We pick up the story about Max the weekend after Easter. In the morning, we had a show team meeting to discuss the final show schedule for the summer and who was going to which shows. After the meeting, the 3 of us who are going to the first show of the year stayed to … More All Go and No Whoa (Part II)
Six weeks to the day since my last impromptu meeting with the ground, and it happened again. I was riding Husky in my lesson on Wednesday and we were both very happy to be riding outside and doing some coursework. I think I may have put a little too much good faith in my trusty … More Lisa vs. The Ground: Round 2
Learning When Not to Push It It has been 6 days since my tumble off of Joe. The first three days, I was so sore that I was taking at least 3 Advil every promptly every 4 hours, taking extra vitamin C, and alternating heat and ice on my back, neck and shoulders. At one … More Learning When to Push It
You know that old wise saying, “when you fall, you have to get right back on?” Yeah, well, I think there’s something missing. When you fall, you get right back in the saddle. And then you go home, take a hot bath and eat Advil like it’s candy. I fell off Joe last night. Hard. … More Oh Hi, Dirt. Nice to See You.
Joe and I continue working together on accepting the bit and being balanced. It’s amazing to me how this horse runs through his inside shoulder. It has become clear that he is extremely unbalanced and maybe more than a little willing to let me prop him up rather than balancing himself. Naughty me. I have … More Your Horse Is Not Being Rude. Except When He Is.
This week I had another lesson on Little Joe (21 degrees this week – positively balmy!). It felt like our best ride so far, in terms of making a connection and building our relationship. Joe is really starting to accept the bit, and will even soften and bend through the corners…sometimes. He is still lacking … More Things That Look Easy, But Aren’t
I had a lesson on Joe this week. It feels like it’s been weeks since it’s been warm enough for lessons. (That is because it has been.) But, at 12 whole degrees, we had a night that was “warm” enough for a ride. Joe and I are both out of shape, and we huffed and … More Why Snowboarding is Kinda, Sorta Like Jumping Horses
After weeks of temperatures in the single digits or low teens, we were plunged into the Polar Vortex. The thermometer in my car only showed double-digit negatives for about four days…and that was without the -47 degree wind chills. Talk about bad weather for riding. So you can imagine how it felt when suddenly we … More The 30-Degree Heat Wave
I recently came across a post called “Top 3 Reasons Why America’s Producing so Many Mediocre Instructors” and was intrigued enough to read it. Partially, my curiosity stemmed from the fact that I don’t believe my instructors are mediocre. Not in the least. So I looked back at my instructors growing up…nope, my most influential … More Are American Riding Instructors Mediocre?
I had a really great lesson on Husky yesterday, where we focused on changing gaits by using just our energy. Here’s what we did: The Exercise: Visualize yourself as an hourglass. When you want to go from a walk to a trot, imagine all your energy moving from your legs up into your shoulders. Feel … More Don’t Get Stuck in the “Oh, Craps”
Centered in the Saddle 