Here I am at my first ever show. A teeny tiny, anybody can ride in it show, I think it was at Uxbridge Fair. (maybe.) I'm on little Grey Squire, the horse that would kill you if you approached him in his (gasP) tie-stall. Squire had much attitude, but he was pretty well-broke, and a cute, overly large pony. Check out the no-hat, thumbs up, reins a mile long, elbows stick out, lonG stirrups. Legs just about straight, and sticking out, away from Squire's sides. eeeesh. It's bad. I was not good.
Squire very wisely ran out at the first jump. It WoulD have helped if I'd actually ridden him towards the jump:)
Okay, special treat time. Paddy gets to ride a SchoolMaster. This is still my dream lesson, sooo, I have several at my stable. Let's pull out a 15 hand version of my hero horse, GoLightly.
I've been trying to remember ANY horse that I ever rode, that had even close to his level of training on them. Still drawing a blank. As I've blathered about before, I'd ridden a lot of messed up horses in my life. Got bent and twisted by quite a few. Took very few lessons, (no $$) and did the best I could. Read books and Practical Horseman, and watched the greats riding. I did a good job. But. I was crooked. I never even KNEW I was crooked, until I rode GoLightly.
So, let's try to make this point in three million words or less.
Paddy, this dream GoLightly SchoolMaster, is whatever height of horse you are most comfortable with. He doesn't have monster truck wheels:)
Most of us have ridden horses that were, um, not well-broke. Nice way of putting it, anyway.
You will first be struck by GoLightly's straightness. You will then be struck by how straight, you are not.
GoLightly will reflect whichever way you are crooked. He will ONLY travel straight, when you are too.
Very, very few school horses are as well-trained as this horse you are sitting. You'll feel his intelligence, and his kindness and his calm, matter of fact way. You will relax, maybe for the first time, ever. I know I did. You will feel SAFE. Most defensive riding postures can be fixed with a lesson on a great schoolie. Remember JohnnyBeGood. JBG was a great horse. He handed me back my confidence, with his honesty. Bad riding habits start with the horses you learn on.
That's my problem with how we're "learning" today. At a barn I tried getting back into riding at, a fancy-schmancey A barn, the schoolies were all barely broke auction horses. When I heard that the instructor was expected to teach SIX BEGINNERS at one time on these horses, I quit. So did the instructor.
The horse you learn on, should be teaching you. Not the other way 'round.
As you walk forward with mini-GoLightly, you will notice how the crookedness in your body, sends him crooked too. As you stretch up with your upper body, and stretch down with your lower, he WILL straighten. As you learn to look where you are going, so MiniGL will go where you look. If you look down at him, he will stop.
MiniGL goes where you look. Down=STOP. Horses NEVER LOOK DOWN, except to eat. You will smile, as the sheer safety of the horse underneath you helps you enjoy your riding, maybe for the first time, in a long time.
Okay, trrrrot on.. See there? As you go back to collapsing one hip, so does MiniGL. The side you collapse on is the side he will fall into. As you focus your eyes forward, and stretch up, MiniGL goes back to straight. Cool, huh?
Stop, and give him a pat. Laugh at how simple the whole thing really is. When you ride, you MUST quiet the too many voices in your head nattering at you. Focus on your horse. Let him carry you, straight, forward. It's amazing, isn'ta?
You are a MUCH better rider than you thought!
Okay, drop your stirrups. I'll be back, in a half hour or so. Gotta go tack up my GoLightly. Alternate between trotting and walking. Don't push yourself too hard. Let MiniGoLightly teach you what all your other instructors and horses never could. How to ride, without fear, or defense.
I also believe in the maxim "No pain, no gain". But, big but, I will ALWAYS stop the lesson when you are starting to really suffer. You will stop learning, if you are cramping.
Riding is the toughest sport in the world. Every single muscle you own will be screaming, happily, when you're done.
Okay, we'll stop for a bit. How did that feel?
To SchoolMasters. They are the rarest horses on the planet.
We need MORE of them.
Get crackin', kestrel.
Here's a re-scanned picture of my JohnnyBeGood. HSE show, Lenore up.
Wasn't he a darlin'?
18 comments:
"The horse you learn on, should be teaching you. Not the other way 'round."
Yes, yes, yes. The barn I rode at for years used OTTBs and polo ponies as their lesson horses. The OTTBs were very green and the polo ponies had to be taught how to jump a course while you were learning how to jump a course. I was competent enough by that time to handle it, but man, some of the beginners I saw up on these horses scared the bejesus out of me.
