What a full on horse week it has been so far. I took Teddy out around the paddocks riding Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, had a lesson on Dick Wednesday and came home to the farrier today who did an excellent job on continuing with the corrective job on Teddy's feet. My last farrier lost his drivers license, the eejit, so I had to find a new one.
Gerry was very good, not a macho dick or trying to dominate in any way. He shows a lot of natural horsemanship skills, which I personally like, and contrary to popular believe he doesn't only do barefoot trimming, he shoes as well.
Importantly he doesn't have an all or nothing approach. A few of the natural horsemanship people I've met are straight down the line believing that no horse should ever be shod, or for example, their methods of lowering a high head is the only right way of doing it. But if I tried Silvia Scott's way of lowering a head on Teddy I would be guarantees to get a rear! It might work for her but not for me. I believe that there are different strokes for different folks, even the four legged kind. I'm similar to the Cesar Millan style of changing you approach to meet the needs and circumstances of each dog, I believe the same thing goes for horse. I know the Parelli catching game didn't work for me after the first two times, but it works great for others. Teddy simply has a different mind set and outsmarted that game in no time.
With all that being said, I still have to see how Teddy's trims progress before coming to a final conclusion on Gerry, but so far so good.
My rides with Teddy are ever so slowly showing results. The head tossing has improved but we have a long way to go.
My ride with Dick was good but I am finding myself getting frustrated at my poor balance in a standing trot. The longer I stay out of the saddle the further forward I go and I cant feel it when I'm not straight until its too late. The moment I do it well and my mind says "yes!" my feet come out from their position ever so slightly and I move forward. Unfortunately this isn't because of concentration. As explained to me even if it's only a centimetres movement in the leg, the trajectory makes it 2cm at the hips, 3cm at the chest, then toppling forward at the shoulders. When Kim tells me I'm straight I feel like I'm leaning backward and I'm also doing something weird with my left foot or leg that makes me "feel" it all the time. I go through my positioning checks so I know I'm doing each thing right but the fact is it cant be right or I would have better balance.
The rising trot each beat is simple, cantering I feel very balanced, trotting over jump poles and I'm fine, but standing out of the saddle and keeping contact with your thighs, heels down, not using my stomach muscles... well it's a good workout! I could feel every muscle in my legs working today.
I don't know if there is an answer to why this is happening and why I am able to feel my left leg in such a dominate way but it has me thinking that my left leg has to be part of the overall problem. Until I can work it out I will just have to keep trying.
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