Thursday, April 5, 2012

Riding Diary: 12

Horse: Quiz

Time: 1 Hr

Ride: Well... I didn't exactly have another great ride, which is probably why I'm hanging my head like an old sheep dog and not writing about my lesson until now. I haven't had any time to ride other than in my weekly lesson lately, and that's really frustrating, and I think my frustration is really showing in my riding. Anyone who says this sport isn't hard doesn't factor in all the freakin' emotion that goes with it. Like... some days I can just feel Quiz working off my emotions alone... ugh.

Anyways, I can barely remember the ride (except for the end) but I'll try my best. We worked on trying to achieve that nice slow lope again, and she was doing better (as was I, I think). Things I need to remember is to keep my body upright when doing circles, I tend to lean into my circles, as well as not cranking my neck around... I'm throwing both of us off. My trainer also keeps reminding me to really drop my wrists at the stop, so another thing to put into the mental "to-do-while-riding" list. Finally, gotta focus on those releases, somewhere along the line I've mentally stored "releases" with completely dropping my reins and losing contact, which I obviously can't do when my horse gives for 2 seconds and then goes back to running around the rail like a crazy-noodle-horse, so I have to focus on smaller, but more frequent releases.

Once again, I felt like Quiz was being noodle horse supremo. I need to work on even contact, and just picking up a rein, not actually pulling more onto the rein... me and my noodle horse, woopeee.

Towards the end of the lesson my trainer set up three poles in a semi circle. The exercise was all about breaking down from the three gaits slower, and more complete. So I was to walk from Pole 1 to Pole 2, slow jog from Pole 2 to Pole 3 and then finish off the semi circle in a lope from Pole 3 to Pole 1. I just couldn't get it, Quiz wasn't breaking down like I wanted her too, then I was getting all flustered, legs were going everywhere, wrong leads were being picked up... it wasn't pretty. So, obviously I have a lot of things to really work on when it comes to transitions. Next time I get some trainer-me time I think i'm going to ask her to physically go over every step for me, because I ended up just confused during the entire exercise. I'm more of a physical learner than I realize, I like to be able to physically map out each step in an exercise.

However.. I'm in the middle of a hurricane of term papers that I've left to the last moment because I am a big idiot, so next Monday I wont be able to make my lesson, and then the Monday after that, my trainer is gone. However, this might be a good thing.. a little bit of a break so that I don't show up to my lessons mentally and physically totally unprepared. 

After all my exams/finals/projects/assignments are done (APRIL 13!) I plan to try to get out to the barn to practice way more, and hopefully by the time she's back I can be a little bit more in the zone.

For Next Time: ... wah, so far off :( Focus on my body more, drop those wrists & most importantly, work on the transitions and releases!

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