Loving the "virtual lessons " keep em coming !
Awesome post GoL!
Uxbridge fair! small world, I used to show on that show ground all the time...Spooooky.
I am enjoying these online lessons, and will dually note everything and apply it to this evenings ride. (if thunderstorms persist, then tomorrows ride)
Keep the pictures coming too. This is awesome!
"The horse you learn on, should be teaching you. Not the other way 'round."
So very true. I've been lurking but I know how you enjoy posters so :p
Yeah I should be posting here too. I do read your posts gl! I promise! I be learning a lot from yous!
"The horse you learn on, should be teaching you. Not the other way 'round."
How true.
Good school horses are so hard to find. It takes a horse with infinite patience to be able to deal with what their job entails. I think it is one of the sadest things when schoolies aren't properly taken care of.
The trainer I bought Wizard from was trying to use him as a schoolie. He was awful and developed many bad habits that I still work on.
I was at the Uxbrigde fair watching the draft competitions a few years back. The Canadian Commercial horses were amazing. The look and move like a Dutch Harness horse.
I had to move Trooper from Uxbridge because the roads were so bad in winter time that Brett and I went off the road twice.
Excellent point about the horse teaching you. I think your pony is the cutest. To bad he was such a monster. I wish, when I was young, that I rode ponies instead of horses. They're closer to the ground during the learning phase.
Gorgeous horse over the jumps. Another stellar post with stellar horses.
Position, position, position. It is really the key isn't it. I find, and try to relay to students, if I/they are correct the horse just seems to fall into place...like magic.
If you aren't correct how can the horse be? Some horses go in spite of the rider. They are kind and willing enough to do their jobs even if the rider is a lump. Not a great quality in a lesson horse, well maybe a beginning lesson horse.
I had a student riding Cami. Cami would start to engage, and be more forward when the woman would get it right. It would startle the woman and she'd yelp out "OH!" Cami would halt. Then the woman would ask her forward again.
This went on for awhile...to the point it looked like a kid learning to drive a stick shift. I'm now dying laughing. (Yeah that's me the consumate professional). Hard to help someone when you're laughing so hard you can't talk.
So we agreed, no 'fourth vowel sounds'. It has become a joke. It was so funny. I swear Cami got to the point she was just messing with the woman.
OOOOOOH That Grey Horse and you are DARLING!!!!!!!!!
When my brother in law asked me if I could find him a nice quiet beginners horse...cheap, no less...it took me a few minutes to catch my breath, get up off the floor and go change panties from laughing so hard. Great or even kinda good lesson horses are worth their weight in gold.
I turned down $5000.00 for my fugly little pony workhorse cross, because he was irreplacable. Finding that rare soul that could jump, trail, omoksee, pony club, and work as a mount for everyone from scared adults to handicapped riders?! With a good attitude and safely? Besides, he was my little buddy. I sure miss him, but have to smile every time I think of him. He did have a sense of humor.
Oh, and GL you wuz CUTE!
GoL, though 'virtual', I certainly enjoyed this lesson. Thank you.
Nice to relax and lose the defensive position- how great of miniGoLightly to take care of his rider.
Great photos you've saved over the years. Keep them coming and lessons as well!
My horse was hot. He rushed jumps. He was truly a handful, and yet I stuck with him 'cause I loved him. Still, I wish we'd have had a trainer at the barn where I boarded him. This was a little mom and pop place and we were all on our own as far as schooling. I would have learned so much. And he had the potential to have taught me, rather than the other way around.
Am loving your lessons, GL. Not a lot of time to comment, but I am reading them and internalizing them. :) Berhwood thanks you.
hey all
Been disconnected from the net by my laptop.
It's never HEARD of wireless:(
razzzzerfrazzzzz
keep your keyboards crossed that it's an easy fix.
I had a post....
AB, could you post your "gestalt" so far of Sally Swift, tried to ask you today, but poof, no net.
It was a brilliant gestalt.
BUY SALLY SWIFT, if you haven't already.
No, I haven't yet:(
Gotta fix my 'puter, I guess, first.
I LOVE my computer, I love my computer....
:)
have a copy of Sally's Centered Riding on the floor next to me. I'm heading outside to read. Too sunny and nice to stay indoors today.
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