Working hard
I think I must be one of the luckiest horse owners around. 4 weeks off work and some horses might be a bit feral, fresh or excitable. My horses... well Henry is an over grown puppy who is thrilled to see me every time I step into the paddock. Coolie is less than impressed we are home but secretly pleased his carrot dispenser is back.
Henry is the best young horse around and has come back into work like he hasn't missed a day. It really is to be expected since he always tries his heart out to do the best he can. Having a little holiday has helped to refresh his body and his mind. He has been feeling so well that I have to keep reminding myself to take things slowly because he's not as fit after his break.
Recent rides have seen me really focusing on my position, especially my hands and ensuring they aren't pulling back, rather holding the contact. Saturday we had a really awesome ride, things clicked into place and I was really able to ride him into the contact and he did everything I asked. The left rein is proving trickier than the right rein so I have been focusing on the difference and I think my left hand is not as dexterous and pulls more.
It was such a nice ride I didn't want to stop, and I can't wait to get back to lessons!
Yesterday I was a bit short on time so we went for a quick ride in the bush. We met 2 dirt bikes and Henry was a star. he was really nervous but listened when I told him to stand. Good pony. It did set him up to be spooky on our ride though so he spooked at things he has seen before. Obviously monsters were lurking.
Coolie has been ticking along, he's had a handful of rides from me and Andrew has ridden him a few times too. Andrew is planning on taking some lessons so has been riding him more than me. I have been really thinking about how I ride Coolie recently to get the best out of him without competition goals adding pressure. It has made things better I feel, because I have been taking my time and really honing in on certain aspects which I should really do competing or not. I guess it helps not worrying about jumping, just flatwork.
This weekend Henry and I have 3 Jonna lessons. I am hoping our fitness is ready! I need to jump Hen this week to knock the rust off and ensure he isn't too enthusiastic, I might jump Coolie too because jumps are starting to look big. My eye is out and I need to fix it ASAP. It's funny to think this time last year Coolie and I were training and competing every every weekend, jumping some big jumps. This year I feel so much more relaxed and have absolutely no idea when we will compete. It's weird!
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| No hands required |
Henry is the best young horse around and has come back into work like he hasn't missed a day. It really is to be expected since he always tries his heart out to do the best he can. Having a little holiday has helped to refresh his body and his mind. He has been feeling so well that I have to keep reminding myself to take things slowly because he's not as fit after his break.
Recent rides have seen me really focusing on my position, especially my hands and ensuring they aren't pulling back, rather holding the contact. Saturday we had a really awesome ride, things clicked into place and I was really able to ride him into the contact and he did everything I asked. The left rein is proving trickier than the right rein so I have been focusing on the difference and I think my left hand is not as dexterous and pulls more.
It was such a nice ride I didn't want to stop, and I can't wait to get back to lessons!
Yesterday I was a bit short on time so we went for a quick ride in the bush. We met 2 dirt bikes and Henry was a star. he was really nervous but listened when I told him to stand. Good pony. It did set him up to be spooky on our ride though so he spooked at things he has seen before. Obviously monsters were lurking.
Coolie has been ticking along, he's had a handful of rides from me and Andrew has ridden him a few times too. Andrew is planning on taking some lessons so has been riding him more than me. I have been really thinking about how I ride Coolie recently to get the best out of him without competition goals adding pressure. It has made things better I feel, because I have been taking my time and really honing in on certain aspects which I should really do competing or not. I guess it helps not worrying about jumping, just flatwork.
This weekend Henry and I have 3 Jonna lessons. I am hoping our fitness is ready! I need to jump Hen this week to knock the rust off and ensure he isn't too enthusiastic, I might jump Coolie too because jumps are starting to look big. My eye is out and I need to fix it ASAP. It's funny to think this time last year Coolie and I were training and competing every every weekend, jumping some big jumps. This year I feel so much more relaxed and have absolutely no idea when we will compete. It's weird!
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| This time last year. How times change! |
Aw Henry is such a star - hopefully your lessons all go well! And I’m sure your eye will come back ASAP ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso that’s cool that Andrew is riding Coolie a little now, hopefully they have fun!
Glad they are coming into work like good ponies!
ReplyDelete