before me... and as I have now been away from that influence for longer than I was under it for, it's not a very good excuse on my part :D So I do sympathise that habits gained early are hard to break)

domane

2nd Dec 2006, 07:37 PM

LOL - you make it sound like you are about NINETY ! :p
43!! :(
I should point out that I started to ride in 1971
1968!!! :eek:

BUT.... stopped when I was 21, marriage, kids, divorce.... only came back to it 18m ago after a further 21 years... hence the "re-learning"..... :p

I'm much more wrinkly close-up!!!! :D

cvb

2nd Dec 2006, 07:50 PM

I'm much more wrinkly close-up!!!!

:snort:

ok, I'll forgive you :) Cos (a) you did start before me and (b) you had a gap whereas I've had time to adjust little by little...

but you're not ninety :D

HairyCob

2nd Dec 2006, 07:50 PM

*wolf whistles* Get you two... nice looking pair of mares I think;)

And get over yourself missus, you aren't a cr@p rider, you're a thoughtful and sensitive rider, if you weren't you wouldnt' be having lessons, would ya?!

OK, so the heels need a bit of work, but you maintained control, managed to get a contact and some rounding at times, and didn't eat sand- to me that sounds like a sucessful lesson!:D

Oh, and for the record, Domane has eight years on me, and has far LESS wrinkles than I do!

Selle Francais

2nd Dec 2006, 07:52 PM

Domane -

Do you have any details of Rosie's background? Like how old she is, or what her racing name was?

The reason I ask is that I used to have a share in a racehorse, who looks very like your girl, and her "stable name" was Rosie. I've lost touch with her, but the last I heard she was down your way.

It's a long shot, and probably a wild goose chase, but any info you have would be so good, and if I could find her again . . .

thanks

Sf

horses4eva888

2nd Dec 2006, 08:00 PM

Sounds like we both rode the same horse today:o but like 100miles apart:p once again except I got bucks instead of spins. Her name was Rosie too:D Sounds like you had fun and I know what you mean about when they're misbehaving its fun;) You know that saying the most difficult horses have the most to give it sounds like it came into to play for you today:p Don't put yourself down! echo Sammii, he wouldn't have let you school her if you were that "cr@p"

domane

2nd Dec 2006, 08:07 PM

Selle Francais - Rosie is 7, her racing name is Ella Carisa and she raced until she was 6 I believe. You can find her race history by putting her name in as a search. A lady bought her in September of last year, then had an accident and hurt her back so she was never ridden. The owner then got into financial difficulty earlier this year so Breeches and I went to view her in May, we both tried her, she behaved impeccably and the deal was done :) At the time we were informed that she had only been unridden for four months but in the weeks that followed it transpired that she had not been ridden since she came off the racetrack.... had I known that I probably wouldn't have climbed aboard... I then even later found out that sometime in the days before Breeches and I rode her, someone else had been to try her and she had bronc'd :eek: :eek:

To be honest, I think this turned-away "time to reflect" has been the making of her... she was in a field with just cows for company bless her but she is generally a chilled, placid, loving example of a TB... for example, when i do the early shift I may give her a little pat and head straight for an empty haynet. She always spins round and gives me a greeting whinny and whilst I am untying it she will touch me with her muzzle on my hand, arm, shoulder as if to say "I'm HERE - where are my cuddles???" I think the world of her (as a share horse of course) Breeches is a VERY lucky man... :)

NoviceNic

2nd Dec 2006, 08:15 PM

Jane stop beating yourself up. :( You havent known Rosie 5 mins. It takes time to get everything working well. Just oil your cogs and breathe when you ride her next. You look great on those pictures. Keep Smiling....:D

Sooty

2nd Dec 2006, 08:28 PM

Well done you two - fab pics :)

(Are you SURE she's 16.2?? She seemed quite a lot smaller than Zara when I met her, and Z is 16.3hh .....)

Imp

2nd Dec 2006, 08:59 PM

Hi Jane,

They are really lovely pics, you look so at home on her highness ... p'haps Dom could do a little vid for us next lesson ???? :)

I'm with you on the heels thing. I never had instruction as a kid (not proper instruction anyhow) and the finer things, such as shoulder, hip, heel and seat evaded me until my return last year! God, was it only a year ago! I prefer bareback riding because nobody can yell at me about my heels LOL :D Mind you, I'm deaf as you know so my lessons were usually bizarre to say the least. Instructor "Lynda, sit back, Back, BACK, BAAAACCCKKKK!" Lynda "W O T?" See what I mean :D

So, we'll await the vid for your next Rosie installment then shall we? (he hee).

