Guess what I did today...my horsey adventures
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Can't quite tell...English or Western?
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@Jolly said in Guess what I did today...:
Can't quite tell...English or Western?
English.
We found a dressage barn, about 20 min from here that has lesson horses, and Mrs. George has been riding weekly since November.
We were finally able to wrangle the barn's schedule so that I follow her lesson (on a different horse).
Haven't been on a horse in 2 years - and that was Western in Denver (walk only, sigh).
So. Much. Fun. Even though it was a school horse, and only half an hour, and only (for the most part) walked, it was a great experience. I'm looking forward to my next week's lesson.
Interestingly, since it was not MY horse, it required a lot more attention to keeping on the rail, etc. Having not ridden in two years, I felt really discombobulated at the trot (I think my stirrups were a bit short for the saddle I used).
My posture was good, and I was looking where I was going, not at the horse's head, LOL. As I was told, "Tits up!" However, getting this mare to understand MY requests, even at a walk, was significant effort.
The subtle use of inside leg, a bit of inside rein, but more outside rein, was something I never learned.
I was amazed at how much work it was, even at the walk, to get this to work.
I have a long, long, row to hoe. But, it's good.
The most positive thing is that, when I mounted this mare, is that I didn't think, "HOLY CRAP, it's a long way down!" I felt perfectly at ease with her.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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How long before the muscle paralysis in the horse wears off?
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:woman-heart-man:
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Well done, George! This will be great fun for you and Mrs. George. Will you be riding the same horse each time?
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Well done, George! This will be great fun for you and Mrs. George. Will you be riding the same horse each time?
@brenda said in Guess what I did today...:
Will you be riding the same horse each time?
Mrs. George has been riding two different horses. The one she prefers came up lame last week, and is off to the vet to get checked out.
I'm riding "Opal." She's a tall mare, about 16 2 in height. Flea-bitten grey in color (like Simon was).
It's amazing how much I've forgotten.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@brenda said in Guess what I did today...:
Will you be riding the same horse each time?
Mrs. George has been riding two different horses. The one she prefers came up lame last week, and is off to the vet to get checked out.
I'm riding "Opal." She's a tall mare, about 16 2 in height. Flea-bitten grey in color (like Simon was).
It's amazing how much I've forgotten.
@George-K said in Guess what I did today...:
Mrs. George has been riding two different horses. The one she prefers came up lame last week, and is off to the vet to get checked out.
When Aqua’s sister rides two horses, they both gotta go to the vet to get checked out
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@Jolly said in Guess what I did today...:
Can't quite tell...English or Western?
English.
We found a dressage barn, about 20 min from here that has lesson horses, and Mrs. George has been riding weekly since November.
We were finally able to wrangle the barn's schedule so that I follow her lesson (on a different horse).
Haven't been on a horse in 2 years - and that was Western in Denver (walk only, sigh).
So. Much. Fun. Even though it was a school horse, and only half an hour, and only (for the most part) walked, it was a great experience. I'm looking forward to my next week's lesson.
Interestingly, since it was not MY horse, it required a lot more attention to keeping on the rail, etc. Having not ridden in two years, I felt really discombobulated at the trot (I think my stirrups were a bit short for the saddle I used).
My posture was good, and I was looking where I was going, not at the horse's head, LOL. As I was told, "Tits up!" However, getting this mare to understand MY requests, even at a walk, was significant effort.
The subtle use of inside leg, a bit of inside rein, but more outside rein, was something I never learned.
I was amazed at how much work it was, even at the walk, to get this to work.
I have a long, long, row to hoe. But, it's good.
The most positive thing is that, when I mounted this mare, is that I didn't think, "HOLY CRAP, it's a long way down!" I felt perfectly at ease with her.
@George-K said in Guess what I did today...:
@Jolly said in Guess what I did today...:
The most positive thing is that, when I mounted this mare, is that I didn't think, "HOLY CRAP, it's a long way down!" I felt perfectly at ease with her.
Don’t worry… If you fall I know the perfect chiropractor that will fix you right up!
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Well done, George! This will be great fun for you and Mrs. George. Will you be riding the same horse each time?
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@brenda said in Guess what I did today...:
Will you be riding the same horse each time?
Mrs. George has been riding two different horses. The one she prefers came up lame last week, and is off to the vet to get checked out.
I'm riding "Opal." She's a tall mare, about 16 2 in height. Flea-bitten grey in color (like Simon was).
It's amazing how much I've forgotten.
@George-K said in Guess what I did today...:
It's amazing how much I've forgotten.
Well, all in all it was a pretty crappy lesson - not because of Opal, but because of me. Remember, it's never the horse, it's always the rider. I couldn't keep her on the rail, and when I asked for a trot, not only was I all over the place, but she decided where and when to go wherever she thought appropriate.
It was, of course, all me, not her.
I was quite discouraged.
Today, however, was a completely different day.
When I went to her stall to get her, she greeted me at the door when I opened it. I had no trouble saddling her, and the only confusion I had was with a bitless bridle - more straps than I was used to.
Once I mounted her, it just felt different today. It's almost as though something clicked, and we understood each other. I tried to be more clear on my requests, and made a point of not using any of the Western riding techniques that I had gotten used to with Simon. This horse does NOT neck-rein. You have to point her with your leg and with the reins. But not too much, lest she curve in and bend the wrong way.
At the trot, I really felt like I was with her - I was even on the right diagonal (only @jodi will know what that means)! We worked on getting her to respond to my requests, more by body position than by using aids (reins and leg) and it was amazing how well it worked. Just look at where you want to go, and the horse will go there. It really works.
