riding lessons

I am slowly discovering things about my body as my riding lessons progress.

Remember the issue I was having with balance, how I kept falling to the side? Last Saturday we were doing a bit of trotting as well as loping. Without fail, when I started to lope, I'd lean to the right and my left foot would pop out of the stirrup and I'd have to stop the horse before I fell off completely. Thankfully, these horses have a very good "Whoa". Jason was wondering if it was my saddle, then one of the girls that helps out with lessons suggested that I try going the opposite direction in the arena. Wouldn't you know, I didn't lean nearly as badly!! That got me thinking...for years I have always felt that my right shoulder is lower than my left...but it is something that I have "accepted" and lived with and forgot about (until Saturday as I pondered why I kept leaning in the saddle). My head has a natural slight tilt to the left. I was at my chiropractor's this morning and asked him about it, if my spine looked crooked, etc., and he said that it was minimal and wouldn't make a difference. He said that my shoulders are straight, even when it doesn't feel so to me.

Hmmm. I bought myself a 75cm exercise ball this morning and will do some of the exercises that were wonderfully suggested to me earlier in this forum. I need to work on balancing myself better and getting the right feel. Any further suggestions or tweaking would be greatly appreciated!!

A thought being an equine massage therapist: if you have injured yourself or were off for a time muscles can remember that. Try going to a massage therapist instead. Your muscles may be remembering something your bones/you no longer do.

An example in horsey terms I see a lot is racehorses. They primarily run on the left lead. An ottb I knew and worked on had been adjusted by a chyro and his owner just brushed off him favoring the left lead to being trained on the track. Three massages and a different training routine hes as even as ever. Even though they practiced going both ways his muscles remembered the strenuous training on the track.
Another example is my friends standardbred. When he was being driven he constantly wanted to pull with his head up. They wanted him to be a pleasure driving horse. They tried everything from driving him without a check to different harness, lighter carts etc. Finally massage, a chyropractor and a running martingale re-trained his muscles and hes become a superb driving horse without any checks or martingales to hold his head where it is. When they rode him he could put his head down. Because of the way his muscles had been trained he didn't know how to use himself and found it difficult to get his head down when pulling.

Good thoughts, Sydney.

I can't remember really hurting myself, because I can't really remember how long I've been this way. I was thinking that it could've been from a neck injury I had about sixteen years ago, but that can't be, because I know I was aware of it before then. I have no idea where this stems from. Probably some childhood/teenage tomfoolery that I've forgotten about.

My chiropractor practices the "non-force" technique (a really interesting and non-traditional form of chiropractic), and he works with muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc., so I would think that if there was something that could be done for me, he would've done it by now. He's the one who fixed up my neck injury that I'd suffered with for eight years before I found him. Who would've thought that lifting a toddler above you while lying on the floor could do so much damage?!

There is a lady I know of who does the Bowen method. I wonder if she might help. I've been to massage therapists in the past and found that they never helped the problems I was dealing with (their work never helped my neck injury, that's why I searched until I found my chiropractor). I'll call up this other lady and see what happens.

I just found out last month that one of Fanny's vets does animal chiropractic. I'd like him to work on her as well as my dogs, or at least check them out. The initial treatment is over $200 though, then I think each one after that is around $100. Probably worth it though.

Sorry, I'm rambling again.

Ramble on, Cyndi, that's how we all learn new stuff!

Okay, today at riding lessons we did a lot more trotting and loping than we have before. Part of that was because it was so stinking cold in the arena, we had to do something to keep warm!! Come on spring!!!

I was riding the little Quarter Horse mare again today, and I'm still using the treed Western saddle - ouch, my bum! I feel I made real progress today, not only in riding, but also in 'leadership'. I was able to get the horse to trot without much leg action, and I was also able to get her to lope without help from the people on the ground! The biggest thing I noticed - I rode the lope much better when it was ME who initiated it, not the people on the ground. When you ask a horse to lope and it responds, you are building up for it and are more prepared for it. When someone else encourages the horse to lope from the ground, I'm not quite ready for it and that's when I fumble around.

I am much more comfortable in the trot than when I first started - I don't have issues of leaning over at all anymore!! I still have to work on the lope, but it'll come eventually. I loped quite a bit today, and although it wasn't perfect, I wasn't leaning as much. I've been having some Bowen therapy done, so that's supposed to help my balance, but I think that just getting out there and riding is helping a lot.

Today we also focused more on the "rise and fall with the leg on the wall" (did I get that phrase right?). While trotting, we were supposed to look down at the front shoulder, to know when to rise, but I found that that was a distraction. I could feel my way around better than looking, and the instructor said I was doing it right, so I will just keep at it.

In regards to the lope, I have to learn how to move my hips/pelvis better, with the movement of the horse, rather than just bouncing up and down. I have incentive to learn this - the treed saddle hurts my bum when I bounce!!! LOL Because the seat is deeper and more secure than my treeless saddle, the instructor still wants me to use the treed saddle. When I learn to quit bouncing in it, then maybe I'll be ready to move back to my saddle. I sure hope so.

The most important thing you said was "but I think that just getting out there and riding is helping a lot. " It's great to hear about your activities and listen to your confidence grow.
When I was teaching my kids to ride we had no arena so we had to ride in the fields and me and my husband used to stand about 30 yards apart and get the children to walk away from one and trot to the other. With 3 kids and one frisky little pony there was a lot of 'me next' 'my turn now', but they did get to initiate the pace and as you so rightly said it's easier if you ask for a pace rather than being a passenger. We incrased the distance as the kids got better and pretty soon they were galloping back to us. Kept the pony fit too. Maybe this is something that would work with Fanny when you want to progress with her.

