I'm a bit surprised that no one has noticed my new banner picture...
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We had our first lesson last night and it went ok. We have discovered several holes in Rusty's training and many craters in mine. :-) My barn owner/instructor is a great teacher and I feel really lucky to be able to take lessons on my own horse.
Rusty is stiff in the neck and poll, so we were working on bending exercises to unstick him. It will be slow going, because he gets resistant - almost clausterphobic - when we start asking alot of him in that way. We will have to do a few minutes of exercises, then a few minutes just trotting out to stretch out and relax. Most of our work is done at the walk. If you can't do something at the walk, I figure it will be darn near impossible to do something at the trot or canter.
I felt a little frustrated during the lesson as Rusty needed alot of leg - he wasn't moving off my leg well, so it was taking extra effort to keep him moving. I'm sure that will come "unstuck" as well as we progress, but for now it is tough. My short stubby legs feel very ineffective and I was grumbling all the way home about being just a couple of inches taller. Oh well, I have to work with what I was given, right? Remind me next time I am horse shopping to go buy a pony.
We also started working on walk/trot transitions. We were starting to get a smooth upward transition, but the downward transition is a bit rough. Rusty's upward transition is usually panicked and choppy - not sure if it was the kids riding him before or not. He came from a fancy dressage barn, so you think the instructor would have worked them a little bit? Another one of those things you can't change, but must just deal with.
We have another lesson on Thursday, then we settle into a once a week schedule. I hope to ride at least three other times during the week to work on my homework!
Name That....
2 days ago
8 comments:
Glad to hear your lesson went well, and good to hear you have an instructor that is willing to help you fill up those training "holes."
I like your new banner, especially the elf in the corner :o) Makes me want to run right out now and get some fudge cookies
No one said anything about my new banner either...I think we are all just so focused on what going on in the blog that the banners and what not are an after thought - but the new of yours is very nice!
It common to feel a little frustrated after the first few lessons but you'll iron everything out eventually. It sounds like it was really really good for you and Rusty! I epically love the homework I get after a lesson. Gives me a "goal" to towards between lessons.
Maybe his old owner did work with him on some of that stuff and just laid off it in the last year or so before you got him - maybe Rusty is just a bit well....rusty :)
You'll know it when it all starts coming back to him - horses that remember old training have a drastically different learning curve than ones that are learning something new later on in life.
Can't wait to hear more - in your lessons and learning, over a range of time keep what works for you and Rusty and drop what doesn't....there is far too many training methods and exercises out there to keep drilling one thing for too long that doesn't work.
Ya know, I noticed the new pic and the little elf and forgot to comment, I forget everything.
Sounds like the first lesson was productive and left you with things to work on. Something I found that would unstuck Lester would be just side stepping him, it seemed to unlock his neck and poll.
Love the new fall pic and elf!
Love the new banner! But some how I managed to miss the elf (Mr Cristie's???!) How you do miss the elf??? lol That is about how big I feel when taking a lesson some days. My last one was really frustrating, actually felt a little lump in my throat I was so frustrated with myself. I HIGHLY recommend that you get someone out to take a video of you. Dont even worry about watching it, just tuck it away for 3 months or so. After Christmas sometime pull it out and watch it. It will make you feel like a million dollars because you will be able to see how far you have come. Sometimes I think we have a habit of getting so caught up in the NOW that we forget how far we have come. Try to recognize all the little things that have beceome corrected and are now second nature to you (for me it was thumbs up with my hands) and it feels pretty good when lessons have a habit of making you feel like an idiot. lol
Good for you! Cant wait to hear how things progress. Let us know how Rusty settled in to his new diggs.
The picture of Rusty in the banner isn't all that special, but the little keebler elf cracks me up.
I obviously need to get out more! LOL
Laura!
You've been tagged!!
Come on over to play :)
~Lisa
I LOVE the new banner, and that you included "yourself" in it! lol
Sounds like the lessons will be productive.
I've got a few leads for lessons, making some calls.
And next weekend I am going to a clinic!
Awww! I love the new keebler Rusty logo! Too funny. It looks like Rusty is looking at the elf and wondering what the heck it is/ lol!
Hey! Don't forget you've been tagged, ok? Visit my blog to find out how.
Don't fret about your shorter legs. I've got super long legs and feel like it's almost too much or my horse is just touchy. Plus my heels are a little too low to give a good little kick when needed, so I end up just giving a squeeze instead. It works, but it's not the best thing.
Also Baby Doll seems to think that when I use my legs, to say, ease her back to the road or fenceline, that I'm telling her to move a little faster. Not so.
Baby Doll's transitions are also choppy like Rusty, too. I really dislike her walk to trot transition. It feels like I'm sitting in a flintstone car waiting for it to rev up and then when it does, it jumps and chokes forward. gah!
Horses and their riders are a little lke old cars...always needing tweaking, eh?
~Lisa
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