What a great ride I had today - everything was coming together and it felt fantastic!
It was an unusually mild day for this time of year so I worked up quite a sweat perfecting steering with my seat at a rising trot and cantering lead changes. It was quite hard getting everything that I needed to do correct and in sync, and with the horse named Dick having a preferred cantering lead, going in the opposite direction was difficult. It was reassuring to know that in this direction he will fall out of step 99 times out of 100 and be like that for anyone.
The most challenging bit for me was feeling with my body what the horses legs are doing at a canter. Where he puts his feet and when are things that I need to know about.
My Sunshine Paddock training of "lean back and hold on" hasn't helped me a bit LOL! Imaging my surprise when a few months back I went into my first canter under Kim's instruction and I wasn't allowed to lean back at all! And forget about watching the horse, I'm not allowed to even look at him! I started off feeling I was like Jason McLean on Pirate - flapping my arms at the side as I cantered along - well I really wasn't that bad to be exact. If the average person saw me they probably wouldn't have thought twice about it, but I quickly learned that my elbows aren't allowed to leave the side of my body and it was quite an adjustment.
But now I'm transitioning well, I'm straight in all manner of speaking (yep I even head tilt on a horse!), I keep the horse straight, and best of all, I'm comfortable doing it.
I'm not up to that with Teddy but I know we will get there! I cant wait!
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