I'm a bit stressed right now (not a lot but enough to have me realize it). I'm still smiling and happy right now, so I'm not as stressed as you may think. Stressed may not even be the right word but I couldnt come up with anything else.
As you all know I have been feeling the heat over the past couple months or so (its picked up over the past month), boarders asking me when I'm going to ride my mare. Everyone asking me when Im going to ride my mare.
I have gotten enough confidence about a month ago but I just wanted to make sure I refined that confidence and waited it out a bit more. I figured the extra practice on my lesson mare cant hurt right?
My BO has watched my ride quite a bit so he knows where Im at. He has said to me that he's felt I was ready 2 months ago. He even said to me yesterday as we were talking (in a friendly voice with a wink) "are you going to ride her next lesson?" He's a great guy, and we have a great relationship (we often chat and our convos turn out to be 30, 45 or even 60min conversations lol), so I don't feel pressured at all by him when he asks because Ive gotten comfortable enough with him over the past months to really be comfortable with his sense of humour.
He is a great mentor for advice and information and I learn a lot from him. He just cracks jokes, but not in an uninsulting way, but in a encouraging and positive upbeat way.
He's told me in the past that he finds my commitment and attitude in willing to learn by being so proactive about it to be refreshing and nice to see and that he wants to see me succeed with my mare.
So today was my first riding lesson in 2.5 weeks (trainer was on vac), she said to me right away "So when are you going to ride ____?"...."It's definitely time."...."You are more than ready and capable."....."You need to get on her." She wasn't pressuring me at all, she was just giving me her honest opinion and I told her I really appreciated it.
I told her that I'm confident if I was to get on her today and the reasons why I've been holding off the past couple months - to make sure my confidence is sure confidence and that Im more than ready.
After today's riding lesson on the lesson mare that I always ride, she said it was my best lesson to date and I agree. It was my best lesson to date. She said to definitely ride my mare and would suggest it as soon as next lesson. "The sooner the better"...."Riding her will take the both of you to the next step"...."You need to make this step."
I suggested that she ride her first to see how she is, (this will be the 2nd time she has been ridden in over 4 months, the other time was by the saddle fitter), and the trainer said that was what she would suggest as well. She can get on her, feel for her and if it takes 5mins for perhaps any over energy to extert or corrections before i get on her, or 25mins, its best for her to get on and assess first.Just to see how she is and make sure its fine for me to get on right after. She said to keep it short, 15-20mins and she has full confidence in me being able to ride her with no problems.
She said the most important thing is to get on her and once I do it will be a huge building block leading to the next time I ride her. All she kept saying was "Its time, its time!" To be honest, she came across as a bit annoyed by me holding off on riding her for this long lol. Maybe she wasn't annoyed but she definitely meant it when she said it.
Her and the BO are both believers that once I start riding her, more dots will start to connect, more things will start to come together more.
Now, I have my next riding lesson booked for Friday afternoon. Right now, I told my trainer that yes, I will ride her but with the trainer riding her first to assess. If my mare is full of it that day, she obviously wont have me ride.
Now, I was talking with my outside trainer just now and she is scheduled to come out Wed afternoon to do more groundwork with my mare and I. She said that if ___ was "her horse", she wouldnt get on her. She said that its ultimately up to me, but I should hold off on riding my mare until we get the groundwork more refined. Cause she said that my mare's groundwork is still not up there to where it should be. According to the Parelli program, I'm still at Phase 1.
But also she said that she has incredibly high standards when it comes to having a horses groundwork refined on the ground before even thinking of getting on their back. She is worried that my mare may test and I won't know how to correct or handle it. But the thing is, this trainer has never seen me ride before, any horse. And that's what's making this whole thing so hard to judge.
Anyway, we ended up talking for over an hour on the phone and I hope I didnt burn our bridge in terms of her wanting to teach me more here on in by me saying that I will still possibly ride my mare this Friday, or I will perhaps postpone it. She said its ultimately my decision, and I do see her point and mindset when she said that she wants the ground work refined and that when she gets on a horse, she wants it to be "special". But if I was to ride my mare (even if it was 15mins), and say it went really well...that she would be upset and hold the grudge against me because I didnt take her advice.
She said that she would like to see me ride the lesson mare. But the thing is, I dont think my riding coach would be okay with this. Infact Im almost certain (and if its not her, then it would be the BO who wouldnt be okay with this) in terms of having another trainer audit while she teaches me.
She said that I would have to find some way to politely ask my riding coach about whether or not she would allow this. I can tell you right now, she would not even be okay with me recording our lesson, let alone have an outside trainer (that she doesnt know) to audit.
Another reason why my outside trainer wants to audit me ride is to get a sense of how my current riding coach teaches riding and to make sure that it's similar enough to her style in terms of lightness. Now, her and I went on quite a bit about this during tonights phone call, and from what I told her in terms of the style that I've been taught, she (I, as well) has full confidence that the style that what ive been learning from my riding coach isnt any different from her style. It may be a bit different, but not enough to have her concerned in terms of me learning two styles and having to unlearn one to relearn another.
