Wow. What a lesson. Tonight I jumped for the first time!! I don't think camp really counts since I jumped maybe twice. So obviously I'm very excited and happy! It was so fun too, especially when I got to canter over some jumps. And I'm really glad I had this lesson tonight because tomorrow's the first day of school and it really cheered me up and got me thinking about something else.
So tonight I rode Annie, and as always she was being really annoying. She kept trying to pull her head away from me and wanted to eat stuff when I stopped. But in the end I guess I was pretty glad I rode her (haha!). We started out the lesson in the small ring since there was a lesson going on in the big ring. I walked around a little and after a while my instructor told me to pick up a trot. Who knew trotting could be this hard! It took me forever just to get her to walk faster, and even longer to get her to trot. And she did the slowest possible trot she could. I had to use my crop a lot to get her to actually move a little, but once she knew she needed to go faster she stayed pretty fast for the rest of the lesson.
After trotting some figure-eights (some were excruciatingly slow), I got trotting Annie fast enough at a steady pace that my instructor told me I could canter. I tried to get her to pick up the right lead (we were tracking right), but as usual she wouldn't do it so I eventually switched directions. I got the left lead canter but I found it really hard to get her to stay in that canter. She kept speeding up and stopping and speeding up and stopping. I got Annie to canter a little longer but at that point the other riders were moving out of the big ring so we moved over there.
Now comes the really exciting part (for me anyway). There were four jumps set up in the ring. The two farthest away were just some poles flat on the ground (one pole in one and three in the other). The two jumps closest had two tiny crossrails set up on them (the lowest the poles could go). So my instructor told me what to do, and I had to just do it. There wasn't much explanation, which I was okay with since I wanted her to just cut to the chase and let me jump (I was very eager!). So I had to trot in two-point over the set of three poles, trot over the crossrail and keep going to head over the other one. Then I just had to keep trotting over the one pole. It was a little crazy the first time but it got easier the more I did it (and I did it a lot). Also, Annie kept wanting to canter before I went over the three poles, so I had to really tighten up to stop her.
After a while of doing those jumps at a trot my instructor told me that if Annie wanted to canter I could let her canter. So after trotting over the three poles I had to trot over the crossrail and then let Annie canter. Then I was to canter over the second crossrail and over the other pole. The first time I did this I didn't hit the second crossrail straight so Annie kind of leaped over it and we swerved to the middle of the ring. The second time was so much better. I headed towards the jump straight and we cantered right over it and over the other pole. It was so much fun!!! Trotting over jumps is fun too, but the exhilarating feeling of cantering over them is even better. And I wasn't even jumping that high!
So all in all, it was a very productive lesson. I'm pretty proud of myself too, I must say. I also learned (and I told this to my instructor) a lot: I learned how important it is to have loose and relaxed ankles, to look ahead over the jumps, and that I can't give up on Annie. Relaxed ankles really help you absorb the bounce as you go over a jump and even poles. Looking ahead helped Annie know where I wanted her to go - looking down at the jump is just inviting her to slow down or stop. And not giving up on Annie means that I have to keep asking and telling her what I need her to do - whether it be going over a jump or just getting her to trot. Needless to say, I can't wait for next week's lesson. :) And I will try and blog after volunteering, so you can look for that - it will probably be up on Thursday rather than Wednesday. Wish me luck in school tomorrow!!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Volunteering/Working 8/24/11
I have to say, I really did not want to volunteer tonight. I was really tired and my eyes were sore from trying contacts for the first time earlier, but I went anyway. And when I was done, I was really glad that I did.
When I got to the barn, I again wasn't sure what to do. It had been three weeks since I'd last come and I couldn't remember if I should start getting the horses ready or wait for the riders to get there. I ended up waiting, which I now realize I shouldn't have. But I emailed the barn owner today and she told me that I should start grooming and tacking up the horses before the riders get there, so that's what I'll do next week.
Tonight there was only one rider, a young girl named Ruth. I actually went to pony camp with her last summer, so I recognized her. We got Captain ready and we headed up to the ring (a little later than the instructor wanted, but oh well!). For this lesson all I had to do was walk beside Captain and help Ruth if she needed it, like telling her where to go if she forgot. After a long warm-up Ruth was told to trot. For this I had to attach my lead rope to Captain's bridle to help lead Captain and get him to move. And let me tell you, it was really tiring after a while from running alongside Captain. A little later the instructor's daughter set up a small obstacle course, so Ruth did that. That's pretty much all there was to this lesson. When we were done we went on a short trail ride that went alongside the riding ring, down past a pasture, and back onto the gravel driveway that leads to the barn.
When we got to the barn the next lesson's riders, Carlee and Lydeah (I think that's how she spelled it...) were already mostly tacked up. Well, Lydeah was completely ready and Carlee was almost done. Carlee was again riding Fresca and Lydeah was riding Chachi after returning from a month long break. Much like three weeks ago, I didn't really have to do anything during this lesson, except for the occasional poop clean up. I also was told to tell Carlee if she needed to look ahead or fix her feet on the stirrups. Lydeah was more independent of the two of them, so she didn't really need help at all. So they warmed up their horses with lots of circles, and then they took turns trotting around the ring to catch up to the other horse. Eventually, towards the end of the lesson, Carlee and Lydeah moved into the small ring so Lydeah could canter a little. She's just started to though, so she didn't canter for long. Both Carlee and Lydeah had family watching, so I guess they wanted to show off the canter a little. The instructor even asked me to go down to the barn to get Lydeah's grandmother so she could watch her canter.
