Eli and I had another good lesson on Saturday. We built on the previous lesson, this time working on some details that I need to iron out in between the jumps. The key detail? Do. Not. Pull. Pulling is bad. If I need Eli to slow down, I need to let go of his face, get my weight in my heels, stay off his back, get my shoulders up, and let him jump to me. Easy to write, hard to do! We were able to work on this, and improve going down one line in particular, and I could ride the same after the jump — this even got a super easy, no-drama lead change like Eli’s been swapping since the dawn of time. (He has not.)
It’s nice to finally be building on some of these concepts that are difficult for us (i.e., me). Now to just recreate this at a show …
Why does writing about riding hunters sound so simple and straightforward but it really feels like rocket science?! Sounds like you guys are making great progress though!
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Dude, hunters are freaking difficult! I am trying to get the right ride burned into my muscle memory.
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today I was talking with another rider about the incredible amount of detail involved in dressage and I said that I suspected that it is the same in all the disciplines. The other rider also does some flat riding at a jumper barn and she agreed. There has to be so much attention to detail. I liked reading about this lesson and especially the do ….not…pull….! Exactly the same as with my horse in dressage. If he gets hot and I pull it is all over. I think it sounds like you are on the right path. I look forward to the next blog post.
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It’s true — I think every discipline has its share of attention to detail and difficulty. The longer I ride, the harder it gets in some ways — the more I learn, the more I realize HOW MUCH there is to learn.
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sometimes i think, ‘hm but maybe just a little pull here or there?’ but then, nope, still doesn’t work. sigh. maybe one day i’ll learn?
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Pulling ends in tears.
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My trainer finally snapped and said “you are not allowed to pull, only push” and my brain legit exploded and she had to position every piece of my body like I haven’t been riding for 20 years. This sport is HARD, yo.
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SAME. It’s so challenging! That’s what makes it fun, too, though. Like once you get something right, it feels like a huge accomplishment mainly because it actually is.
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Getting to fine-tune things is my FAVORITE. It’s really difficult, but it means you’ve moved past the “omg just get it done” phase!
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haha I wouldn’t rule out regressing to that phase just yet, though 🙂
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But I like pulling so much more! I was actually just talking to a very successful trainer about how my pulling irritates my baby horse, and she admitted to me that even she has to remind herself not to get grabby on the hunters. So it’s not just us ammy’s struggling with this one!
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It’s a hard instinct to suppress. Humans fix stuff with their hands. Except not horses.
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