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Not Really a Retrospective (avec Neep)
Sep. 17th, 2009 12:54 pmIt's been not quite a year since I got the hell out of dressage and listened to Pooka about what he needed. This has been on my mind a lot lately as I work with the horses, because a year ago? Was riding them finally, after a period of not riding much if at all, but my confidence was in the crapper and there were some (Camilla notably) whom I just didn't have the confidence to ride.
Then I got, rather painfully, dumped by Teacher, because I hadn't committed to the dumpage myself--I hadn't actually ridden with her in months. I kept thinking I'd start up again anydaynow. But I never did. Then came "I don't have time to bother with dilettantes"--pretty much a straight Toxic-Trainer talking point--followed by the truth: "I'm holding you back." And right after that came the newsletter from the massage therapist in the next town over, and it turned out she did ridden sessions as well. So on October 3rd, I tried something new.
Today we had a group lesson. There is Camp, which means two other lessons: a mini-clinic. And we did: massage and checkup for da Pook, then a whole lot of suppling via haunches in/out, shoulder in/out, and all three gaits. Left lead! Yes!
Compare last year, when Pook was stiff, locked, could walk, but trot was a challenge and canter was not happening. And my self-doubts and second-guessing went on as far as the mind could dither.
We didn't come to today's lesson easily, either. Tuesday night I thought I broke him. ( Think about what it does to the vertebrae to extrude those wings. )
And then he got to trot big around the area, just let go--and his first question was, "Moar Canter Plz?" No, relax and trot, I said, but the fact he asked for canter was significant. It's not awful scary don't wanna any more. It's fun thing that feels great and we got to GOOOOO!
He was a pooooooped pony. Happy as I've ever seen him, but pooooooped.
Oh, and? Ephiny got a massage session two weeks ago. Resolved some issues she's been having. She's a different horse. Soft, fluid, begging to work. I lay over her back the other night--she was standing at the mounting block, I had my helmet on, what the hey. She kind of went oof and eventually moved off, but it was a very nice, positive first-weight-on-back reaction. We can work with that.
Then I got, rather painfully, dumped by Teacher, because I hadn't committed to the dumpage myself--I hadn't actually ridden with her in months. I kept thinking I'd start up again anydaynow. But I never did. Then came "I don't have time to bother with dilettantes"--pretty much a straight Toxic-Trainer talking point--followed by the truth: "I'm holding you back." And right after that came the newsletter from the massage therapist in the next town over, and it turned out she did ridden sessions as well. So on October 3rd, I tried something new.
Today we had a group lesson. There is Camp, which means two other lessons: a mini-clinic. And we did: massage and checkup for da Pook, then a whole lot of suppling via haunches in/out, shoulder in/out, and all three gaits. Left lead! Yes!
Compare last year, when Pook was stiff, locked, could walk, but trot was a challenge and canter was not happening. And my self-doubts and second-guessing went on as far as the mind could dither.
We didn't come to today's lesson easily, either. Tuesday night I thought I broke him. ( Think about what it does to the vertebrae to extrude those wings. )
And then he got to trot big around the area, just let go--and his first question was, "Moar Canter Plz?" No, relax and trot, I said, but the fact he asked for canter was significant. It's not awful scary don't wanna any more. It's fun thing that feels great and we got to GOOOOO!
He was a pooooooped pony. Happy as I've ever seen him, but pooooooped.
Oh, and? Ephiny got a massage session two weeks ago. Resolved some issues she's been having. She's a different horse. Soft, fluid, begging to work. I lay over her back the other night--she was standing at the mounting block, I had my helmet on, what the hey. She kind of went oof and eventually moved off, but it was a very nice, positive first-weight-on-back reaction. We can work with that.