Anyway, all in all, I'd say it was a pretty relaxing night, and I again earned a whopping five dollars!! It's better than nothing I guess. Every little bit counts towards paying for my lessons, so in the end I think it's worth it. Unfortunately, next week is my last week of volunteering, because school starts on Monday (nooo!) and I'm not sure I can juggle volunteering and homework in the same night. Maybe I'll be able to help again in October, but I've decided to not help in September. So you can at least look forward to one more blog post about it next week! :)
When I got to the barn, I again wasn't sure what to do. It had been three weeks since I'd last come and I couldn't remember if I should start getting the horses ready or wait for the riders to get there. I ended up waiting, which I now realize I shouldn't have. But I emailed the barn owner today and she told me that I should start grooming and tacking up the horses before the riders get there, so that's what I'll do next week.
Tonight there was only one rider, a young girl named Ruth. I actually went to pony camp with her last summer, so I recognized her. We got Captain ready and we headed up to the ring (a little later than the instructor wanted, but oh well!). For this lesson all I had to do was walk beside Captain and help Ruth if she needed it, like telling her where to go if she forgot. After a long warm-up Ruth was told to trot. For this I had to attach my lead rope to Captain's bridle to help lead Captain and get him to move. And let me tell you, it was really tiring after a while from running alongside Captain. A little later the instructor's daughter set up a small obstacle course, so Ruth did that. That's pretty much all there was to this lesson. When we were done we went on a short trail ride that went alongside the riding ring, down past a pasture, and back onto the gravel driveway that leads to the barn.
When we got to the barn the next lesson's riders, Carlee and Lydeah (I think that's how she spelled it...) were already mostly tacked up. Well, Lydeah was completely ready and Carlee was almost done. Carlee was again riding Fresca and Lydeah was riding Chachi after returning from a month long break. Much like three weeks ago, I didn't really have to do anything during this lesson, except for the occasional poop clean up. I also was told to tell Carlee if she needed to look ahead or fix her feet on the stirrups. Lydeah was more independent of the two of them, so she didn't really need help at all. So they warmed up their horses with lots of circles, and then they took turns trotting around the ring to catch up to the other horse. Eventually, towards the end of the lesson, Carlee and Lydeah moved into the small ring so Lydeah could canter a little. She's just started to though, so she didn't canter for long. Both Carlee and Lydeah had family watching, so I guess they wanted to show off the canter a little. The instructor even asked me to go down to the barn to get Lydeah's grandmother so she could watch her canter.
Anyway, all in all, I'd say it was a pretty relaxing night, and I again earned a whopping five dollars!! It's better than nothing I guess. Every little bit counts towards paying for my lessons, so in the end I think it's worth it. Unfortunately, next week is my last week of volunteering, because school starts on Monday (nooo!) and I'm not sure I can juggle volunteering and homework in the same night. Maybe I'll be able to help again in October, but I've decided to not help in September. So you can at least look forward to one more blog post about it next week! :)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Lesson 8/22/11
Yesterday's weather was perfect - not just for riding, but in general. It was sunny but breezy and not too hot. And it was a much needed break from all the thunderstorms we've been having lately.
When I got to the stable I was happy to find the barn owner there, and she asked me if I had gotten my ribbons. I took the opportunity to tell her that I did but I wasn't exactly sure what they were for, so she told me that the big purple one was just for attending pony camp, and that the blue first place one was for winning the costume contest (remember our underwater themed horse?)! We then talked a little about next month. I think I'll be going back to having my lesson at 5 o'clock, which I miss doing. I don't really like having to eat dinner really early to get there on time.
Unfortunately, when me and Jess went into the barn we were told that our horses were both up in the ring so we had to wait for a while. I guess it was easier since we didn't have to groom or tack up, but I actually really like doing it so I can familiarize myself with the horse I'm riding (I rode Captain again today). All we had to do when the riders came down to the barn was switch out the saddles. Then we headed up to the riding ring.
For the first half of the lesson we were in the small ring since there was a lesson being held in the big ring (there were a lot of overlapping lessons tonight - a different one every half hour!). So Jess and I warmed up our horses with S-curves at the walk. I also practiced some bending with Captain around the corners to help his body loosen up. When we were warmed up we did some trotting. My main goal was to get Captain moving since he was being especially slow tonight. I got him to do a fairly fast trot, but he could have done it much faster if he was actually trying.
When the other riders were done with their lesson we headed over to the big ring. We did some figure-eights at the walk and then we moved on to figure-eights at the trot. By this point I had gotten Captain into a pretty decent trot that I was pretty happy with. He also tried to avoid some corners but after a while I learned to prepare him earlier for what I wanted him to do and he got better at turning when I wanted him to. After a little while we did some trot in two-point. Captain usually slows down when I do two-point and he did this time as well, but I eventually got him to keep his earlier pace. It was harder to do the turns though since I have less control in two-point - my hands have to stay on his neck for me to keep my balance. Again though, I got that I just had to prepare earlier for my turns and look ahead where I'm going so Captain knows where I want him to go.
After that we took a small break and Jess and I took turns cantering. I got to go first while she walked in the center of the ring. At first I just did plain old cantering around the ring with no specific starting or ending points, just so I could get ready to do more complicated things. And I have to say it again - I love Captain's canter! It's just so comfortable. Anyway, once Jess did some cantering it was my turn again, and this time I had to do a figure-eight. At first I had some trouble keeping Captain in a canter when we headed towards the middle of the ring to switch directions, but once my instructor told me to ask him to trot at a certain point and then canter at a certain point, I got better at keeping Captain cantering when I wanted him to. It also helped with down-transitions, which I've said before is something I'd like to work on.
