Whew, this has been/will be a good week for riding! Didn't lesson last Tuesday or Saturday 'cause either my trainer or I couldn't get to the barn (those are the days she is normally there). This week though, she was working day camp, so I came out Tuesday and Thursday morning. Tuesday was sooooo hot, like 95 (shuddup, all you Southerners, I'm not used to it after a month of 60s and rain!). Camp ended at 1 so I got on fairly soon after then, ie the hottest part of the day. Smart move, 'specially because I hadn't even been on a horse in 2 weeks! Warmup was good, we worked on me getting my leg more underneath me, and circles because those are often an issue for me. And we did lead changes, suhweet...rather, saintly pony did his auto changes and I sat there, haha. Then, since it was so hot, trainer told me my course and said OK go jump it all before you get tired. So we jumped it once, then mixed up the lines a bit for another course, and by then I was basically about to pass out (I'm kind of a pussy about the heat, combined with my random nausea and my tendency to not drink enough it's kind of a problem) so we called it a day and gave the pony a shower and sat in front of the fan.

So, I came out again Thursday (when my brakes went out ) for another lesson. It was a hair cooler and I made sure I was very good about drinking enough water throughout the morning (made me have to pee like crazy though). A couple of the camp kids were so kind as to take pictures for me. The pony was pretty good during warmup. Even though he's a chubster and he was already ridden that morning, he does surprisingly well in the heat. Earlier, I had watched one of the campers ride him, and was secretly and terribly pleased that he went better for me. I mean, not in a bitchy way, but I always assume I'm doing everything all wrong, and it was pleasant to find out I'm not. I was not entirely on top of my game, but not toooo terrible.

Warmup. Trainer saw this pic and was like, if only we could keep that leg under you! Well, at least we know I can do it on occasion


What my leg looks like when I concentrate too much on just pushing it back and not having it under...toes go way out.


That's better, though it seems to have creeped forward again. Pony is cuuute.


Canter. Foot too far in the stirrup, another thing that happens when I am tried/lazy. It does look a bit worse than it is tho, because boots are a bit too long for my tiny feet.


Eh, looking a little hunchy with the shoulders. I used to be too straight and upright, now relaxing so much I'm slouching.


Leg at the canter. Still bracing and pointing out, but better than the trot.


First jump of the day. Better about giving with my hands than last time, but heel/lower leg is not as solid as I'd like it to be.


Outside line, approached from a bending line from the end jump in the background.



Outside line the other way. Actually this might be a bending line, headed towards the little white gate angle in the middle.


Same X as the first. Looks like we launched at it a bit maybe, I don't remember.


Little skinny vertical. Approached on a circle-ish thing from the jump at the end, then made a bending line to a vertical that was part of an outside line on the other long side.


White gate, on a bending line from the gold and white X.


Yellow skinny gate again. I was leaning forward which I tend to do when anticipating, hence the longer spot.


Gold X again, looking for my white gate. This is the point at which we called it quits because I was getting pooped.




A pretty good lesson. I'm still having some issues with getting the right turns for my bending lines, but that's something that will only get better with practice. I love having the pictures; it is so helpful to be able to look at them and debrief and think "well this picture we look great, I remember doing xyz here." Thank goodness for the digital age! Now I know what to work on when I hack tomorrow, too. Thanks for not minding my ramblings. It's good to have a place to write it all down