I dont know what to do now. I need to make a decision on which route Im going to take. EIther way, there will be some possible hostility and bitterness towards one of the trainers, which will it be?
As you all know I have been feeling the heat over the past couple months or so (its picked up over the past month), boarders asking me when I'm going to ride my mare. Everyone asking me when Im going to ride my mare.
I have gotten enough confidence about a month ago but I just wanted to make sure I refined that confidence and waited it out a bit more. I figured the extra practice on my lesson mare cant hurt right?
My BO has watched my ride quite a bit so he knows where Im at. He has said to me that he's felt I was ready 2 months ago. He even said to me yesterday as we were talking (in a friendly voice with a wink) "are you going to ride her next lesson?" He's a great guy, and we have a great relationship (we often chat and our convos turn out to be 30, 45 or even 60min conversations lol), so I don't feel pressured at all by him when he asks because Ive gotten comfortable enough with him over the past months to really be comfortable with his sense of humour.
He is a great mentor for advice and information and I learn a lot from him. He just cracks jokes, but not in an uninsulting way, but in a encouraging and positive upbeat way.
He's told me in the past that he finds my commitment and attitude in willing to learn by being so proactive about it to be refreshing and nice to see and that he wants to see me succeed with my mare.
So today was my first riding lesson in 2.5 weeks (trainer was on vac), she said to me right away "So when are you going to ride ____?"...."It's definitely time."...."You are more than ready and capable."....."You need to get on her." She wasn't pressuring me at all, she was just giving me her honest opinion and I told her I really appreciated it.
I told her that I'm confident if I was to get on her today and the reasons why I've been holding off the past couple months - to make sure my confidence is sure confidence and that Im more than ready.
After today's riding lesson on the lesson mare that I always ride, she said it was my best lesson to date and I agree. It was my best lesson to date. She said to definitely ride my mare and would suggest it as soon as next lesson. "The sooner the better"...."Riding her will take the both of you to the next step"...."You need to make this step."
I suggested that she ride her first to see how she is, (this will be the 2nd time she has been ridden in over 4 months, the other time was by the saddle fitter), and the trainer said that was what she would suggest as well. She can get on her, feel for her and if it takes 5mins for perhaps any over energy to extert or corrections before i get on her, or 25mins, its best for her to get on and assess first.Just to see how she is and make sure its fine for me to get on right after. She said to keep it short, 15-20mins and she has full confidence in me being able to ride her with no problems.
She said the most important thing is to get on her and once I do it will be a huge building block leading to the next time I ride her. All she kept saying was "Its time, its time!" To be honest, she came across as a bit annoyed by me holding off on riding her for this long lol. Maybe she wasn't annoyed but she definitely meant it when she said it.
Her and the BO are both believers that once I start riding her, more dots will start to connect, more things will start to come together more.
Now, I have my next riding lesson booked for Friday afternoon. Right now, I told my trainer that yes, I will ride her but with the trainer riding her first to assess. If my mare is full of it that day, she obviously wont have me ride.
Now, I was talking with my outside trainer just now and she is scheduled to come out Wed afternoon to do more groundwork with my mare and I. She said that if ___ was "her horse", she wouldnt get on her. She said that its ultimately up to me, but I should hold off on riding my mare until we get the groundwork more refined. Cause she said that my mare's groundwork is still not up there to where it should be. According to the Parelli program, I'm still at Phase 1.
But also she said that she has incredibly high standards when it comes to having a horses groundwork refined on the ground before even thinking of getting on their back. She is worried that my mare may test and I won't know how to correct or handle it. But the thing is, this trainer has never seen me ride before, any horse. And that's what's making this whole thing so hard to judge.
Anyway, we ended up talking for over an hour on the phone and I hope I didnt burn our bridge in terms of her wanting to teach me more here on in by me saying that I will still possibly ride my mare this Friday, or I will perhaps postpone it. She said its ultimately my decision, and I do see her point and mindset when she said that she wants the ground work refined and that when she gets on a horse, she wants it to be "special". But if I was to ride my mare (even if it was 15mins), and say it went really well...that she would be upset and hold the grudge against me because I didnt take her advice.
She said that she would like to see me ride the lesson mare. But the thing is, I dont think my riding coach would be okay with this. Infact Im almost certain (and if its not her, then it would be the BO who wouldnt be okay with this) in terms of having another trainer audit while she teaches me.
She said that I would have to find some way to politely ask my riding coach about whether or not she would allow this. I can tell you right now, she would not even be okay with me recording our lesson, let alone have an outside trainer (that she doesnt know) to audit.
Another reason why my outside trainer wants to audit me ride is to get a sense of how my current riding coach teaches riding and to make sure that it's similar enough to her style in terms of lightness. Now, her and I went on quite a bit about this during tonights phone call, and from what I told her in terms of the style that I've been taught, she (I, as well) has full confidence that the style that what ive been learning from my riding coach isnt any different from her style. It may be a bit different, but not enough to have her concerned in terms of me learning two styles and having to unlearn one to relearn another.
I dont know what to do now. I need to make a decision on which route Im going to take. EIther way, there will be some possible hostility and bitterness towards one of the trainers, which will it be?