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Jul. 31st, 2007 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meezergalYesterday was a very good day for a change! I had my lesson in the evening and it went extremely well. I've been riding a new horse, Clifford, since July 9th now. My trainer, Jonathan, had his parents bring him up from their farm in Missouri over the Fourth of July holiday week, when there were no lessons (he took a vacation week). I was the first person to ride Clifford; I wondered why I got that honor. I soon found out!
I had mentioned to Jonathan that at my old lesson barn, Rich (owner/trainer) often put me up on OTTB's (off-track Thoroughbreds) after they had had time off to relax and were ready to start working again. I didn't jump them a lot, but I did do a lot of flatwork with them and sometimes I used to get off the horse thinking, "You ought to pay me for teaching that horse a lesson, not the other way around!" I mean, really--I taught at least three of them how to bend in corners (one little gelding thought my inside leg was solely there for him to lean on), come back on to the hindquarters, etc. Rich showed me how to stop a horse like a jockey--"You won't need to, but just in case"--and how to bridge my reins.
I had no idea at the time, of course, that re-training racehorses is a special art and can be dangerous. I just thought I was getting to ride some lovely horses.
I. Am. Stupid.
Well, anyhow, Clifford is a TB, though not off-track, and he's fast! I get to ride him because I'm one of the few people who can stop him--so my racehorse riding did pay off!
But he's a lovely jumper, even if he did get annoyed with us a couple of weeks ago. We had ground poles down in front of the line of jumps to get him to slow down, but on the third time through he said, "The hell with you people!" and turned the last jump--a two-foot jump with a ground pole four feet in front of it into a four-foot jump with a five-foot spread! Jonathan said I went over sitting straight up, hauling on the reins--but my leg position was perfect!
Last night Clifford was perfect, though, and I had a wonderful time riding him. He's a chestnut, so of course, he's Clifford, the Big Red Horse to me. I'm glad I'm taking lessons again, even though I have to give other things up. It's worth it!
I had mentioned to Jonathan that at my old lesson barn, Rich (owner/trainer) often put me up on OTTB's (off-track Thoroughbreds) after they had had time off to relax and were ready to start working again. I didn't jump them a lot, but I did do a lot of flatwork with them and sometimes I used to get off the horse thinking, "You ought to pay me for teaching that horse a lesson, not the other way around!" I mean, really--I taught at least three of them how to bend in corners (one little gelding thought my inside leg was solely there for him to lean on), come back on to the hindquarters, etc. Rich showed me how to stop a horse like a jockey--"You won't need to, but just in case"--and how to bridge my reins.
I had no idea at the time, of course, that re-training racehorses is a special art and can be dangerous. I just thought I was getting to ride some lovely horses.
I. Am. Stupid.
Well, anyhow, Clifford is a TB, though not off-track, and he's fast! I get to ride him because I'm one of the few people who can stop him--so my racehorse riding did pay off!
But he's a lovely jumper, even if he did get annoyed with us a couple of weeks ago. We had ground poles down in front of the line of jumps to get him to slow down, but on the third time through he said, "The hell with you people!" and turned the last jump--a two-foot jump with a ground pole four feet in front of it into a four-foot jump with a five-foot spread! Jonathan said I went over sitting straight up, hauling on the reins--but my leg position was perfect!
Last night Clifford was perfect, though, and I had a wonderful time riding him. He's a chestnut, so of course, he's Clifford, the Big Red Horse to me. I'm glad I'm taking lessons again, even though I have to give other things up. It's worth it!
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Date: 2007-08-01 01:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-02 02:26 pm (UTC)