I've been having some great "moving in the right direction" rides with Ollie lately. We both seem to be more settled although we still have our moments.
I think the key has been to work with him consistently even if it's only for a short period of time in a day. I'm also working on keeping his attention on our work. He has a quick mind so this part has been difficult but thanks to the videos in the
Retired Racehorse Training Project I've been able to get some good ideas!
I LOVE Brazilian Wedding! Just saying.. It may be a gray thing.
At any rate, I feel like Ollie is learning to trust me more and we're moving forward. I'm ready for a lesson so we can continue to keep this up! Don't worry, I've contacted Julie for a lesson in the very near future.
In the meantime, here are some photos which will demonstrate the ugly, the bad and the good!
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| I kinda like this photo. We both look relaxed and I'm asking him to leg yield on our circle and he's doing it! |
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| Can you see what is so GLARINGLY wrong in this photo? There's alot wrong but there's one thing that is GLARINGLY wrong. I'm a trier. I'll keep trying to improve. LOL! Now if I could only stop bracing my left leg... |
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| We look cute going over the trot poles. Although I've got my lean going on along with that darned braced left leg. ARGH! |
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| I like this too because Ollie looks so great although my position isn't the best. I have a good horse! |
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| The beginning of a tense moment over the "trot" poles. |
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| Ollie - Canter? Really? |
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| Another view of our inadvertent canter over the poles. |
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| But we regrouped and relaxed again. |
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| He has the best facial expressions |
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Photos and videos of yourself are good as long as you take them in the right way. I absolutely cringe when I see myself. I mean c'mon! I know I have a seat like this ;)
But alas, when I see those photos of myself, the proverbial 2x4 hits me in the head and I realize how much work I need to do. But I don't get down about it! I'm having a good time trying to reach my riding goals and I can clearly see that I'm not stressing out my happy go lucky horse. He's a very good boy.
We'll post more about our progress! I think this year could be a break through for us...
I think you guys look great and Ollie looks bouncy and happy. I agree, Brazilian Wedding is my fave too! I love what he's doing with her!!
ReplyDeleteAt least we are working on all of it! I think you two look great and Ollie looks like he is having fun!
ReplyDeleteLoving the ground level canter photo. Looks like a productive and enjoyable ride.
ReplyDeleteWe're all our own worst critics--I think you guys look fantastic! But I know, I completely cringe when I see photos of myself riding, too. I don't *feel* like my hands are in my lap or I'm in the hunter perch, but the photos prove otherwise. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd hey, if we could *all* ride like Edward Gal (did I get that right--??), where would the fun be in it?!
His expression in that last photo = CUUUUUUUUUUTE!!! :-) Glad you two are having a good time and making progress.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, EG may have a good seat, but I don't care for the way Totilas is over-bent. (But then, I've never been that horse's biggest fan anyway)
Ollie's ears are so cute when they are opposite directions like that... (in the relaxed/ regrouped photo after the poles)
ReplyDeletePhotos and videos make me cringe too (except for when the photographer at a show actually gets one that is just right- and my horses are clean!)- but we can learn SO much from them! thanks for sharing!
I love the way you contrast yourself to the competitive dressage rider and showed the pics. It really brought a smile to my face. Funnily enough though, using visualization is very important to help improve our riding. The advice I've received from my coach is to visualize the Olympic riders completing their tasks and then visualize myself doing it. So you are no far off the mark! Love your blog. Best of luck with your horses and please keep us updated.
ReplyDeleteHey Wendy you have a facebook PM:)
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