After the figure-eight I got to canter around the whole outside of the ring again, but this time I had to tell my instructor what letters I wanted to stop and start at (remember there are letters placed around the ring to use for dressage). I told her I wanted to canter at K, trot at H, canter at M, and trot again at F (basically cantering on the long sides and trotting on the short sides). After a couple times my canter transitions were pretty much spot on. But then Captain started to speed up and it was harder for me to post, and he kept cantering when I wanted him to trot, so the transitions got a lot harder. Overall though, I think me and Captain did pretty well tonight. My instructor even said that next week, since I'll have a private lesson (Jess is going to college on Thursday!) I'll get to start working on crossrails - meaning jumping!! I'm very excited to start actually learning to jump in a lesson setting, rather than all the confusion I got from camp.
I'll definitely try and blog as soon as possible next week, but I might not get to it for a while because that's the first day of school (yikes). And don't forget to check my blog tomorrow night (or Thursday, whenever I get to it) for my post about volunteering/working with lessons!
When I got to the stable I was happy to find the barn owner there, and she asked me if I had gotten my ribbons. I took the opportunity to tell her that I did but I wasn't exactly sure what they were for, so she told me that the big purple one was just for attending pony camp, and that the blue first place one was for winning the costume contest (remember our underwater themed horse?)! We then talked a little about next month. I think I'll be going back to having my lesson at 5 o'clock, which I miss doing. I don't really like having to eat dinner really early to get there on time.
Unfortunately, when me and Jess went into the barn we were told that our horses were both up in the ring so we had to wait for a while. I guess it was easier since we didn't have to groom or tack up, but I actually really like doing it so I can familiarize myself with the horse I'm riding (I rode Captain again today). All we had to do when the riders came down to the barn was switch out the saddles. Then we headed up to the riding ring.
For the first half of the lesson we were in the small ring since there was a lesson being held in the big ring (there were a lot of overlapping lessons tonight - a different one every half hour!). So Jess and I warmed up our horses with S-curves at the walk. I also practiced some bending with Captain around the corners to help his body loosen up. When we were warmed up we did some trotting. My main goal was to get Captain moving since he was being especially slow tonight. I got him to do a fairly fast trot, but he could have done it much faster if he was actually trying.
When the other riders were done with their lesson we headed over to the big ring. We did some figure-eights at the walk and then we moved on to figure-eights at the trot. By this point I had gotten Captain into a pretty decent trot that I was pretty happy with. He also tried to avoid some corners but after a while I learned to prepare him earlier for what I wanted him to do and he got better at turning when I wanted him to. After a little while we did some trot in two-point. Captain usually slows down when I do two-point and he did this time as well, but I eventually got him to keep his earlier pace. It was harder to do the turns though since I have less control in two-point - my hands have to stay on his neck for me to keep my balance. Again though, I got that I just had to prepare earlier for my turns and look ahead where I'm going so Captain knows where I want him to go.
After that we took a small break and Jess and I took turns cantering. I got to go first while she walked in the center of the ring. At first I just did plain old cantering around the ring with no specific starting or ending points, just so I could get ready to do more complicated things. And I have to say it again - I love Captain's canter! It's just so comfortable. Anyway, once Jess did some cantering it was my turn again, and this time I had to do a figure-eight. At first I had some trouble keeping Captain in a canter when we headed towards the middle of the ring to switch directions, but once my instructor told me to ask him to trot at a certain point and then canter at a certain point, I got better at keeping Captain cantering when I wanted him to. It also helped with down-transitions, which I've said before is something I'd like to work on.
After the figure-eight I got to canter around the whole outside of the ring again, but this time I had to tell my instructor what letters I wanted to stop and start at (remember there are letters placed around the ring to use for dressage). I told her I wanted to canter at K, trot at H, canter at M, and trot again at F (basically cantering on the long sides and trotting on the short sides). After a couple times my canter transitions were pretty much spot on. But then Captain started to speed up and it was harder for me to post, and he kept cantering when I wanted him to trot, so the transitions got a lot harder. Overall though, I think me and Captain did pretty well tonight. My instructor even said that next week, since I'll have a private lesson (Jess is going to college on Thursday!) I'll get to start working on crossrails - meaning jumping!! I'm very excited to start actually learning to jump in a lesson setting, rather than all the confusion I got from camp.
I'll definitely try and blog as soon as possible next week, but I might not get to it for a while because that's the first day of school (yikes). And don't forget to check my blog tomorrow night (or Thursday, whenever I get to it) for my post about volunteering/working with lessons!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Working on Sundays
I recently received a comment from someone (you know who you are!) that they would like to see a blog post on what I do on Sundays at the stable. So since I have nothing else to do right now, I will walk through everything I do at my job. Keep in mind that this is the most recent way I've done my job - the way I do it and the horses I feed change a lot. And yes, it is a job, because I get paid. Though I don't get paid directly, the money goes towards my lessons, so I only have to pay half price. In my opinion it's a very generous deal and I'm happy to have the job (I got it because I'm the only available person who doesn't go to church on Sundays).
The first thing I do when I get to the stable at 10:30 is check the barn floor for any papers. The barn owner usually sets out a cup of grain that I have to give to Captain, and if there's anything I need to know or do differently she'll tell me in a short note. When I get there there's normally one lady who rides her horse, but often times there won't be anyone on the property. I'm glad for the quiet time, just me and the horses.
After checking the barn I go get the horse Chief. He's usually in the Grandma Paddock (across from the Esbin Pasture), so I put on his halter and lead him to his stall in the barn. Then I go down to the hay shed. I get a wheelbarrow and haul a bale of hay into it, and then I stick some scissors into it so I can cut the strings. I wheel the hay back up to the Esbin Pasture and give three or four flakes of hay to Lucky and Dixie. A flake is one portion of hay - it is pre-separated into them when it's bought. This makes my job a lot easier. I then check the barrel of water and refill it if necessary (there are water pumps placed all over the property with hoses to connect to them).
