BOGO: Lesson Recaps 8/6 and 8/14

Checking to see if flower filler is actually edible

In all the excitement of the Hunter Pace last weekend I completely forgot to do a lesson recap from my lesson on Saturday and that's too bad because it was great!

Last Saturday I had a sleepy, low energy pony. Between just not wanting to push her when she was in a good mood and behaving and knowing that she was going to need to expend a lot of energy the next day we took it easy and mainly focused on me. I had let L know what Jane had worked on with me so we focused on helping me keep my back straighter and on how I used my upper body.

Katai was extremely good and was letting me focus on myself and just bopping around despite me flopping around on her like a sack of potatoes and going through all sorts of weird contortions with my body.

About half way through the lesson L called me over and we started identifying what parts of my body need to go where. My lesson with Jane was extremely helpful because she wouldn't let me put my body wrong even once, L usually doesn't call me on things that consistently BUT, Jane didn't break things down in that lesson and focus on muscles and that was what L did on my lesson. She identified the muscle I needed to use as the muscle right above the Kegel muscle (haha)  when all along I've been tightening muscles too far up in my abdomen.

Seriously lacking media but this is my little car at the barn

She walked me through how tightening those muscles meant that I could still breath (pretty important in doing anything well it turns out) while still using my pelvis correctly and when I got it right it felt amazing! I was actually able to control my body when posting while holding myself in the correct position and once I got it Katai clearly relaxed and was more comfortable through her back.

The whole rest of my lesson L was yelling something along the lines of don't forget to use your Kegel muscles! haha

Then today I was able to pretty much continue where we left off before. We pushed Katai a little more but we also worked more on my position through my arms and elbows and focused on my position at the canter. Between the two of us we identified just how much I've been relying on the wrong parts of my body to center myself in the saddle and as soon as we moved one thing a bunch of other pieces fell apart. Right at the end of the lesson I had about 2 seconds of really correct canter position that was the best I've had.

Now I just have to practice this week as well as I did last week so that I can continue to make progress. I feel like for so long I was so much more advanced than Katai that I was always teaching her things and now I feel like she's further along than I am. The exciting thing is that now our progress feels like it's more reliant on me making changes and that's really empowering!

July Goals Recap

Previous Goals Recap:

1. Proper bend to each direction - I honestly think this is something we should have better by this point. I’m sure if I were a more advanced rider that this would be more consistent than we have it right now. I’m going to just keep working and improving my skills at this.
-Meh, I just wasn’t able to dressage consistently enough in July for this to get any better. Between the weather, my travel, and moving her back and forth to the other barn (and all the drama that entailed) I just haven’t had many regular dressage rides. Luckily she hasn’t back slid (much) but I also didn’t make much dressage-y progress.

2. Work outside - I just need to get her outside as much as I can and for as many different activities as possible
-Yes! I’m getting so much better that this! Pretty much every day that I could, where the weather cooperated, I rode outside.

3. Do chiropractor prescribed stretches before every ride (also getting a massage book so that I can do some of this myself :)
-Meh, mainly just because I wasn’t doing these before outdoor rides or lunging sessions and I didn’t have many dressage rides so I didn’t do many stretches with her. I am a ways into the massage book so going to continue working on that!

August Goals:

1. Work Outside – Yes it went well last month but I need a reminder to continue to make this a priority. Soon it will be snowy and icy outside and impossible so I need to get out while we can.

2. Stretchy Trot – I think from the lack of rides and all the trailering drama Katai has been tight and tense through her back. I want to head it off by doing a lot more stretchy work this month and really confirming that I can get her to stretch out when I ask for it.

3. Massage – As mentioned previously I’m partway through the book I got (really good book by the way and I’ll do a review at some point) and want to finish this up and start practicing on Katai.

4. Strength – In previous posts I’ve mentioned that I’ve really let my strength go. A combination of just not riding as often, and doing more trail riding, and letting my normal riding workout go which means that I’ve lost a lot of strength. It means that I’m flopping around up there and that’s making Katai crabby (I really don’t blame her) and tense. I also want to work on Katai’s strength and add more cantering into our workouts since she’s wearing out pretty quick for how far we are along at this point.

