06.21.07
HorseGal’s First Ride on Arabian Mare
At last I got the chance to ride Connie’s beloved mare Willow’s Bask!!!! She is everything Connie said she is!!! I got on her and we became fast friends. I barely have to move and she knows what I want. [ED.NOTE: I call her a Cadillac, she is always willing and ready to go!] Connie had me ride around the paddock for nearly an hour while she observed me and the sweet mare getting to know each other. It was so much fun! I would talk to Willy as we rode. I love to talk to horses whether I’m riding or just around them. I really believe it makes a bond between rider and horse.
On Willy momma mare (sons Glendale and Gilford in paddock)
Does HorseGal look happy or what?
Willy is extremely comfortable and easy to ride. If I felt I was starting to lose my balance sit-trotting, I just posted. I need to work on that, by the way. I feel like when I post I’m exaggerating the movements too much and almost vault myself out of the saddle. I’ve never been taught to actually post, since my lessons are all western.
Connie suggested just letting my lower legs and heels slide up and down against the mare’s flanks– as if to lower my weight down into my heels then let the mare’s movement lift me up again onto the balls of my feet in the stirrups– while keeping my seat close to the saddle. (In a way, it’s focusing on DROPPING your weight lower, as opposed to lifting yourself out of the saddle.) I’m going to have Kerry, my riding instructor, help me get the technique down. It’d be so great, by the next time I see Connie, to show her an improvement in my posting!
HorseGal trying pivot turns even before she observed Tom Curtin’s natural horsemanship clinic. Here the mare turns mostly on her forehand, and a little on her haunches. Willy is quite well schooled to do turns on the forehand and haunches, but it’s HorseGal’s first ever attempts. Not bad, huh!
Riding Momma Willy really made me feel like I’m becoming a good rider. It was a wonderful confidence-booster for me. Getting on top of her however, well, that was ugly!! Poor Willy!! She stood so patiently while I bounced up and down, would get almost into the saddle and then have to try again. And again! And yet again!
First starting out, trotting… rider is kinda bouncy and mare is putting her ears back in response.
After some practice, mare adjusts to HorseGal and vice versa; mare now has a happier attitude.
[ED.NOTE: HorseGal is a much better rider than she gives herself credit for! She tunes way in to the horse, as shown in the 2 movies above. When first on the mare, she is bouncy in her lower body because the mare has more action than a quarterhorse plus they are not in a soft-footing level riding arena. By the second movie, HorseGal has relaxed and softened her body at the sitting trot, and does a little gentle posting. Mainly you can tell by the attitude of Willy, who puts her ears back at the beginning as she always does when someone is bouncy on her sensitive back, but in the second video she's going happily.
This ability to tune in to what makes the horse happy is I feel more important than skills and riding lessons, it is an instinctive feel that is hard to teach or learn and many riders never get it. Ultimately it will separate the adequate riders from the truly good riders who get the best out of each horse they spend time with.]
Trotting on trail ride in the pasture!
After that first hour of riding, Connie saddled up Gilford and off we all went on a trail ride through woods and fields. It was fantastic!! I think we must have ridden about two hours. Then we rode again later in the week. After our rides, there were carrots for everyone!!! And I’m re-living our rides over and over in my head!!
I am looking forward to many more rides with Connie, Gilford, and Willy!!!! woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Look what you’ve started Connie!!!!)
[ED.NOTE: Sorta like opening Pandora's box!...]