Next I wheel the hay down to the Pony Paddock (next to the Grandma Paddock), where I give two flakes each to Rita and Rosie. Next to the Pony Paddock is another paddock which I cannot remember the name of. Anyway, I feed the two horses there, Dusty and Lionel, and check both this paddock and the Pony Paddock's water.
Next to the paddock I can't remember is the Middle Paddock, which has a gate that leads to a pasture. I give Annie, Janie, and Fresca only one flake of hay each and open the gate so they can go down to pasture. They only get one flake each because they get to eat all that grass too. I open the gate halfway and prop it open with a rock so the horses can come back up for water. I then climb through the fence leading to Ashlea's Paddock, and prop open Teddy and Mia's gate to a different pasture. I walk back up through the paddock and climb through the fence to go check Ashlea's Paddock and the Middle Paddock's water, filling it if it's less than maybe three quarters full. Usually by the time I get to feeding the Middle Paddock's horses I run out of hay, so a lot of the times I'll have to go back up to the hay shed and get a new bale (which is something I'd rather not do since it means more walking and heavy lifting).
Once all the horse's are fed on this side of the property, I take the wheelbarrow up to the barn and give two flakes to Captain and Chief, and only one to Tuffy since he's sick and I'm not sure he can eat that much hay. I check their water buckets and fill them if they need it, and I sweep the fallen hay on the floor into a stall. Then I abandon my wheelbarrow (yay!) and head down a big hill to what is called the Bair's Area, since that family owns two horses that stay down there. Often when I come down the hill Moo will see me and start neighing. I head into the hay shed that is attached to the side of two stalls (the stalls are open to the paddock) and I give one flake each to Moo and the other horse named Skye. Moo usually ignores the hay and heads over to the gate, waiting for me to open it, which is what I do next. He often canters down the hill and into the pasture, which is a fun sight to see.
Unfortunately I then have to head back up the huge hill which makes me really tired and out of breath. And once I'm up the hill I have to head up another one to the upper pasture. There I feed Doc, Magnum, and Chachi two flakes of hay each from the hay pile that is set near the fence.
This is where my feeding duties end. Now it's time for me to muck out some sheds. They're basically stalls inside a paddock that are open to the rest of the paddock so the horses can enter them at will. First I head down the hill to the barn to get a pitchfork and to retrieve my wheelbarrow, which I empty of any excess hay. Then I walk down to the Pony Paddock and head over to the sheds (there are only two). All I have to do is scoop out the horse poop and spread around the dirt to make it even. It's normally pretty easy when there's not that much poop, but on a day like yesterday when there's a ton I often have to make multiple trips to dump it out and I end up hurting my back. Not too mention all the flies in there and the sweltering heat when it's summer. Luckily it's not a very physically demanding job, other than bending over a little.
When I've mucked out both stalls I open a small gate near the sheds and wheel the wheelbarrow of poop into the woods where I dump it on the many piles of manure back there. Some are so old they have mushrooms growing out of them! Anyway, when I'm done I grab my pitchfork and head up to the barn to put that and the wheelbarrow away.
That's all there is to my job on Sundays. I don't have too much work and the job only lasts about an hour, so I'm happy to do it every Sunday. Especially if it helps pay for my lessons!!
The first thing I do when I get to the stable at 10:30 is check the barn floor for any papers. The barn owner usually sets out a cup of grain that I have to give to Captain, and if there's anything I need to know or do differently she'll tell me in a short note. When I get there there's normally one lady who rides her horse, but often times there won't be anyone on the property. I'm glad for the quiet time, just me and the horses.
After checking the barn I go get the horse Chief. He's usually in the Grandma Paddock (across from the Esbin Pasture), so I put on his halter and lead him to his stall in the barn. Then I go down to the hay shed. I get a wheelbarrow and haul a bale of hay into it, and then I stick some scissors into it so I can cut the strings. I wheel the hay back up to the Esbin Pasture and give three or four flakes of hay to Lucky and Dixie. A flake is one portion of hay - it is pre-separated into them when it's bought. This makes my job a lot easier. I then check the barrel of water and refill it if necessary (there are water pumps placed all over the property with hoses to connect to them).
Next I wheel the hay down to the Pony Paddock (next to the Grandma Paddock), where I give two flakes each to Rita and Rosie. Next to the Pony Paddock is another paddock which I cannot remember the name of. Anyway, I feed the two horses there, Dusty and Lionel, and check both this paddock and the Pony Paddock's water.
Next to the paddock I can't remember is the Middle Paddock, which has a gate that leads to a pasture. I give Annie, Janie, and Fresca only one flake of hay each and open the gate so they can go down to pasture. They only get one flake each because they get to eat all that grass too. I open the gate halfway and prop it open with a rock so the horses can come back up for water. I then climb through the fence leading to Ashlea's Paddock, and prop open Teddy and Mia's gate to a different pasture. I walk back up through the paddock and climb through the fence to go check Ashlea's Paddock and the Middle Paddock's water, filling it if it's less than maybe three quarters full. Usually by the time I get to feeding the Middle Paddock's horses I run out of hay, so a lot of the times I'll have to go back up to the hay shed and get a new bale (which is something I'd rather not do since it means more walking and heavy lifting).
Once all the horse's are fed on this side of the property, I take the wheelbarrow up to the barn and give two flakes to Captain and Chief, and only one to Tuffy since he's sick and I'm not sure he can eat that much hay. I check their water buckets and fill them if they need it, and I sweep the fallen hay on the floor into a stall. Then I abandon my wheelbarrow (yay!) and head down a big hill to what is called the Bair's Area, since that family owns two horses that stay down there. Often when I come down the hill Moo will see me and start neighing. I head into the hay shed that is attached to the side of two stalls (the stalls are open to the paddock) and I give one flake each to Moo and the other horse named Skye. Moo usually ignores the hay and heads over to the gate, waiting for me to open it, which is what I do next. He often canters down the hill and into the pasture, which is a fun sight to see.
