Busy with a road trip Friday morning, Ransom was the pony-de-jour in the afternoon. R came along, since I've been blabbering on and on about how much progress I've made in the past week. He brought along his camera, and took still shots and a few video clips (I'll get copies and hope to get good ones uploaded here).
Ransom again was incredible. He must've known he was being watched, because he turned on his big-pony charm, and we were a neat little team again. Walk, trot, canter both directions, with the right canter on video. Neat!!
In another effort that "every ride is a little better", I finished up my canter-set right, went down the long side away from the barn, and he settled into this nice round trot. I sat it! All the way down the long side, headed home. A full long side of a sweet sitting trot. Woo Hoo!!
My boy is shaping up & fitting up to an awesome horse! He's what I hoped for, and quite a bit more.
Total work, about 40 minutes. (Maybe a bit more with warm-up)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Hosanna! 2000 - An Easter Memory Part VI
Like Peter, I'll never be the same again. Every Easter song leaves me still and reflective. I find myself standing in my memories, walking across the auditorium, whispering to my garden-friends, "That's him! I know it's him! I can tell by his voice! I've seen him with Jesus! I know it's him! Let's go see if he knows where they've taken Him!"
The Easter Sunday right after our tenth and final performance, I stood in our little country church choir and sang my little parts. I had declined solo offers that season in church, mostly because it was all I could do to keep a strong voice in Hosanna!, work my off-campus job, keep my grades up, and keep two different services' music picked & led. But when we sang our happy Easter hymns, I was probably the happiest person in the sanctuary!!! Nobody smiled as big as I did that morning when Pastor Gary said, "He is Risen!" Our whole assembly answered in unison (my voice perhaps the loudest in the room), "He is Risen, Indeed!"
Through Hosanna! and my part, I realized what it was to be a Jewish maiden in Jesus' time. I know now how easy it would've been to deny and call for His death. I get frustrated when I hear pastors and study groups accuse the Jews of being "so hard headed", or say things like, "How couldn't they know?! Of course He was the one! Of course He was there to save them all!" Really? What makes you think that, if Jesus came back, right now, today, to your local church on Sunday morning, you'd have the slightest idea it was really Him? Would you believe? Or would you be just like they were, whispering under your breath, and challenging Him, looking for some way it wouldn't be real? Isn't it easier to NOT believe than to believe?
My hope is, that through this series of memories, somebody will read these accounts, and think about Easter a little differently this year, and in the future.
The Easter Sunday right after our tenth and final performance, I stood in our little country church choir and sang my little parts. I had declined solo offers that season in church, mostly because it was all I could do to keep a strong voice in Hosanna!, work my off-campus job, keep my grades up, and keep two different services' music picked & led. But when we sang our happy Easter hymns, I was probably the happiest person in the sanctuary!!! Nobody smiled as big as I did that morning when Pastor Gary said, "He is Risen!" Our whole assembly answered in unison (my voice perhaps the loudest in the room), "He is Risen, Indeed!"
Through Hosanna! and my part, I realized what it was to be a Jewish maiden in Jesus' time. I know now how easy it would've been to deny and call for His death. I get frustrated when I hear pastors and study groups accuse the Jews of being "so hard headed", or say things like, "How couldn't they know?! Of course He was the one! Of course He was there to save them all!" Really? What makes you think that, if Jesus came back, right now, today, to your local church on Sunday morning, you'd have the slightest idea it was really Him? Would you believe? Or would you be just like they were, whispering under your breath, and challenging Him, looking for some way it wouldn't be real? Isn't it easier to NOT believe than to believe?
My hope is, that through this series of memories, somebody will read these accounts, and think about Easter a little differently this year, and in the future.
4/2/09 Lessons
Romeo English. He was a bit slow, but I have a feeling that's my doing. When I rode him Western during the week, I was putting on the brakes at the trot, trying to slow him up to a decent jog. It's not his strong feature, but I don't want to be blowing by everybody in the western classes in the upcoming show. Did a bit of canter, and it got pretty comfortable after a bit. Focused mostly on pushing him up into a decent hunter trot. More work to do there, along with bending at the poll... Ain't sure we'll be there by April 25th, but my focus is going back on him until then.
Ransom Western. =) A fine time to show off my courage gained in the last week. That's exactly what we did. Was it beautiful? Heck no! Did I have fun?! Absa-tively, posa-lutely. I rode him about 35 minutes, and showed our teamwork off, walk, trot, canter. Jen offered some tips for the right trot & canter (Ransom's been leaning in at the shoulder... solution? Inside leg push to outside rein).
A great session.. Nothing spectacular for me, or the boys, but we're improving, and it's neat to have a lesson where there isn't a "dramatic fix". Pretty cool my lesson-of-the-week happened on my own days before....