5. Ride More – This is the biggest goal and will make everything else easier. I just need to focus this month on getting out to the barn more.

More Core: Lesson Recap 7/31

I seriously need new content

It feels sort of weird to be back at my barn taking lessons with L when I know that in a month I’ll be at a new barn with a new instructor. It feels odd that I spent a few days there an took a lesson and now I won’t be back until September. At any rate, for completely unrelated reasons, I just wasn’t feeling it at my lesson on Sunday.

My BM actually asked me if anything was wrong when I got to the barn (I didn’t realize my body language made it that clear) but I was tired, out of it, and just not feeling like riding at all much less in a lesson. The weather was beautiful, if a little humid, and I’d been up for a while and had my favorite coffee. I was feeling fine, just not wanting to be there. I got Katai groomed and tacked up and met L in the ring. We started a little early since the previous rider wasn’t there (she’s getting a new Pomeranian puppy!!).

We chatted for a while about the plan for the next month which is basically to push both me and Katai since we know that we’ll go backwards a bit when we get to the new barn. L wants to be sure I have as many tools as possible to deal with an ornery pony which I very much appreciate.

It was clear pretty early in our warmup that Katai was feeling even less motivated than I was. They’re still on night turnout and were getting turned in just around the time that I got there so I think she was looking forward to bed and hay and not a riding lesson. I also have the feeling that there was a lot of pony partying overnight since it’s been a little cooler. Amazingly enough she wasn’t crabby, just sleepy and sluggish. Because of that L decided to work on transitions within the gait at a trot. She told me that when pony is sleepy like that and sluggish it’s exactly the time to work on spicing her up and not on a day when she’s already spicy.

At first Katai wanted to just run and canter when I asked for more but eventually she gave us some really nice floaty lengthening’s and her more collected work at the trot was the best that it’s been. It did certainly get her spiced up and after doing it to the left she didn’t want to walk at all going to the right. After getting the walk for half a circle we went to the right and she did really well that way as well.

As we worked into the lesson she asked a bit about what Jane had worked on with me and was working on my position as well. We talked about how I’ve let my core go and that it’s not always as bad as it is when Katai is rushing (like she was at Jane’s) but I still need to use it more. I felt especially like a floppy bag of potatoes in this lesson which sucks. I just haven’t been riding as regularly since spring. Between everything going on I’ve been riding more like 2-3 times per week (trail rides and lunging don’t count) if I’m lucky. I just need to start working out more regularly again and of course riding more regularly now.

I was still in a bit of a funk throughout the lesson. I’m going to really miss L and I think that it’s effecting me more subconsciously than I realize. I was having a tough really giving my all in the lesson and I HATE that. I want to always do my best especially when I’m working with someone like L. At any rate, by the end of the lesson I’d broken through it a bit and when we talked about plans and what I needed to work on for myself and Katai I was feeling better and actually left the lesson with some of my missing motivation. Now, for some unexplainable reason, I’m feeling really motivated. I feel like after a few months where I haven’t been able to find that consistent riding schedule that works I’m sort of back on track since there aren’t any big plans to derail me over the next few months. Now I just need to actually ride!

Another Personal Fitness Post

Since my last post about gaining strength and loosing weight I've lost another 10 pounds which means I've lost over 40 so far. I have a bit more to loose and definitely want to continue to improve my fitness level but it is amazing how much easier everything is now!

When I was trying saddles on Katai I found out that my 16.5" niedersuss that fit snugly now almost feels big to me. I can also really tell the difference in my core strength. Then there is the fact that I have removed nearly the weight of a bag of grain from my girls backs. I am now well under 20% of Katai's body weight which is an awesome feeling :)

I will continue to work out at the gym and I'm hoping to do a mud run or two this summer to help me continue to work toward my goal. Bronze medal here we come!