Unfortunately I then have to head back up the huge hill which makes me really tired and out of breath. And once I'm up the hill I have to head up another one to the upper pasture. There I feed Doc, Magnum, and Chachi two flakes of hay each from the hay pile that is set near the fence.
This is where my feeding duties end. Now it's time for me to muck out some sheds. They're basically stalls inside a paddock that are open to the rest of the paddock so the horses can enter them at will. First I head down the hill to the barn to get a pitchfork and to retrieve my wheelbarrow, which I empty of any excess hay. Then I walk down to the Pony Paddock and head over to the sheds (there are only two). All I have to do is scoop out the horse poop and spread around the dirt to make it even. It's normally pretty easy when there's not that much poop, but on a day like yesterday when there's a ton I often have to make multiple trips to dump it out and I end up hurting my back. Not too mention all the flies in there and the sweltering heat when it's summer. Luckily it's not a very physically demanding job, other than bending over a little.
When I've mucked out both stalls I open a small gate near the sheds and wheel the wheelbarrow of poop into the woods where I dump it on the many piles of manure back there. Some are so old they have mushrooms growing out of them! Anyway, when I'm done I grab my pitchfork and head up to the barn to put that and the wheelbarrow away.
That's all there is to my job on Sundays. I don't have too much work and the job only lasts about an hour, so I'm happy to do it every Sunday. Especially if it helps pay for my lessons!!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Lesson 8/15/11
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| My new ribbons! |
My mom, stepdad, and half-sister came to watch my lesson tonight. I always bug them about coming to watch, but they don't like to in the summer when it's really hot and humid, so I was happy they came. We started off the lesson in the big ring and getting our horses to do long strides on the long sides of the ring and short strides on the short sides. Then we did some trotting for a awhile.
After a break (remember how Captain needs a lot of breaks?) we did figure-eights at the walk, trot, and canter. It was easy at the walk, but not as easy with the trot, only because Captain was giving me what my instructor called a "pretty trot" when she wanted a much faster, working trot. Once we started the canter figure-eight, I realized how much I've missed Captain's canter. Annie's is very fast and I sometimes have a hard time sitting with the rhythm, but Captain's is the perfect speed - not too bumpy and very comfortable. Captain also has a much easier time picking up the right lead canter, so the figure-eight was pretty easy. I don't think Jess did a figure-eight at the canter. She just did a small stretch of it at the end of the lesson because I think she's just started.
After the figure-eights we did a canter exercise. We were to all track right and canter on the long sides of the ring and trot on the short sides (Jess just trotted/walked). This exercise went very well for me - I would ask for the canter and Captain would immediately do a perfect transition into his canter, right on cue. My instructor was happy with that I think - and she said my cantering looked "fabulous!" It was also really fun to canter so much. The only thing I said I would like to work on would be my canter to trot transitions. They were pretty bumpy and I think I could do them better.
The last cantering exercise we did was trot diagonally to the far right corner of the riding ring. From there we would turn left and pick up a canter. Captain (as always) did this very well. He really is a great horse. Not to mention he's good-tempered and adorable! We did that a couple of times. To end the lesson and cool down we had to say something about each other rider that we noticed they did well. I hate when we do this kind of stuff, because you have to say it directly to them and it's really awkward for me. So my mind froze up and the first thing I said about Mitchell was "You looked comfortable." That's it. I meant to say he looked comfortable despite his horse being energetic and bucking a little, but the moment had passed and it was Jess's turn. I regretted saying that, but it was too late. Oh well. I said good job to Jess for getting Annie to keep up a trot, since I know that's hard to do. Both Mitchell and Jess said they thought I looked really nice at the canter, so that was a good compliment for me (and Captain!).
Another good thing about tonight was that when we returned to the barn to untack my mom noticed a bag with my name on it containing two ribbons (see picture). The big purple one says Pony Camp and Congratulations on it, while the smaller blue one says First Place and Horse Show. I'm still not really sure why I got them. I think the purple one is just for attending riding camp this summer, and I'm thinking the first place one also has something to do with camp, but I'm not sure what. I'm hoping to get the chance to talk to the stable owner and politely ask her about it, if that's not too weird. All I know is they look great hanging up on my wall, even if I don't know the reason I got them!
Just so you don't come to my blog on Wednesday or Thursday looking for a blog post, I'll tell you now that there won't be one. The volunteer coordinator emailed me and said I wouldn't be needed for this Wednesday, since a kid moved his lesson or something. I will be volunteering on the 24th and 31st of August though, so you can look for blog posts then.
Also, click here to look at a website with articles about Jin Shin Jyutsu (remember that blog post?).
Friday, August 5, 2011
New Blog Gadgets and a Shoutout
I know this blog post isn't really about horses, but I just wanted to tell you about some new gadgets I've added to my sidebar, if you haven't seen them already.
The first new thing I've added is a pageview counter. It keeps track of how many times my blog had been viewed. It's actually been counting how many times I've visited it as though, so it's probably not very accurate. I changed a setting so that it won't count my views from now on, but who knows if that will work.
The second gadget I've added is a search bar. It's near the top of my blog, so that if you want to find a certain post or something, you can. It will also search for links I've posted and it will show results from Google (for if you want to look up a certain term I said or things like that).
