I’ve started to ride a bit now. The first day I just cooled Vitall out. I was dying to just sit on him and I was pleased I was able to hold the reins. Based on that, I decided that I could try a lesson.
The lesson went well but it was a bit painful because I have zero muscle and my left hand is so weak. I started to over compensate with my right hand and then use too much leg. I started to get a bit frustrated because I knew what Anky was asking for but I wasn’t able to sustain it. After that, Anky and I decided to share Vitall over the next little while.
Sharing is going much better. I warm him up and she watches and helps me a little bit then she finishes him off. It’s great because I am able to see what I feel and she feels what she sees. During the ride she stops and we talk about how he is going. For example, he’s a bit strong on the left and won’t leave the wall so I leg yield off the wall then turn that into a half pass so he doesn’t run through my/her right leg… which he likes to do.
We’re also teaching Vitall that he his not allowed to grab the bits in the beginning and take over his speed control which is up to the rider to control. He likes to take over but is getting much better about waiting.
Everything about training with Anky is speed control and lightness of the aids. The rider should not be doing more work then the horse… I mean they have 4 legs and weigh how much more then us!!! A good thought to keep in mind if you’re having to “over ride” – tell your boy/girl to get their butt in gear and do it themselves!
I also went to the gym yesterday and bought my membership for 3 months – I’m planning to go 4x a week. I also make another trip to Ikea. I don’t think I have been to Ikea so much in my life but it’s such a fun store to walk through. I needed to get a few more small things for my apartment which is feeling more and more like home. Oslo truly loves the king size bed.
As you can see in the pictures of my two lazy kids!