Ransom Western. =) A fine time to show off my courage gained in the last week. That's exactly what we did. Was it beautiful? Heck no! Did I have fun?! Absa-tively, posa-lutely. I rode him about 35 minutes, and showed our teamwork off, walk, trot, canter. Jen offered some tips for the right trot & canter (Ransom's been leaning in at the shoulder... solution? Inside leg push to outside rein).
A great session.. Nothing spectacular for me, or the boys, but we're improving, and it's neat to have a lesson where there isn't a "dramatic fix". Pretty cool my lesson-of-the-week happened on my own days before....
Thursday, April 2, 2009
4/1/09 Romeo
Quick update, because I'm being pulled in about four directions at the office today. I want to capture the ride, what we did well, and where to go from there. Can't add much interpretation to what I did in the ride, time just isn't there today.
45 minutes
walk, trot, canter (left lead only)
Had a few issues getting him on the bit and relaxed
Trot work was really good
Nice bends
Canter work was on him, not me - Much better than it used to be
Spins and turns were alright. Still stickie turn on forehand (hiney headed left to right)
Sidepasses were fabulous
45 minutes
walk, trot, canter (left lead only)
Had a few issues getting him on the bit and relaxed
Trot work was really good
Nice bends
Canter work was on him, not me - Much better than it used to be
Spins and turns were alright. Still stickie turn on forehand (hiney headed left to right)
Sidepasses were fabulous
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I Saw the Funniest Thing Yesterday
I wish I'd had the courage to swing back around & get a picture.
A Toyota Prius
Stopped on the side of the road
Owner putting gas in
From a can
About a mile from the next gas station
See that?! Even hybrids run out of gas... =)
LOL!!!
A Toyota Prius
Stopped on the side of the road
Owner putting gas in
From a can
About a mile from the next gas station
See that?! Even hybrids run out of gas... =)
LOL!!!
3/31/09 Ransom Again
Grabbed Ransom after work, pretty darn anxious to ride. He gave a great warmup for about 15 minutes, giving at the poll. I took all his extras off, and found his mouth covered in green slobber. Yum! His new cute feature, he'll walk around the arena and follow me around, even with the reins wrapped around his neck, side reins on and all. Cute fella, almost like he enjoys being with me.
I can confidently say that we "worked" on walk, trot, and canter. Rather than just canter "to get it over with", I kept my inside leg on in the turns, and focused on a light seat & light bit contact. I noticed that, with a deep seat, and a driving hiney, he has a longer stride - not faster, just longer and more ground-covering. With a light seat that's connected for all of the stride, but hiney only connects when all four hooves are briefly on the ground, he's a shorter stride, and a bit more fluid and relaxed. Not only did we have good work at canter, I also worked on his trot a while, with a few direction changes, but mostly working for bend at the neck & poll on the long sides. It's probably me, but it felt like he was hollowing out in the starts of each short side, and I couldn't correct it until heading down the longs. Something to work on ...
Got about 45 minutes total work time. Had a blast. I've been getting about the same "time" to ride, but have had a few other things going on in life also. (What was that we've been saying .. it fits but it's not necessary??) Having the new mindset of "if I take the time out to go ride, it has to mean something, and I have to at least try something new every ride" is really helping. When I decide to have ride-time, I'm no longer ever seeing it as a "need to exercise the horse" drill. Instead, it's time for me to relax, work on my balance & equitation, and in those walk breaks on loose reins, reflect on everything... and reflexion is good. =)
I can confidently say that we "worked" on walk, trot, and canter. Rather than just canter "to get it over with", I kept my inside leg on in the turns, and focused on a light seat & light bit contact. I noticed that, with a deep seat, and a driving hiney, he has a longer stride - not faster, just longer and more ground-covering. With a light seat that's connected for all of the stride, but hiney only connects when all four hooves are briefly on the ground, he's a shorter stride, and a bit more fluid and relaxed. Not only did we have good work at canter, I also worked on his trot a while, with a few direction changes, but mostly working for bend at the neck & poll on the long sides. It's probably me, but it felt like he was hollowing out in the starts of each short side, and I couldn't correct it until heading down the longs. Something to work on ...
Got about 45 minutes total work time. Had a blast. I've been getting about the same "time" to ride, but have had a few other things going on in life also. (What was that we've been saying .. it fits but it's not necessary??) Having the new mindset of "if I take the time out to go ride, it has to mean something, and I have to at least try something new every ride" is really helping. When I decide to have ride-time, I'm no longer ever seeing it as a "need to exercise the horse" drill. Instead, it's time for me to relax, work on my balance & equitation, and in those walk breaks on loose reins, reflect on everything... and reflexion is good. =)
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