Back in the Saddle

For reasons that I will never be able to explain, I purchased my first horse while in graduate school. As if this wasn't bad enough, said horse was a 3yr old QH/Arab. Fortunately, I got lucky with her because she has been dead quiet since day 1. Unfortunately, being a graduate student I obviously had no money and boarding was a nightmare. I spent my first three years with her at two "barns" that were basically in someone's back yard. This meant no arena to work or school my young horse in, so we've spent three years riding on relatively flat pieces of pasture -- I would not recommend this to any one.

Then, FINALLY, I graduated. I got a fellowship and, although I am still incredibly poor, can now afford to board her at a nice place with an arena (TWO in fact, one with cover and lights!). So I am back on the lesson schedule and back in the saddle. What follows (hopefully) is a diary of working with a now 6yr old, and still green, mare and a 27yr old, and still green, rider. This should be fun!

So, our first lesson at the new place was basically me trying to post again. Since I had been doing almost exclusively trail riding for months, I had let my stirrups WAY WAY down to be more comfortable on long trail rides. The result of that, as it turns out, is that my seat developed beautifully but my legs are now way out in front like a chair seat. UGH! So, there I am trotting around the arena with my legs flapping almost uncontrollably (and probably very comically to anyone watching) and panting for breath. My horse, who was also panting for breath, was too busy looking around at all the new surroundings and activities to be bothered to trot a straight line.

After about 45 minutes of berating me for how awful my legs are, my trainer suggests that we let out the stirrups and check out the canter. A year ago that statement would have scared the bejeezus outta me. But, in the intervening time I had pulled a trick on my trainer... and myself. I had gotten used to riding with really long stirrups and cantering down a twisty trail, dodging trees. So I let my stirrups out, asked for the canter, and off we went! My mare on the correct lead and me with my legs back and my hands down. My trainer's jaw it the dirt and her eyes were about as big as dinner plates. Kinda surprised me too, but there it was nonetheless.

The up-side of this lesson was that at the canter my previously, grossly unbalanced mare, who loved nothing better than to cross-fire, was able to pick up the correct lead reliably in both directions and I was able to actually keep my back-side in the saddle and not yank on her face. The down-side of this lesson was that the posting trot really needs work and my mare is still not really straight. So, we had some stuff to celebrate and lots to work on... a successful lesson!