Humble Pie

An unrelated picture of Contro and I from 2008

I've really been enjoying my dressage lessons and they seem to go by lightening fast! I know that I'm learning and soaking up this new style of riding slowly but surely. After each lesson T makes sure to tell me how much I am improving. I am so unaccustomed to positive reinforcement while riding, and it's refreshing. We had a pretty good lesson and I was pleased when T taught me how to do a shoulders in (forgive me if I don't word these correctly). Knight was a trooper - part of me wonders whether I really cued him right or if he just knows it so well that when T said it, he knows to do it. We did it twice more, and though I'm sure they weren't perfect by any means, it was still fun.

Since I was feeling so good, I stayed to watch the girl (about 12) who was riding Knight after me for her lesson. I was hoping to watch and learn. Seeing what some of the basic movements actually looked like helps me. Anyway, I almost regretted my decision to stay and watch because this little kid did great.

I learned something alright, I learned that I have my stirrups too long after I overheard T and her student...see below:

"Okay," T said to the girl "Next lesson, I want you to lower your stirrups down one notch."

"Wait." I asked the assistant trainer sitting next to me, "her stirrups already look long. Were my stirrups too short?"

"Yours aren't too long....YET." T interjected with a grin.

The assistant trainer (I think that's what she is anyway) explained that first you have to build the proper muscles and develop a good seat before the stirrups can be lowered. I felt myself humble right down when I realized that this kiddo was at the point of lowering her stirrups, while I, 17 or so years her senior still had them hiked up to my knees. The young girl rode Knight very well. She got him cantering well and worked on half passing and then haunches in. Initially I began to worry as I assumed that the girl had been only taking Dressage lessons about as long as I and that she was already way ahead of me. I thought maybe I was Dressage impaired or something - lol. To my relief, she had actually had years of dressage lessons - whew!

Next week T will be at a horse show, so I have to miss a lesson (good for my pocketbook), so I will report about the lessons once they start back up in two weeks. Until then, I'll have to fumble around on Miss Bird and the Morgans - practice my fancy new moves with them and all - awww yeah!! LOL, I think I might confuse them more then anything.