:loveshower::loveshower::thumbsup::cheers::charge::racing:
If anyone has been reading my thread about taking Fergie on a journey from pasture puff to dressage diva, you'll know that I have been having some breakthroughs, but now I am just so excited..
As ever some people will roll their eyes and go, "why are you so excited" I'm hoping that more will actually understand..
Quick background, when I learned to ride my parents were interested in budget, not quality, so I had great fun learning and at the weekends living at a stable, cleaning stables, leading kids, and getting lessons from a lovely lady who was great fun. Trouble is turns out that her first job was wrangler on the ark, so a lot of her ideas were well out of date
Remember I'm old, so was she, so she learned pre war mg: So I was taught to always keep my hands down, our knuckles got checked at the end of the ride, LOL she did go on a course once and came back full of a new idea, so we went from puppy dog paws, and dirty knuckles, to thumbs up in 'proper' hand position, but still the bottom of your little finger had to be dirty. We were also sitting in great chair seat position.
So my foundations were wrong to start with, I had rare lessons over the years, and have ridden alone a lot of the time. I did have a few decent lessons on the way that improved my seat, but the hands have always been an issue.
Now since my big accident 3 years ago I have had for the first time in my life consistent, decent instruction, and we have had a lot of issues to work though. First the crippling fear of even mounting, then doing anymore than walking.....it was a long process. At the same time we were actually improving my riding skills.
Over the last couple of weeks the penny has FINALLY dropped, it is like a whole new world, I now actually understand soft contact, and inside leg to outside rein. I THOUGHT I understood it before, but I didn't really get it, but now suddenly everything has fallen into place. It's an amazing feeling, so soft and light, my mare is happy, she is going nicely, and I am just so so happy. That word softness again, soft in the hand, soft and mobile through elbows and shoulder, I don't manage it all the time, but now I know what I am trying to achieve and it is a whole new world.
If anyone has been reading my thread about taking Fergie on a journey from pasture puff to dressage diva, you'll know that I have been having some breakthroughs, but now I am just so excited..
As ever some people will roll their eyes and go, "why are you so excited" I'm hoping that more will actually understand..
Quick background, when I learned to ride my parents were interested in budget, not quality, so I had great fun learning and at the weekends living at a stable, cleaning stables, leading kids, and getting lessons from a lovely lady who was great fun. Trouble is turns out that her first job was wrangler on the ark, so a lot of her ideas were well out of date
So my foundations were wrong to start with, I had rare lessons over the years, and have ridden alone a lot of the time. I did have a few decent lessons on the way that improved my seat, but the hands have always been an issue.
Now since my big accident 3 years ago I have had for the first time in my life consistent, decent instruction, and we have had a lot of issues to work though. First the crippling fear of even mounting, then doing anymore than walking.....it was a long process. At the same time we were actually improving my riding skills.
Over the last couple of weeks the penny has FINALLY dropped, it is like a whole new world, I now actually understand soft contact, and inside leg to outside rein. I THOUGHT I understood it before, but I didn't really get it, but now suddenly everything has fallen into place. It's an amazing feeling, so soft and light, my mare is happy, she is going nicely, and I am just so so happy. That word softness again, soft in the hand, soft and mobile through elbows and shoulder, I don't manage it all the time, but now I know what I am trying to achieve and it is a whole new world.