Hilarious blog entry from She Rides I Pay addressing the ills of winter riding. Read it as you regain feeling in your toes...
Monday, February 7, 2011
Don't tell us Florida isn't that great...
Dear Lauren, Eight Reasons Why I Still Hate You, Love Elizabeth
For the Love
Q: What would you change about eventing?
Jimmy: I think I would try and keep eventing as it is, without losing the amateurish spirit. AMATEURISH has two meanings - it means clumsy, ill-formed, ill-practiced, unskilled. It also means an activity that is done for the love of the thing rather than for the recompense. I think we are developing the skill part of the sport, but I would hate to see eventing lose the other part, just the sheer joy of being connected with horses.
Jimmy: I think I would try and keep eventing as it is, without losing the amateurish spirit. AMATEURISH has two meanings - it means clumsy, ill-formed, ill-practiced, unskilled. It also means an activity that is done for the love of the thing rather than for the recompense. I think we are developing the skill part of the sport, but I would hate to see eventing lose the other part, just the sheer joy of being connected with horses.
"The sheer joy of being connected with horses."
No matter what kind of ride, what kind of day, what happens in the ring, whose watching, or what the final outcome is, I consider myself extremely lucky that I get to be connected to these beautiful animals.
- Jimmy Wofford interview from Samantha L Clark blog first published on Eventing Nation.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Stay in the saddle now so I'm not in the water later!
I had a great lesson Thursday night where I was able to make a laundry list of things I need to work on before spring so I don't indeed end up looking like amateur hour come May...
First: Keep my butt in the saddle! I've somehow got into the bad habit of lifting myself off the saddle and bracing with my knees which will only result in me flying into the water on course.
Second: half halt. half halt. HALF HALT! Don't barrel around the jump course like a freight train.
Third: And this really sums up a lot of issues- quicker, lighter and more responsive to the aids. Lighter in my hands, quicker off my leg both forward and lateral, and more responsive with the impulsion coming from the hind legs (don't jump off a cliff in the down transition pony! Just move forward more elastically in a different gate, not that hard right?).
Otherwise we're making good progress in the connection and I'm really happy with Kelso's ability to learn and retain a good feel from ride to ride. It'll be good to have a few months inside yet while we work on these things because as soon as the snow melts number one on the list turns into Ride Outside!
First: Keep my butt in the saddle! I've somehow got into the bad habit of lifting myself off the saddle and bracing with my knees which will only result in me flying into the water on course.
Second: half halt. half halt. HALF HALT! Don't barrel around the jump course like a freight train.
Third: And this really sums up a lot of issues- quicker, lighter and more responsive to the aids. Lighter in my hands, quicker off my leg both forward and lateral, and more responsive with the impulsion coming from the hind legs (don't jump off a cliff in the down transition pony! Just move forward more elastically in a different gate, not that hard right?).
Otherwise we're making good progress in the connection and I'm really happy with Kelso's ability to learn and retain a good feel from ride to ride. It'll be good to have a few months inside yet while we work on these things because as soon as the snow melts number one on the list turns into Ride Outside!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Eventing Nation VS. Facebook
Its official, I now check EN before looking at Facebook. My transformation to adult horse nerd is complete. I am so inspired by EN that I have done the following over the last 3 months:
1. start to get irritated that I couldn't ride when its 10 Degrees outside (I used to welcome it as a break from the guilt of not being able to get to the barn as much as I should)
2. have myself convinced that it WOULD indeed be plausible to move to Aiken for 3 months out of the year, live the lifestyle, complete with a nanny for my kids and horse shows every weekend.
3. Start to focus on dressage as a means to an end, rather then an a chore to work on between jump schools
Obviously horses have now taken over the majority of my life since I am opting to read about people I have only seen pictures of over the "social experience" of facebook. I would rather dream about riding a cross country course at an ACTUAL event (yes, its true, I have never truly evented) then hear about what someone I went to highschool with did over the weekend. Weird. Show season 2011, here we come!
1. start to get irritated that I couldn't ride when its 10 Degrees outside (I used to welcome it as a break from the guilt of not being able to get to the barn as much as I should)
2. have myself convinced that it WOULD indeed be plausible to move to Aiken for 3 months out of the year, live the lifestyle, complete with a nanny for my kids and horse shows every weekend.
3. Start to focus on dressage as a means to an end, rather then an a chore to work on between jump schools
Obviously horses have now taken over the majority of my life since I am opting to read about people I have only seen pictures of over the "social experience" of facebook. I would rather dream about riding a cross country course at an ACTUAL event (yes, its true, I have never truly evented) then hear about what someone I went to highschool with did over the weekend. Weird. Show season 2011, here we come!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Teams Named For PRO Derby Cross
Teams Named For PRO Derby Cross | The Chronicle of the Horse
Super wish I could go watch all these amazing riders!
February 2, still cold...
No surprise, it's still really cold but at least we don't have the snowstorm that hit Chicago! Getting to the barn and staying warm while at the barn are the two biggest challenges in my riding world right now. I keep daydreaming about driving out to the barn in a t-shirt, pulling my horse out of the pasture and after a quick brush just throwing the saddle right on and going out in the field for a warm-up ride. Instead right now it's: drive through snowstorm to get to the barn, put toe heaters in boots, get horse out of pasture and put in stall, get all equipment out including the bit blanket and quarter sheet, debundle the horse and myself, bundle back up in winter riding gear for him and me, quick try to warm up and get to the trot work so that we can get feeling back in our extremities. Someone please remind me of all this when I'm peeling sweaty breeches off in the tack stall at an August show...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)