Lynda x x x

Selle Francais

2nd Dec 2006, 09:14 PM

Thanks Domane - not my Rosie then, she would be quite a bit older (about 16 now) and her racing name was "Opening Range" - she was such a sweetie, I would love to find her again, just to know that she's well and happy, and enjoying life.

But it does sound like you have a treasure too (you and Breeches) - she looks gorgeous, and the way she wants your attention is just so typical, the ego is immense isn't it?

Have fun with her - I'm sure you have many great times a-coming - the best is yet to come!

Thanks again

SF

Crazyhorse

2nd Dec 2006, 09:21 PM

SF, could your Rosie have made it down to the Isle of Wight. We recently had a horse very like the Rosie pictured here at my RS who had raced. She was recently sold, but was 16yrs.

Selle Francais

2nd Dec 2006, 10:19 PM

Anything's possible, CrazyHorse, the last I heard she was with a trainer down in Wales, called R Williams, but that's possibly old information now. Do you know anything more about your Rosie?

SF

Whatanejit

3rd Dec 2006, 08:59 AM

Ohhh! Another horse to update on. Thanks for this Jane.

Going to be an interesting journey for you and the beautiful Rosie.

My old RI made a mistake in our early days.

When she was schooling me to school Cooper and I asked her about my position etc she said 'it is time to stop thinking about you and think about Cooper. This is his schooling session and not yours.'

In our innocence we got on with it but deep down I felt that that was wrong.

Now with our new RI she emphasises that everything the rider does affects the horse; your breathing, one seat bone slightly lifted, legs in the wrong position etc.

In our old riding school OH and I would have wanted our money back if we hadn't had a good old blast of canter, trotting poles or even a little jump when really we were just being taught to ride quite crudely.

In our last lesson yesterday morning we spent 45 mins on a 20 m circle practicing quiet perfect halts either before a pole or over a pole. The horse had to have a perfect bend at all times in order to achieve a cirlce and not an egg or rugby ball.

We then did the same in trot - halt to trot - halt at the poles on the circle.

This was all done without stirrups. We rarely ride with stirrups at all these days and as a result I feel as though they are in the way quite often when I take them back.

On Cooper my stirrups have gone down a hole and on May two holes as my hips have opened up and my leg lengthened.

Mmmm. What am I going on about here.:confused:

Well, why don't you practice these little exercises in walk and trot without stirrups for a few weeks. It will help your leg immensely and engrain the basics into Rosie which is the foundation for her schooling anyway.

It is working for us - so just thought I would share.

We love the pics and vids would be a great idea.:)

Enjoy your Sunday.

BeachRiding

3rd Dec 2006, 09:20 AM

Great pics!

Jakeys Mum

10th Dec 2006, 07:32 PM

Nice pics. I see T is still there does she still have Tess? or has Ally got her back now. Me and Mum think T is great she first taught us years ago when it was still a riding school she probably wasn't much older then than I am now lol.

Rosie looks lovely but I'm afraid I will always have a soft spot for Cherry. I wonder if Shandy would remember her?

BTW we SO miss the canter track.

Ki x

Scarlett 001

10th Dec 2006, 11:36 PM

Great pics and update!

Do you do the toe-down position of the foot with both feet or just one? I do it with my right foot - I have tight tendons in that foot (i know this from ballet). Somehow I think the muscles are all messed up from a few years of avoiding stretching them when riding, and I've got my right leg into some bad habits! I am finally started to sort out this problem thank goodness.

teabiscuit

11th Dec 2006, 10:37 AM

wow Jane you and Rosie look fabulously fabulous

was just going to lurk today (i'm in a lurking frame of mind today,all rained out :rolleyes: ) but those photos spoiled me plan, dash it :p

stop being so hard on yourself woman, and enjoy yourself :)
you're doing a great job.

also *whispers* i reckon tb's are a little bit scarier than your average horse, because they're such highly strung highnessess, so well done you :D