The last new thing I added isn't really a gadget, but it's also on my sidebar. It's a picture of a horse that I drew a while ago. It's done in colored pencils, and some of you might have already seen this on my Facebook profile, but it's one of my favorites that I've done. I actually drew it by looking at a picture I found in a horse picture book, and it really interested me so I decided to recreate it. I tried to find the original picture so you could see, but for some reason I couldn't find it in the book I had thought it was in. Oh well, I hope you like it anyway.
One thing I've been wanting to do for a while is give a shoutout to anyone who has given me money for riding lessons within the past year. I recently counted all my money, and I discovered I have enough to pay for five more months of lessons! That will last me until after Christmas, which is when I ask for riding lesson money from all my relatives. It was a struggle last year to come up with the money to ride each month, but money wasn't even much of a worry this year. Every little bit counts, and I can't imagine not riding anymore. Thank you!!!
The first new thing I've added is a pageview counter. It keeps track of how many times my blog had been viewed. It's actually been counting how many times I've visited it as though, so it's probably not very accurate. I changed a setting so that it won't count my views from now on, but who knows if that will work.
The second gadget I've added is a search bar. It's near the top of my blog, so that if you want to find a certain post or something, you can. It will also search for links I've posted and it will show results from Google (for if you want to look up a certain term I said or things like that).
The last new thing I added isn't really a gadget, but it's also on my sidebar. It's a picture of a horse that I drew a while ago. It's done in colored pencils, and some of you might have already seen this on my Facebook profile, but it's one of my favorites that I've done. I actually drew it by looking at a picture I found in a horse picture book, and it really interested me so I decided to recreate it. I tried to find the original picture so you could see, but for some reason I couldn't find it in the book I had thought it was in. Oh well, I hope you like it anyway.
One thing I've been wanting to do for a while is give a shoutout to anyone who has given me money for riding lessons within the past year. I recently counted all my money, and I discovered I have enough to pay for five more months of lessons! That will last me until after Christmas, which is when I ask for riding lesson money from all my relatives. It was a struggle last year to come up with the money to ride each month, but money wasn't even much of a worry this year. Every little bit counts, and I can't imagine not riding anymore. Thank you!!!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Volunteering/Working 8/3/11
A couple months ago, the stable owner emailed me asking if I would like to help with lessons on Wednesday. I couldn't do it because I was still in school. She asked me again a couple of weeks ago, and I finally said I would do it, but only for the month of August, at least for now. I'd like to try and do it again when school starts, but I want to figure out my schedule first before I agree to do it. So anyway, the deal was I would come for two different lessons (so about two hours - 5:30 to 7:30). The first hour would be volunteer work, but I would get paid for the second hour (only five dollars though). Yesterday was my first day of working there. I came fifteen minutes early, as I was told to do, but I ended up waiting in the barn for the riders up in the ring to come down.
Once they were down, we went right back up again. For this lesson there were two riders: a young boy named Jack and an older boy named Matt (who I later learned was 18). Matt was the rider I would be working with. He would be riding Chachi, and Jack would be riding Lionel. We were allowed to choose whoever we wanted to work with, but the other volunteer (named Ada) and I just agreed to stay with who we were already with.
Since Jack is not yet off the lead rope, Ada had to lead Lionel around. Matt is off the lead rope, so all he needed was a sidewalker - basically I had to walk beside him and tell him where to go and stuff. It was very awkward for me at first. Matt obviously had some communication problems, and he often refused to talk. It took a while for the lesson instructor to convince him to get on Chachi, and it took even longer for her to get him to actually tell Chachi to move. And once we were moving, I wasn't sure what to say at all. I would occasionally tell him where to go and what to do, but I wasn't sure how to speak to him. He was 18, so I didn't want to treat him like he was 4, but it was hard to tell when he never answered me. I got more comfortable as the lesson went on, and by the end I wasn't feeling as awkward. It's difficult to talk to someone who won't respond. I felt really satisfied at the end of the lesson though. I was happy I had said yes to coming on Wednesdays. I'm hoping after a while I'll get more comfortable talking to the riders.
The second lesson was a complete turn-around from the first. It was only one girl named Karlee (I think that's how she spelled it). She was pretty old, maybe 10 or 11, so she knew how to do almost everything. After putting Chachi in his stall, I was supposed to help her get her horse, Fresca, groomed and tacked up. I occasionally had to help her with something, but she was pretty independent. Once up in the ring I helped her tighten her girth, but after that the lesson instructor told me I wouldn't really be needed to do anything in this lesson. Karlee didn't need a sidewalker or anything, so I could just sit and watch. I helped only when I was needed, which wasn't very often.
The lesson instructor also explained to me that the next time I would be here there would be different kids. There would be two girls in the first lesson instead of Matt and Jack, and there would be three independent girls in the second. For the first hour I would be doing what I did in the first lesson, sidewalking or leading, and I would be used as "crowd control" for the second hour (her words, not mine). All I would have to do was keep an eye on the other girls if the instructor was helping one individually, and things like that. I'm okay with that though, because I think it means it will be a relatively laid back lesson (hopefully).
After the lesson was over, we headed back down to the barn, where I stood around while Karlee put away her stuff. I helped her take Fresca back to her paddock and then we were done. Before I left the barn owner came down from her house and explained some more things to me. So from now on when I come on Wednesdays I get to take the horses out and start grooming and tacking them up for the riders. She also said something about where I could find what saddles to use, but I got a little confused, so I'll have to ask her for clarification. When we were done talking I went to the barn to retrieve my envelope of five dollars and went home. I got home at around 8, so you can see why I might not be able to do this on a school night. I can't wait for next Wednesday though. As I've mentioned before, I won't be here next week so I'll be working/volunteering the week after. Hopefully it will go smoother than this week's lessons did!
