PhysicalSchizms

As requested..




I can't remember if I've posted this picture before, sorry:(
Kinda funny one, of a group of some of my favourite kids, 1985. Leo's body, Rainy's head, Sparky's ample, dependable butt. The best boys, evaR.


Picture Two.

Riding is a scary sport. Just hopping up there takes an act of courage, ya know. Or foolhardiness, if you're not interested in hopping up there. It's always been something we automatically admire people for.

OH, You RidE?? Oooh, you are so brave. It's just inherent. A built in reflex by people who don't ride. But then you have the youth of our culture, still fearless, and their snickers at our pale faces can be daunting, to say the least. That's why it's preferable to find beginner classes, in the beginning, with a zero audience of sneerage.

I always did my best to schedule the mature people for low population at the barn times. It's just nicer for the students. Now, I'm not saying no audience, and after awhile, you should be enjoying yourself enough that you can give out a belly laugh when you start thinking too much again.

That's the hugest problem with the mature rider, their brains. Yes, their bodies too, but mostly, brains.
Sorry:)

I read in Discover about athletes brains, and how their brain activity quiets, when they are performing athletic tasks.
Take away from that, they don't THINK about what they are doing, they just Do.

Now, if you've tried following my endless ramblings from the bitter beginning, you'll remember that on the ground, you should be carrying yourself like a rider. Your posture should always be good, your balance square over yourself, whatever that self looks like. That's what centering (with a genuine cower to Sally Swift) is all about. Do mini-exercises to keep yourself fit.

Put your left heel down while driving, your right, while idling in traffic. Stretch and flex the muscles that always scream at you after riding. If you cannot balance over yourself, you won't, on horseback.
(coughdancingcoughHelps)

You're thinking, How does that help when I'm up there? Riding should be an unconscious act, of following and flowing over/above the ground, directing the river of flight energy beneath you.
Stop thinking about it. Just do it. Lucky people, riding horses!

If you stay "over" yourself, you won't be going anywhere, gravity/ground-wise. At least, you shouldn't be, if you're riding one of my old schoolies, who'd never take a nasty step on a beginner.

Hours and miles. As the trust builds, so does the confidence.

Thanks for the inspiration, all my readers! The two of you can really make me smile:)

I am almost ashamed to post my old hatless pics now, after the latest tragedy. Maybe I should replace my head with a StickFigure's, I wouldn't feel quite so guilty.

I'm a re-rider, pretty much, in this pic, having been off about? 5 years at this point. I'm absolutely aware of my own safety, though. This old fugly gray and I had an understanding. I fixed his bridle, and he never ever scared me.

Good deal. Oh, my heart raced a bit, once, we were hacking up the driveway in the spring, it was chilly, wind-up-your-butt type weather. Gray twinkled-toed. I was wearing a hat. ALWAYS wear a hat. Especially when the wind's up your butt:)

I was STARTED scared, after all, at 11 years old. Check out picture two, up there. I am ready to/defended against falling off, because horses kept dumping me. Turns into a vicious cycle, in a way.

But riding the SchoolMaster GoLightly, unscared me:) Horses can do anything to us, you know. Thank heavens they aren't carnivores, has always occurred to me.

Riding is a scary sport. Well, of Course it is!
amen.

To Horses!