Getting Older

Success comes one day at a time.

Unfortunately, each day, with that success, age is creeping up too!

Brief school update

Ended up with A's in all of my classes.  Not too bad considering I am working [more than] full time and full time class.  Let's hope that next semester goes as well. 

Horses

The girls were good this weekend.  I rode both Friday and Saturday.  Friday, the gal that's been riding The Semi Feral Mare wanted to know more about mounting bareback.  I tried to coach her through the process, but not too much success.  It takes a large amount of upper body strength and figuring out a different center of gravity than many women have.  Men seem to have a better center of gravity and can swing up more easily.

As for myself, I could never swing up well.  I dislocated my left shoulder and had some other shoulder injuries from swimming in my former life.  ;)  I have just used the "belly up" method of mounting a horse bareback.

The mare was a good sport for all of these shenanigans. 

Besides trying to feel out of shape, I just worked with the basics with both girls. 

The Mare had some great trot sets with an easy consistent pace.  When her trot was going well, it was a joy to ask her to canter and I ended up with her very smooth, happy rocking horse canter. 

A far cry from the running away, bulging shoulder scramble she used to do.

The filly, I worked on trying to forget about the head and worry more about the bend, going straight, and being consistent.

I also asked her to canter from a particular point...trying to give her enough of a cue/warning with my body to prepare her and to let her carry herself easily around the arena.  It's hard sometimes with a smaller, maneuverable horse to try and ask her to turn more sharply than I ought to.  She falls out of the canter and gets frustrated.  I get frustrated because she stopped cantering.

Rule number one should be set the horse up for success.  Duly noted.  Let the little horse figure out how to carry my weight, easily canter, just ask for a proper bend while cantering and everything else comes together.  Amazing how that works.  

Unlock the jaw while cantering and her head would come down.  Give her a big smooth circle and she is more comfortable lifting and carrying through in the canter.

Perhaps there are good things about getting older.  Maybe I'll eventually figure out how to be the rider my horses deserve.

Or maybe I'll die from these sore ribs and my very sore back from trying to be 18 again and vaulting onto my horse!