Post by apacherose on Jan 9, 2012 22:07:11 GMT 1
Last week I had a lesson on a simulator with Kathy. It was a real eye opener in terms of my own riding but also in teaching. I have dodgy hips and have been struggling to ride without ending up having to get off early or plodding on and getting stuck at the end because my hips were so sore. Kathy showed me how to sit and go with the horse more but also it showed me that if I try and keep relaxed my hips don't hurt as much. I have been clenching my bum muscles, probably to try and protect my sore hips. This has been making me more stiff through my back and has made things worse.
Today was the first time I was back on a horse after this and I could definately feel a difference. I rode a pony who is probably the safest one there, he can move forward sometimes but doesn't go with much style. Well I played about in walk first, making sure my seat was relaxed and that I was allowing him to move. I then tried tensing my seat a little by sort of pulling up the muscles and he stopped. I could stop him from my seat for the first time which was a miracle for me, I haven't been able to influence the horse like that in a long time. Rising trot was much better than usual, and being able to go from rising trot to walk is so much more comfortable for me. Sometimes my hips kind of twang in trot and I need to just go back to walk and sitting just isn't an option so it all looks a bit messy. Today I could go from rising trot directly to walk easily! I felt much more at ease in rising trot. Sitting trot is going to take a little more work but i have no doubt it will get there. I worked on getting my stiff little pony to bend, we did a bit of leg yield and shoulder fore and he was working forward and very soft!
Hopefully I can get a horse with a gentler trot next lesson to practice a bit more sitting trot but my lesson on the simulator with Kathy was time and money well spent!!
Thanks Kathy ;D
Today was the first time I was back on a horse after this and I could definately feel a difference. I rode a pony who is probably the safest one there, he can move forward sometimes but doesn't go with much style. Well I played about in walk first, making sure my seat was relaxed and that I was allowing him to move. I then tried tensing my seat a little by sort of pulling up the muscles and he stopped. I could stop him from my seat for the first time which was a miracle for me, I haven't been able to influence the horse like that in a long time. Rising trot was much better than usual, and being able to go from rising trot to walk is so much more comfortable for me. Sometimes my hips kind of twang in trot and I need to just go back to walk and sitting just isn't an option so it all looks a bit messy. Today I could go from rising trot directly to walk easily! I felt much more at ease in rising trot. Sitting trot is going to take a little more work but i have no doubt it will get there. I worked on getting my stiff little pony to bend, we did a bit of leg yield and shoulder fore and he was working forward and very soft!
Hopefully I can get a horse with a gentler trot next lesson to practice a bit more sitting trot but my lesson on the simulator with Kathy was time and money well spent!!
Thanks Kathy ;D