About the saddle. I have a torsion treeless which is very similar to your barefoot and a total saddle solutions saddle (which cost more than my pony even though I got it half price off ebay) and though I love my Torsion it doesn't support your leg as well as a treed saddle. Tthe solutions saddle with it's knee and thigh blocks makes a hughe difference to my leg position and after years of riding in the Torsion I have al last been able to improve my leg position for dressage. Keep up the bulletins

Fin

Hi Fin.

I've never heard of the total saddle solutions saddle. There sure are a lot of treeless saddles out there these days, aren't there? I just noticed in an e-flyer that I got from a tack store close by that she has Cashel soft saddles on sale. I wonder if she has any "for hire" that I could try.

My Barefoot saddle is very soft and comfy, but we (my husband and I) are thinking that it's the wrong size. I wanted to be safe and ordered the size 2, but I really should've ordered the size 1. We rode Fanny today and when she trotted I was feeling like I was going to fall off again. I've been fine with the treed saddles at my lessons, so I'm thinking that my saddle is the issue. That makes me very sad.

I like what you and your husband did with your kids, to help them learn to ride. I can feel my confidence growing, and that is such a good feeling.

Is it a western? A good way to tell if it's too big. Put a hand between the swells and your thigh when you are sitting normally. If you can fit a hand or more you could use a smaller seat size.

It's kind of an endurance-style saddle. Here's a website for a Canadian dealer (there are only two dealers in Canada) http://www.happyhorsebacksaddles.ca/ My saddle is the Cheyenne model.

I just sat on the saddle, which is sitting on top of a tote, so I don't know how accurate my measurements are. When I sit with my bum snug against the cantle, I have about five inches between my crotch and the pommel. However, the way I was sitting, my thighs were only about a finger's width away from the pommel's lower edge. I need to open up my pelvis more...I'm working on it!!

Sounds like you're getting there Cyndi, keep up the good work!

I am finding out that riding lessons can be really emotional and healing.

I rode a new horse today. His name is Sonny, and he's a large paint. I have been avoiding riding him because he is 'lazy' and whoever rides him has to carry a crop with them and use it quite a bit. Jason chose Sonny for me today, to help me learn to be more 'assertive'. Well, I'm happy to say that Sonny and I got along very well, and I hardly had to use the crop at all, and when I did, I didn't "whack" him with it, it was more of a tap to get his attention. This is the first time I've ridden a horse that maintained gait at the trot!! He maintained a jog or a trot for so long, that I got out of rhythm with posting! That's never happened before. I did some loping, and did better than ever before, although it wasn't pretty.

Now the emotional and healing part of the lesson... When Jason was shortening my stirrups for me while I was on Sonny, he was teasing me about riding Sonny and having to be more assertive and strong. He said I am a very kind person, but I need to be 'stronger' with the horses. He said that I reminded him of a movie character who is the quiet and kind person who gets picked on all the time, then she gets backed into a corner and comes out with some kung-fu moves and fights her way out. It was funny, yet it really hit me. I told him that what he said brought tears to my eyes because when I was growing up, I was the kid who got picked on!!! He gave me a little pep talk, encouraging me, then topped it off with a sweet little compliment and sent me on my way. I totally didn't expect him to do that.

It sunk in that I am not the quiet, shy, doormat I used to be, and that I was here, learning to ride horses, which is what I've always wanted to do...and there was no one telling me I could never accomplish it, or make fun of me for trying. It gave me a boost of self confidence and I rode the best that I've ever ridden (except for not looking "pretty" during the lope...or losing my rhythm while posting). I can feel the healing coming...

What a great story. Because you are a kind person you didn't equate 'strong' with 'rough' or 'harsh' and have now worked out that 'strong' is a state of mind when you are around horses. Well done, especially as you didn't have to hit Sonny to get him to go for you, you did it with positive thinking and a bit of a compliment!

While I think you are right to notice all your asymetries and problems with your body and how they impact on your riding, have a look at Lee pearson, the gold medal dressage para olympian. Every time I have aches or pains and think I can't do something I think of him and his enormous horse, Blue Circle Boy. If you haven't heard of him, just google and see what I mean.

Thats so good! I am glad you are having fun and learning something about yourself when you work with horses. I think we all do just some never say it.

Also as soon as I find the name of the product I seen this neat saddle level that helps you ride balanced. I thought of you when I seen it but I can't find it now, must google some more.

Hi Fin!

I checked out Lee Pearson - WOW!! What an inspiration! His horse is gorgeous!

Realizing that strong didn't mean harsh was a big thing for me. These wonderful riding lessons are freeing me in many ways. This is a dream come true, and it is helping me to work through issues with low self esteem and low self confidence that I 'acquired' during my childhood years (right through my teens too). As I gain confidence in riding lessons, I feel a bit of my past flaking away.

Sydney, let me know when you get the info on the saddle level. It sounds interesting. My Bowen therapy seems to be helping my balance too.

Do you get John Lyons' magazine, "Perfect Horse"? He has a really neat article on groundwork in the most recent magazine, complete with photos, but I want to see his hand placement in a couple of the photos, but his horse is blocking my view I think I know what he's saying to do, but I thought that if you were familiar with him, you'd be able to help me.

I seen it in the new horse and rider magazine for March (ups of having a friend that works at a tack shop) Since I didn't buy that mag I'll ask her tomorrow to look in the back and see what it is called. I keep trying to look on google but nothing like it comes up.

It was this level that slid over the horn on a western saddle (I assume they have english too) and told you if you were leaning in one direction or the other. I thought it was such a useful tool! If they would have had them in the tack shop then I would have bought one. I guess you could make one though for any saddle. I think I might try I have a level that has the end busted off it so it's not too useful anymore.