My instructor made a good point that I'd forgotten: Horses aren't "disobedient," or "disrespectful." They don't want to be "boss." They just want to know where, in the hierarchy of the herd, they stand. If some other horse wants to be "the leader," that's fine. When it comes to riding, it's up to the rider to be the leader. If there's no guidanance, no support, no leadership, the horse will do whatever it wants, and that's usually the easiest thing.
For example, on a trail ride, or on a jump course, there's always a "target" toward which you're guiding the horse. Be it the next turn in the trail, or the next jump, the horse sees that as a goal, a target, and your job is to steer the horse toward that, and let the horse do it's job. In an indoor arena, like where we were today, there's nothing other than four walls and a large expanse of sand in the middle. It's up to you, the rider, to keep the horse's attention and to let it know what you expect. If you don't do that, the horse will do the easiest thing, and that might be anything from dropping from a trot to a walk, or just stopping.
A good day today. Frankly, I was kind of worried today, and I was most encouraged by how well it went. It wasn't good, and my stamina needs a lot of work, to be sure, but it was better. A lot better.
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Everything wrong with this picture:
My reins are MUCH too long, allowing her to lower her head too much. So, if I ask her for more "energy" to pick up a trot, she'll probably just slow down more.
Her ears are forward and she's not paying attention to me.
My stirrups are probably a bit too short, causing me to put too much weight on my feet, and not using my knees enough.
At least I'm not looking down at her head, and rather where I want to go.
15 minutes later:
Reins are shorter. Her head is up, and look at her ears. Of course, "pinned ears" are a sign of aggression, but her's aren't pinned. They're turned back toward me, paying attention to what I'm going to ask her next.
Yeah, I know, my right stirrup is shorter than my left...
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Yay! You and the horse are getting to know each other. I am not much experienced with horses, but I have ridden a few times. I am impressed by those who have the skill to ride well, and I can imagine it's fun exercise for both horse and rider.
Love the pics, too!
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It was a most interesting day, to be sure.
She has Mrs. George and me do totally different things. For Mrs. George, she had her stop the horse, step backward about 3 steps and then, go into the trot with only 2-3 steps at the walk. It's a way of getting the horse's attention, getting it to learn that "something is about to happen, so pay attention." The horse Mrs. George rode is a lot less "enthusiastic" about work than mine.
This was, as I said, only my second lesson, and I was a lot more comfortable on this mare. With me, she had me do a "turn on the forehand." It means having the horse keep it's forelegs in the same location, while asking it to swing its hindquarters 180 degrees. The goal is to have the forefeet move only so much as to keep then from tangling up. It's harder than you think, because you have to keep the horse from stepping forward. So, it's a combination of leg cue, rein, and body position.
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@Copper said in Guess what I did today...:
The pose needs work
If you look at the bit that's in Trigger's mouth, you'll see that it's what's called a "curb" bit. It has a pair of long shanks which are attached to the reins. Those shanks increase the leverage that the rider has, and can exert more, a LOT more, pressure on the bit in the horse's mouth.
Sometimes the bit in the horse's mouth has all kinds of strange configurations which can cause pressure, or pain. Incorrect use of a curb bit can be painful to the horse.
I've never ridden a horse with that kind of contraption. Both of our horses had a "snaffle" bit. It's a hinged piece of metal that sits in the horse's mouth, and it is connected to the reins by a set of rings. Pulling on the reins simply pulls the bit back into the horse's mouth, and doesn't do anything to the palate of the horse. The rings, which sit on the "cheek" of the horse give some pressure to the cheek. Horses are trained to move away from pressure. So, if I pull on the right rein, the left cheek gets pressure and the horse turns his head to the right. This is a matter of training,
A related method of training (as I mentioned above) is "neck reining." Once the horse is trained to move away from pressure, it becomes relatively simple to train it to turn its head away from the rein which is rested against its neck. So, if I'm riding Western style, resting the rein on the horse's neck on it's left, will tell the horse to turn its head to the right (away from pressure). This type of training was critically important for the Spanish vaqueros who used their horses as working animals to herd cattle. The Spanish vaqueros were considered the consummate horsemen of the American plains.
(By the way, vaquero became corrupted into "buckaroo.")
All that goes out the window when you're riding English style. The saddle is smaller, there is no horn (that's not used to hang on to, it's there to "dally up" your rope so you can rope a steer). The stirrups are smaller and your style is to ride with two hands, rather than one. You use each hand to steer, and neck-reining simply doesn't exist. Gentle tug on one side will tell the horse which way you want to go. However, if you're good, and the horse is good, simply turning your head will torque your body enough that the horse senses a shift in weight. Turn your head to the right, and you'll put subtle pressure on your left hip. The horse senses that, and ... moves away from pressure on the left, and turns right.
Today's horse, the mare Opal, was ridden without a bit in her mouth. She's good enough that simply putting some pressure on her nose tells her what you want.
By the end of today's lesson, I got to the point where, at a walk, I could simply look at where I wanted to go, and with no leg or rein cue, I could steer her. My fat ass was enough pressure for her.
Looking forward to next week's lesson.
I miss owning a horse.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Here's what I was talking about with regards to the type of bit in a horse's mouth.
As I said, we always rode our guys in a snaffle. Simon was so good, however, that I sometimes rode him in a hackamore (basically a bitless bridle)
Snaffle.
Curb Bit.
A more aggressive curb bit. How'd you like that pushing up against your palate?
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Next week, team roping.
Glad to see you and the missus are having fun.
