I call my horse Polite Society, which brings with it the unfortunate initials of PS. Though I think Postscript could be a cute name for a horse. I was brainstorming horse names at the barn today and here's the short list: Afterthought, Shoelace, Nothin' Doin', Berries, Bell Bottom and Macguffin.
I had my first English lesson with a trainer called Sharon. She's a really tough chick with an alternative bent, and an excellent rider. At a walk, she kept the instructions simple. As a western rider, I wanted to leave my reins loose and hold them in my left hand. Sharon showed me how to hold the reins in both hands, thumbs
Sharon demonstrating technique on Kiwi.
on top, reigns running down through my clasped fingers, with my pinkies on the outside, so that my ring fingers were the ones most in contact with the reigns. Her reasoning had to do with these being my weakest fingers and the weakest muscles in my arms, so less pressure on the bit. But, she had me basically rest my hands low, near the saddle. This created a constant tension between my horse and me, which means connection. I'm a swing dancer, and in Lindy, connection is vital-- if you're the follow (the girl) and either of you lose that tension, you don't know what the lead is asking, and he doesn't know where you are. It's frustrating, and it breaks down your dance. I definitely don't want to do that Polite Society.
{By the bye, I ride with an egg-butt snaffle. Snaffle means the bit breaks in the middle. I have yet to discover why that's helpful, so I'll get back to you, but I do know that an egg butt tapers in toward the middle of the bit, the broken part in our case. Their widths vary, but the shape of the attachment to the cheek rings keeps the bit from pinching. No pinching= happy horse= happy rider}
The second thing Sharon emphasized was isolation. To stay on your horse and give cues, you squeeze with your legs, right? Yes, but Sharon had me focus most of the pressure in my knees, and (attempt to) relax my calves. And rather than put weight into my heels, she had me think less about keeping my heels down and more about keeping my toes up. Same thing, totally different execution. And completely different feeling!
For the first half of the lesson, I thought things were going well. I'd never learned that where I was sitting on Society's back was her weakest point, or that if I threw my weight to one side I could make her fall. "Her entire goal," Sharon explained, "is to keep you centered. If you shift your weight, she will do whatever it takes to remain directly under you." That gave me a sense of power and control without a lot of force. I turned from the waist so that my eyes and chest pointed in the direction I wanted to go, and my body naturally shifted in such a way that my horse followed my lead. I never realized this, but if you're sitting there and rotate just the top of your body to the left, your lower half compensates by moving your right leg forward just a bit, and your left leg goes back. This is enough to let your horse know you're moving and she needs to shift directions to stay centered. In the meantime, those relaxed hands of yours move very slightly, the left one just edging back. With the tension you've already created with the way you hold your reigns, your horse now has a series of subtle, gentle cues, from bit to bum.
During the time I haven't been riding, I've been studying dance, and I'm finding the ballet is helping a lot with the horse. Everything Sharon's taught me so far ties directly into what I've learned in the studio-- keeping your posture, relaxing your shoulders while keeping your muscles engaged, etc. Riding is really just dancing on horseback :)
I had my first English lesson with a trainer called Sharon. She's a really tough chick with an alternative bent, and an excellent rider. At a walk, she kept the instructions simple. As a western rider, I wanted to leave my reins loose and hold them in my left hand. Sharon showed me how to hold the reins in both hands, thumbs
Sharon demonstrating technique on Kiwi.{By the bye, I ride with an egg-butt snaffle. Snaffle means the bit breaks in the middle. I have yet to discover why that's helpful, so I'll get back to you, but I do know that an egg butt tapers in toward the middle of the bit, the broken part in our case. Their widths vary, but the shape of the attachment to the cheek rings keeps the bit from pinching. No pinching= happy horse= happy rider}
The second thing Sharon emphasized was isolation. To stay on your horse and give cues, you squeeze with your legs, right? Yes, but Sharon had me focus most of the pressure in my knees, and (attempt to) relax my calves. And rather than put weight into my heels, she had me think less about keeping my heels down and more about keeping my toes up. Same thing, totally different execution. And completely different feeling!
For the first half of the lesson, I thought things were going well. I'd never learned that where I was sitting on Society's back was her weakest point, or that if I threw my weight to one side I could make her fall. "Her entire goal," Sharon explained, "is to keep you centered. If you shift your weight, she will do whatever it takes to remain directly under you." That gave me a sense of power and control without a lot of force. I turned from the waist so that my eyes and chest pointed in the direction I wanted to go, and my body naturally shifted in such a way that my horse followed my lead. I never realized this, but if you're sitting there and rotate just the top of your body to the left, your lower half compensates by moving your right leg forward just a bit, and your left leg goes back. This is enough to let your horse know you're moving and she needs to shift directions to stay centered. In the meantime, those relaxed hands of yours move very slightly, the left one just edging back. With the tension you've already created with the way you hold your reigns, your horse now has a series of subtle, gentle cues, from bit to bum.
During the time I haven't been riding, I've been studying dance, and I'm finding the ballet is helping a lot with the horse. Everything Sharon's taught me so far ties directly into what I've learned in the studio-- keeping your posture, relaxing your shoulders while keeping your muscles engaged, etc. Riding is really just dancing on horseback :)
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