Hard Work Reeks rewards

This morning didn't look like it was going to be a good ride. I was riding the horse I very first rode on my first ride at the stables and as I've said before, he can be hard work. Couple that with my incredible dizzy moments this morning and feeling generally disjointed from the world, I didn't foresee the greatest lesson coming up.

This was confirmed to me when I needed to be reminded that it's a good idea to grab the girth strap before I try to fasten it. Then the nose band was different to what I'm used to. Then once I mounted, we discovered the saddle was all lob sided. So standing up, the lady who runs the school pulled it straight and then we were off. At the slowest pace imaginable and my legs kept creeping forward. Who knows where that habit has come from? So I was ready for giving up only five minutes into my lesson. Not with my instructor though. She will not let you quit no matter how bad of a day you're having.

So after she helped me into a trot the first few times and then she coached me about using my seat more to get him to respond and pushed my legs to the position they needed to be, my lovely little friend decided to get a move on.

After the trots where I got him to forward trot quite nicely, the comedian my instructor is, suggested we canter. I laughed. If I was struggling to get my tall, white friend, and coloured lovely who respond nicely to my legs generally to canter, I had no chance with this little lovely.

The first attempt got the odd stride but mostly was a forward trot. My instructor had brought a crop however and on the second attempt we had a good old canter. I even managed to stay in my seat for about four or five strides. According to the lady who runs the school, that will just grow with time. I believe her. ;) But my instructor said I'd canter on him before my Bay beauty so she was right on that one.

The funniest thing was today, I got on my little lovely thinking I was going to be having a rubbish, hard work filled lesson, [the latter I do not mind], but in the end, it was a good, productive, hard work filled lesson. My legs definitely will feel it tomorrow. Another thing was reiterated to me today and by the end of my lesson I felt I was doing more, putting my weight into my heels.

I untacked him, partially, as he was going out again soon, and I'd brought some apples for the horses so he had one, some of the little ponies shared one and just as there was one left in the bag, my tall white friend was being brought in so he got the last apple and a huge cuddle from me. I'm not riding on Thursday as I have something I need to do that will sadly take all day so it'll be a whole week until I spend some awesome times with my horsey friends again.

So until next time, that already seems a million years away,

Thanks for reading,

Marie