Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Lesson #189: Switch Up

The lesson on Saturday consisted of just me and +ADW puttering around the indoor. He got this idea to switch things up. Which isn't a bad idea as I have ridden Ariel pretty consistently and don't really get on any other horse. And of all the horses to do this with too, Molson. Not a bad idea. I've ridden Molson just once previously and I did so in the dressage saddle. ADW rode another pony named Angel once but the pairing was... awkward.

I hopped on all of the 16hh or so and ADW got on all of Ariel's short stubby 15.1 or 2 hh. He giggled and said he hasn't gotten on such a small horse since he started learning at the previous school. Ariel also has a short little neck so there is even less horse underneath you! The most noticeable difference is in the amount of contact that Molson demands of his rider. Ariel is most content with maybe 1-3 lbs of contact but Molson can take upwards of 20lbs. Talk about a big difference to adjust right at the get go.

We start the lesson with trotting and then canter. Molson's canter is bigger and is just different and I need to consistently take more contact so he knows what is being asked of him. There were moments that my contact would just disappear because he pulled me forward so I have to focus on maintaining that contact or he'd pull me down in the corners. I have never had to give more contact than Saturday. Not only do I have to consistently sit up and maintain the contact while encouraging him forward, I needed to remember that the falling on the forehand is a gradual process.

I was nervous, needless to say. But, J has a bunch of confidence in our abilities and the opportunity to try something different led to him say "let's jump this". I wasn't feeling  hot about the idea since I was struggling with the contact thing and fighting one of my biggest issues: leaning forward into the fetal position. Riding Molson brought a lot of attention to that fault of mine. We went over one nice low X jump at the trot and my pace was crawling so much that by the time he reached the base of the jump, he was practically at a stand-still and took off anyway. I am impressed I didn't go flying off. Sitting up REALLY does do wonders. We tried it several more times and each time I had to consciously make the effort to keep sitting up and thinking "we're going up hill" with the increased contact. He also has a reputation to power up just before the jump and that's just one more thing to consider and take into account. Riding him literally feels like you're riding a rocker launcher that pulls you forward. My two point didn't feel like a two point since I felt simply like I was sitting up... but I think it might have been the start to addressing some of my issues and gives me an idea of what I should be doing.

ADW on the other hand was puttering around on Ariel and he got the opportunity not to have to deal with the heavy forehand and the powering up towards the jump. They did really well too! He has the opposite problem from me where he has to reduce the contact BUT maintain the light contact which I find trickier than the opposite. It's easy to lose that contact or jossle the reins and that too, annoys Ariel. LOL.

That said though, Molson wasn't a big fan of me and did give me a few disagreements with his ears turned back and his shaking his head a few times. Perhaps another time I'll see how things go... it was a good change up that required each of us to change the approach we're used to.

6 comments:

  1. what a great idea to switch things up! i love riding different horses since it gives such a clear idea of which issues are mine vs the horse's

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    1. LOL totally. it really showed me how badly i need to stop doing what i'm doing. i do enjoy getting to know how to ride ariel but appreciate that going to try something different will give me another type of opportunity and learning experience too.

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  2. I sometimes get nervous while riding new horses, but it always ends up being a great experience. Sometimes it is nice to switch things up!

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    1. totally great experience! like you, i find it intimidating (especially going up in size) and then add the other things i'm trying to suss out... :S

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  3. Felt like riding a pony! Ariel sure does like to make a fuss, but she goes through jumps like a champ.

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    1. hehehehe might not be "a lot of horse" under you... but there's still quite a bit of mare! :P

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