Lesson 9/19/11

Sorry about skipping last week's lesson. I couldn't really find the time to do it.

Anyway, so I'm just going to skip ahead to this week's lesson. It was, like, the perfect day. It was cool and breezy, I didn't have a lot of homework, and I knew we would be working on jumping - the perfect combination!!

I rode Annie, as usual. She wasn't grumpy at all, either! My instructor said it was probably because of the cooler weather and because we're working on jumping - apparently she enjoys doing that, which is good because I do too. Since I tack up faster than the lady I ride with, Sarah, my instructor let me go up in the ring to warm up, so I was all ready to go when they got up there. I like the time to be alone a little, so I can familiarize myself with Annie before the actual lesson starts.

After some trot warm ups, my instructor had me do a small jump course that had three sets of ground poles and one low jump (not the lowest, but the second hole up I think). The first time Annie swerved a lot, so my instructor told me to look way up ahead of the jump and to just basically tell Annie that we were going to go over the jump/poles. It actually worked, too! Just setting that goal in my head and keeping my body focused on that goal helped Annie to go where I wanted her to. So the third time I did the course Annie didn't swerve at all - a big accomplishment for me.

After that, we moved on to cantering. I warmed Annie up with her left lead, the easy lead, and then we set to work on getting her nearly impossible right lead canter. I feel like I tried everything - I did small circles, big circles, I tried to get her to bend... But it didn't work. Every time I told Annie to canter she took an extra step and set off in her left lead canter. It's not entirely my fault though because Annie's not good t bending to her right so it was even harder for me to get her to do that. And when I did get her in the right bend, I didn't ask for the canter soon enough. So it was a pretty frustrating thing, as it is every week. I've gotten it before though, so one of these days I will be able to do it again (I hope).

Right before the end of the lesson Sarah was learning how to post for the first time. My instructor asked me to demonstrate some things at the trot - first two-point, then a half posting half two-point (I think that was a hunt seat), and then regular posting. It felt really nice to be able to demonstrate something to someone instead of the other way around for once. And later, when my instructor was talking to Sarah about how the next thing they would be doing was diagonals, it again made realize how far I've come in riding, I guess you could say. It's just that I remember learning diagonals and being extremely frustrated with it, and now I can do it without thinking. It was just a nice reminder of where I am now, and I'm really happy that I've stuck with riding and made it this far!

You can tell it was an awesome lesson, right? :)

Just a quick shout-out to my step-mom, whose birthday is today. Happy birthday!!