Return to Riding --Midterms!
Jun. 3rd, 2008 05:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauraanne_gilmanNote the change of icon on this post. Because, ow. Serious workout today, and as much aching as I feel now, it will only be worse later. Which is good, but still..ow.
Today I rode Louie for the first time. The first thing I discovered about Louie is that he is an ADD pony. "ohh, bird, person, carrot, shiny!" This was confirmed by C's instructions to keep him especially engaged around the windows because "he likes to look out them, and sometimes he gets distracted."
He also has a tendency to stumble that I needed to be aware of and respond to (don't freak, loosen the reins, let him get his balance, tighten the reins back up, don't shift your balance during any of this, in the length of two or three strides). I also had to learn about the tendency to wander off-rail, and that his gait was significantly different (unlike the other school horses, he has actual elevation in his trot, which is lovely once you get used to it, but changes the way your body moves, too).
So. I got most of that in about five minutes of just walking in the ring and getting introduced. And then there was a full hour of hard labor that I can't even describe except to say that there wasn't a single second I wasn't trying to pack half a dozen things into one simple movement -- if you didn't do something exactly right, Louie Would. Not. Do. It.
However, I'm pleased to say that by the 30 minute mark he and I were having our own little party in the ring, trotting and cantering around the ittle pretty ponies and the instructors, and mostly moving with one accord [with the occasional stubborn-offs when he thought I was being sloppy]. His torso is just the right size for my legs, his stride is just the right length for me to feel both safe and energized, and the challenge of getting him to be perfect really kept me pushing my game. I thought I learned a lot. Not even close to perfect [there were a times I felt like a rank idiot] but not bad.
It wasn't until after the lesson when I, tired and sore, was leading him out of the ring, that C. told me that Louie was her 'test' horse, the one she uses to see how well her students are really doing. He is, in C's words, Thoroughbred-cross high maintenance with an extremely responsive mouth, and in order to get anything out of him, you had to have a really light touch on the reins and a firm leg. More, there are some riders he likes, and some he doesn't, and it's all a judgment call on his part. "He likes you," she said. "You did really well, and got the most out of him."
I will take my gold star and wear it proudly. But for now, I need some Tylenol and a drink. Because... ow.
Sadly, it looks like I'll never get a chance to ride the Mountain of Peewee (hah, no chance of that, I LIKE being within a mile of the ground!). They got him for their larger riders, but most of them were beginners, and Peewee was too much for them to handle, so he goes off to another home next week. Such a handsome big boy, I hope he lands somewhere good.
Today I rode Louie for the first time. The first thing I discovered about Louie is that he is an ADD pony. "ohh, bird, person, carrot, shiny!" This was confirmed by C's instructions to keep him especially engaged around the windows because "he likes to look out them, and sometimes he gets distracted."
He also has a tendency to stumble that I needed to be aware of and respond to (don't freak, loosen the reins, let him get his balance, tighten the reins back up, don't shift your balance during any of this, in the length of two or three strides). I also had to learn about the tendency to wander off-rail, and that his gait was significantly different (unlike the other school horses, he has actual elevation in his trot, which is lovely once you get used to it, but changes the way your body moves, too).
So. I got most of that in about five minutes of just walking in the ring and getting introduced. And then there was a full hour of hard labor that I can't even describe except to say that there wasn't a single second I wasn't trying to pack half a dozen things into one simple movement -- if you didn't do something exactly right, Louie Would. Not. Do. It.
However, I'm pleased to say that by the 30 minute mark he and I were having our own little party in the ring, trotting and cantering around the ittle pretty ponies and the instructors, and mostly moving with one accord [with the occasional stubborn-offs when he thought I was being sloppy]. His torso is just the right size for my legs, his stride is just the right length for me to feel both safe and energized, and the challenge of getting him to be perfect really kept me pushing my game. I thought I learned a lot. Not even close to perfect [there were a times I felt like a rank idiot] but not bad.
It wasn't until after the lesson when I, tired and sore, was leading him out of the ring, that C. told me that Louie was her 'test' horse, the one she uses to see how well her students are really doing. He is, in C's words, Thoroughbred-cross high maintenance with an extremely responsive mouth, and in order to get anything out of him, you had to have a really light touch on the reins and a firm leg. More, there are some riders he likes, and some he doesn't, and it's all a judgment call on his part. "He likes you," she said. "You did really well, and got the most out of him."
I will take my gold star and wear it proudly. But for now, I need some Tylenol and a drink. Because... ow.
Sadly, it looks like I'll never get a chance to ride the Mountain of Peewee (hah, no chance of that, I LIKE being within a mile of the ground!). They got him for their larger riders, but most of them were beginners, and Peewee was too much for them to handle, so he goes off to another home next week. Such a handsome big boy, I hope he lands somewhere good.