Once they were down, we went right back up again. For this lesson there were two riders: a young boy named Jack and an older boy named Matt (who I later learned was 18). Matt was the rider I would be working with. He would be riding Chachi, and Jack would be riding Lionel. We were allowed to choose whoever we wanted to work with, but the other volunteer (named Ada) and I just agreed to stay with who we were already with.
Since Jack is not yet off the lead rope, Ada had to lead Lionel around. Matt is off the lead rope, so all he needed was a sidewalker - basically I had to walk beside him and tell him where to go and stuff. It was very awkward for me at first. Matt obviously had some communication problems, and he often refused to talk. It took a while for the lesson instructor to convince him to get on Chachi, and it took even longer for her to get him to actually tell Chachi to move. And once we were moving, I wasn't sure what to say at all. I would occasionally tell him where to go and what to do, but I wasn't sure how to speak to him. He was 18, so I didn't want to treat him like he was 4, but it was hard to tell when he never answered me. I got more comfortable as the lesson went on, and by the end I wasn't feeling as awkward. It's difficult to talk to someone who won't respond. I felt really satisfied at the end of the lesson though. I was happy I had said yes to coming on Wednesdays. I'm hoping after a while I'll get more comfortable talking to the riders.
The second lesson was a complete turn-around from the first. It was only one girl named Karlee (I think that's how she spelled it). She was pretty old, maybe 10 or 11, so she knew how to do almost everything. After putting Chachi in his stall, I was supposed to help her get her horse, Fresca, groomed and tacked up. I occasionally had to help her with something, but she was pretty independent. Once up in the ring I helped her tighten her girth, but after that the lesson instructor told me I wouldn't really be needed to do anything in this lesson. Karlee didn't need a sidewalker or anything, so I could just sit and watch. I helped only when I was needed, which wasn't very often.
The lesson instructor also explained to me that the next time I would be here there would be different kids. There would be two girls in the first lesson instead of Matt and Jack, and there would be three independent girls in the second. For the first hour I would be doing what I did in the first lesson, sidewalking or leading, and I would be used as "crowd control" for the second hour (her words, not mine). All I would have to do was keep an eye on the other girls if the instructor was helping one individually, and things like that. I'm okay with that though, because I think it means it will be a relatively laid back lesson (hopefully).
After the lesson was over, we headed back down to the barn, where I stood around while Karlee put away her stuff. I helped her take Fresca back to her paddock and then we were done. Before I left the barn owner came down from her house and explained some more things to me. So from now on when I come on Wednesdays I get to take the horses out and start grooming and tacking them up for the riders. She also said something about where I could find what saddles to use, but I got a little confused, so I'll have to ask her for clarification. When we were done talking I went to the barn to retrieve my envelope of five dollars and went home. I got home at around 8, so you can see why I might not be able to do this on a school night. I can't wait for next Wednesday though. As I've mentioned before, I won't be here next week so I'll be working/volunteering the week after. Hopefully it will go smoother than this week's lessons did!
Lesson 8/1/11
Sorry for not posting when I usually do. I was too lazy to do it Monday night, and I got home later than normal because my lesson has been pushed back an hour. Then on Tuesday I was at my friend's house for a sleepover, so I didn't get home till yesterday afternoon, and last night I was volunteering/working at the stable (I'll blog about that after this). So today was the day I finally decided to blog.
Of course, it rained during my lesson, because if it's going to rain, it will most likely be on a Monday. It was also thundering, so we had a barn lesson. Since my lesson's been moved back, I was with the girl I used to ride with, which I'm actually happy about. Having a private lesson's nice because I get one on one attention, but sometimes it's nice when my instructor's focused on someone else so I can do my own thing. Not that it mattered this week, since we weren't riding.
According to the list posted on the bulletin board, I would be using Captain because the other girl (Jess) was using Annie. We both got out our horses and groomed them. Then our instructor gave us some options for the barn lesson. We could do some relaxing exercises with our horses, use a small skeleton to learn more about body position and riding, or use the mini trampoline to work on riding position and stuff. I said I wanted to do the relaxing techniques, so that's what we did.
Every week when I groom, my instructor always puts her hands on certain spots on my horse and just kind of stays there for a while, and then moves on to different spot. That's what we learned to do this week. Apparently it's called Jin Shin Jyutsu, and it's used for relieving stress and tension by putting pressure on different energy points or something. I looked it up when I got home and found a bunch of articles about it (click on the link to read one), and apparently you can use it on yourself as well as horses and other animals.
I can't remember exactly where the spots were that we put our hands on our horse, but we did two spots on the neck, two on the stomach/back area, and I think just one near our horse's tail (along their spine). Basically our instructor showed us where to put our hands, and we did the same on our horse. All we had to do was place our hands using a minimal amount of pressure and take deep breaths. The goal was to get our horse to give a release or show signs of relaxation such as lowering their neck, licking and chewing, or snorting (it's kind of like a deep breath, I guess). Some spots were very relaxing for Captain, like the ones on his neck. He never really licked and chewed, but he did snort often and at one point had his neck below the horizontal line of his back (a very good thing!). We did each hand placement on both sides of our horse.
I've got to say, these exercises were not only relaxing for Captain, but for me as well. I know that for me, I often have trouble keeping my shoulders and elbows back and heavy when I'm riding, so as the lesson went on, I could feel my shoulders and elbows lowering and getting heavier. By the end of the lesson, I felt very grounded. I wish I could have ridden after that, because I feel like it would have made a major difference in my body position. It was also nice to just have an hour of peace and quiet, just me and Captain. So about halfway through the lesson when my instructor asked me and Jess if we wanted to continue with the Jin Shin Jyutsu, I said I did.
