Teddy sizes me up
It is a breathtakingly, gorgeous day in New England, and I am off to ride. Quite frankly, I can’t think of anything better to do on such a glorious day than go riding (or for that matter on a rainy day, chilly day, snowy day…OK, you get the point).
I love riding Adrienne’s horse “Just Teddy” or as I call him (just) Teddy. My plan with Teddy today is to practice getting my distance in front of a ground pole in canter, on a circle, and to stay relaxed in a collected seat after the “jump.”
What I have learned from riding Teddy is that if I touch or pull on his mouth AT ALL, he gives me a good yank and takes off in canter, telling me in no uncertain terms to KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY MOUTH.
After numerous laps around the outdoor, I have taken note and am doing my absolute best to abide by this rule.
Another thing that I have learned with (just) Teddy is to sit up after each jump. If I go into my half seat afterwards, he speeds up and it is very challenging to get him back in control due to the KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY MOUTH issue.
So my goal today is to keep a consistent, relaxed pace, hit the right spot, and to keep this pace after the jump by immediately sitting up. By doing all of this, I will stay LIGHT on the rein and keep Teddy happy (and thus me happy, too). I’ll do these things correctly at least five times in a row in each direction.
I practice cantering to the pole a few times.
Hmmm, what I find is that if I’m not at the right pace going INTO the turn and have to adjust it at all AFTER the turn to make my distance, then I miss my takeoff spot, EVERYTIME.
Alternatively, if I have a COLLECTED, EVEN PACE going into the turn, and keep it to the straight line to the pole, then I nail my takeoff spot, EVERYTIME.
Wow, this is eye-opening (but not shocking as I have been told this by at least two of my trainers on more than one occasion, but having it finally sync in is pretty priceless).
Another thing I notice, after playing around a bit with my course size, is that if I make my circle tighter, then Teddy stays at a more relaxed pace, and again, I hit my mark more consistently.
Once I learn these tricks, I stick to them, and nail my goals for the day. Having my goals defined before my ride helps enormously. It leaves less room for me to talk myself into moving on to a different exercise. I focus on one goal, and work hard to achieve it. Small steps!
Happiness is finally getting something right.
