We had a lesson tonight. I hadn't really ridden since Saturday (remember we walked a lot on Sunday and I didn't ride on Monday). For some reason I am exhausted all of the time.
He sure tries his heart out for me. We started the lesson with a wonderful shoulder in movement that dropped Cassandra's jaw. She asked me where I learned it and I told her from her. I pay attention to everything she tells her other students when I am in the arena when she is giving other lessons. Some of it must be sinking in.
So, without further ado . . . .
Some shoulder in
Long and low
Sidepass
And back
Trying to be straight again.
We didn't canter much, because I slipped on the ice yesterday and
strained my lower back. I have a huge knot of muscle over the SI joint on my right lower back. (I really need to order some Rocky Mountain Rescue Rub.) Cassandra said we both were bracing when trying
to canter. Going to the right was tough and I know I get tense, which causes Ashke to brace. Tonight he almost tried to run away with me for the first time in weeks, rushing into the canter. It got a little bit better to the left, but I think we were both really tired and just not feeling it.
I really just need to do it over and over and over again until neither of us is worried about it. Part of the issue is the Wintec is not nearly as easy to ride in as
the Trekker was and I feel much less stable. And I am still not entirely used to it, so when we
cantered tonight, I was slipping to the outside of the saddle and
catching myself on his outside rein. He was bracing against that and we
just weren't able to relax. Cassandra got on and tried. They had a nice
little canter but it was obvious Ashke was tired because of the lateral
work we did.
I told Cassandra that I wasn't going to show away from TMR until I had my saddle. I think once I am riding in it and confident that I am not going to slip or throw him off balance (arms and elbows a flying) then I will start thinking about showing him away from the barn. (There is a home show this weekend I am planning on doing which should be fun.) My biggest issue and one that I just can't seem to correct is that I hold my right shoulder up higher than my left. Something crazy.
He looks good. The shoulder in especially looked lovely. I always found that lateral work was pretty easy for my Arab and I wonder if that is the same with most Arabs because of their body type and usually shorter backs.
ReplyDeleteYou two look fantastic in the videos. My favorite was the shoulder-in! AWESOME job! I hope your back is back to normal soon. And looking forward to reading about the barn show this coming weekend! :D Those can be a ton of fun!
ReplyDeleteVery nice! Have you tried rolling around on a tennis ball (on the floor)? It hurts, but it works to get knots out. I do heat before/after, and do it regularly because my muscles just like to tense up all the time, from my years of pain. Muscle memory is both good and bad....just like you tensing your back when riding, it's hard to undo those memories. I also ride with my ride side diffrently. Going stright on the trail for miles has really made me see it. And while I could correct it for a short time when going that way in the arena, it's been a challenge for me to fix it for miles at a time. Keeps creeping back up on me! Sigh. I just keep working on it, it took me some time to figure out the right muscles to get it where I wanted it, and then it took even longer to be able to hold it there while doing anything but sitting still. Anyways, good luck at the show!
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