Back in the Saddle Again
Dec. 2nd, 2003 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prowler1971I missed last week's riding due to a muscle strain. My back was killing me over the weekend and it still hurt Monday, but if I could do it, I wasn't missing riding. (The back pain might actually be kidney stones which I've had before.)
I got to the ranch early and talked to Rick a bit about some issues that concerned me. Elsie was inside the ring running around loose, as was Rick's horse Domino. Apparently Brawny had kicked Elsie and she broke the rope she was tied up with. Brawny? Yup.
So, Frank rode Denmark, Stephen rode Elsie and I rode Brawny. One of the things I had said to Rick was that I didn't believe the problem was the horse, but more to do with me. He was pretty sure part of it was Elsie. Brawny performed like a dream, most of the time, for me. At one point, I could no longer get Brawny to trot. I did get him to cantor at one point which was great. Rick got on Brawny and gave him a little tune up. I took this opportunity to watch his hands a bit closer as I believe this is one of my problems. When I got back on Brawny, I had amazing control over him because I learned I'd had my hand in the wrong place.
Note, when I start jousting, the horse will have to be trained for my hand to be much further from the neck as I'll have a shield in it. But for now, this will help with my general riding skills.
Overall, I felt it was a good lesson. The most important thing I learned was that my horse should be about 1/3 of the way up the horse's neck as opposed to right in front of the saddle horn.
I got to the ranch early and talked to Rick a bit about some issues that concerned me. Elsie was inside the ring running around loose, as was Rick's horse Domino. Apparently Brawny had kicked Elsie and she broke the rope she was tied up with. Brawny? Yup.
So, Frank rode Denmark, Stephen rode Elsie and I rode Brawny. One of the things I had said to Rick was that I didn't believe the problem was the horse, but more to do with me. He was pretty sure part of it was Elsie. Brawny performed like a dream, most of the time, for me. At one point, I could no longer get Brawny to trot. I did get him to cantor at one point which was great. Rick got on Brawny and gave him a little tune up. I took this opportunity to watch his hands a bit closer as I believe this is one of my problems. When I got back on Brawny, I had amazing control over him because I learned I'd had my hand in the wrong place.
Note, when I start jousting, the horse will have to be trained for my hand to be much further from the neck as I'll have a shield in it. But for now, this will help with my general riding skills.
Overall, I felt it was a good lesson. The most important thing I learned was that my horse should be about 1/3 of the way up the horse's neck as opposed to right in front of the saddle horn.