So after that, we did some more relaxing techniques, but they were a little different. I don't even think they were actually Jin Shin Jyutsu. My instructor mentioned some centered riding lady named Peggy something who used techniques that were kind of like the ones we used earlier, but different. It might have been Peggy Cummings, but I'm not sure. We did this thing called the 'wither rock' (I think it was called that), where we put our hands on our horse's withers (right about where the mane stops) and gently rocked our horse from side to side. It didn't have to be a huge difference, we just had to use enough pressure to change the weight in our horse's legs. We also couldn't just use our arms, we had to do it from our center (the whole point of all this stuff) by shifting our whole body. We did this kind of rocking farther back on our horse's too.
After those, we learned another technique that involved using the backs of our fingers on one hand and gently pressing them into a couple different spots along our horse. We had to push into our horse for five seconds, and release for ten seconds. The farther back I did these on Captain, the more he relaxed. When I did the pressure thing near his butt he even started licking and chewing a little. The last thing we did was something called the 'Caterpillar'. We had to cup one of our hands into a C shape and by using the side opposite our thumb we applied pressure on our horse - just enough to move the skin up a little. We did this all down our horse's neck on both sides, which is why it's called the Caterpillar - you inch your hand down their neck. I think Captain really enjoyed this one. He lowered his neck so far I had to lean down a little do it.
That was the last of the techniques. I really liked this barn lesson, because it was fun to really connect with Captain and learn something a little different than what we would normally learn. I hope you guys reading understood at least a little of this. I'm not even sure I know what I'm talking about. Oh well. If you didn't understand, than I hope you enjoyed reading it anyway! I won't be blogging next week because I'll be up in New York for vacation where I won't have Internet (that and I won't be having a lesson, obviously). You can read the week after when I blog about that lesson.
Of course, it rained during my lesson, because if it's going to rain, it will most likely be on a Monday. It was also thundering, so we had a barn lesson. Since my lesson's been moved back, I was with the girl I used to ride with, which I'm actually happy about. Having a private lesson's nice because I get one on one attention, but sometimes it's nice when my instructor's focused on someone else so I can do my own thing. Not that it mattered this week, since we weren't riding.
According to the list posted on the bulletin board, I would be using Captain because the other girl (Jess) was using Annie. We both got out our horses and groomed them. Then our instructor gave us some options for the barn lesson. We could do some relaxing exercises with our horses, use a small skeleton to learn more about body position and riding, or use the mini trampoline to work on riding position and stuff. I said I wanted to do the relaxing techniques, so that's what we did.
Every week when I groom, my instructor always puts her hands on certain spots on my horse and just kind of stays there for a while, and then moves on to different spot. That's what we learned to do this week. Apparently it's called Jin Shin Jyutsu, and it's used for relieving stress and tension by putting pressure on different energy points or something. I looked it up when I got home and found a bunch of articles about it (click on the link to read one), and apparently you can use it on yourself as well as horses and other animals.
I can't remember exactly where the spots were that we put our hands on our horse, but we did two spots on the neck, two on the stomach/back area, and I think just one near our horse's tail (along their spine). Basically our instructor showed us where to put our hands, and we did the same on our horse. All we had to do was place our hands using a minimal amount of pressure and take deep breaths. The goal was to get our horse to give a release or show signs of relaxation such as lowering their neck, licking and chewing, or snorting (it's kind of like a deep breath, I guess). Some spots were very relaxing for Captain, like the ones on his neck. He never really licked and chewed, but he did snort often and at one point had his neck below the horizontal line of his back (a very good thing!). We did each hand placement on both sides of our horse.
I've got to say, these exercises were not only relaxing for Captain, but for me as well. I know that for me, I often have trouble keeping my shoulders and elbows back and heavy when I'm riding, so as the lesson went on, I could feel my shoulders and elbows lowering and getting heavier. By the end of the lesson, I felt very grounded. I wish I could have ridden after that, because I feel like it would have made a major difference in my body position. It was also nice to just have an hour of peace and quiet, just me and Captain. So about halfway through the lesson when my instructor asked me and Jess if we wanted to continue with the Jin Shin Jyutsu, I said I did.
So after that, we did some more relaxing techniques, but they were a little different. I don't even think they were actually Jin Shin Jyutsu. My instructor mentioned some centered riding lady named Peggy something who used techniques that were kind of like the ones we used earlier, but different. It might have been Peggy Cummings, but I'm not sure. We did this thing called the 'wither rock' (I think it was called that), where we put our hands on our horse's withers (right about where the mane stops) and gently rocked our horse from side to side. It didn't have to be a huge difference, we just had to use enough pressure to change the weight in our horse's legs. We also couldn't just use our arms, we had to do it from our center (the whole point of all this stuff) by shifting our whole body. We did this kind of rocking farther back on our horse's too.
After those, we learned another technique that involved using the backs of our fingers on one hand and gently pressing them into a couple different spots along our horse. We had to push into our horse for five seconds, and release for ten seconds. The farther back I did these on Captain, the more he relaxed. When I did the pressure thing near his butt he even started licking and chewing a little. The last thing we did was something called the 'Caterpillar'. We had to cup one of our hands into a C shape and by using the side opposite our thumb we applied pressure on our horse - just enough to move the skin up a little. We did this all down our horse's neck on both sides, which is why it's called the Caterpillar - you inch your hand down their neck. I think Captain really enjoyed this one. He lowered his neck so far I had to lean down a little do it.
That was the last of the techniques. I really liked this barn lesson, because it was fun to really connect with Captain and learn something a little different than what we would normally learn. I hope you guys reading understood at least a little of this. I'm not even sure I know what I'm talking about. Oh well. If you didn't understand, than I hope you enjoyed reading it anyway! I won't be blogging next week because I'll be up in New York for vacation where I won't have Internet (that and I won't be having a lesson, obviously). You can read the week after when I blog about that lesson.
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