It’s Saturday morning and I’ve got a big smile on my face after a good lesson last night after work with Pinto and my instructor. We worked on our usual bits and bobs – my aides, getting everything together (currently can’t multi-task and think about what my arms, head, elbows, hands, bum, legs and feet are doing simultaneously!) and working on Pinto going forward and straight.
There’s a particular corner of the school that causes me issues, when riding round this corner I am doing something that causes Pinto to drift – I’m asking for the turn, but instead I get neck bend and drift into the edges. It’s something we’re going to work on, but my instructor says it’s not a major concern and we will address it further down the line. She then said something that struck a chord with me – ‘it doesn’t matter about that for now [the drift in the corner] because right now we’re working on other things because you’re actually riding him’.
‘You’re actually riding him’. Well yeah, I am. My confidence issues are no longer at the forefront, he’s responsive and forward, and though I can’t co-ordinate my body to do all the right things all at once just yet, we’re getting there. But it made me think – have I ever really properly ridden? Have I always been a bit of a passenger? My riding history is quite standard – started in a riding school, rode a variety of ponies but once I was established I favoured two in particular (a steady Fell mare and a speedy Arab mare). I took part in lessons, did some low level jumping (nothing more than 50cm) and hacked out in a group.
I’ve never had an as-green a horse as Pinto before, so maybe this has something to do with it. I can ride, I’ve ridden on and off for 20 years. Or maybe I can sit on a horse, ask it for certain movements etc but I don’t think I’ve ever had as close a bond as I do with Pinto with any other horse. My current re-education was to bring me back into work, and to teach me Classical Riding, which is all about (to me in seems) a ‘less is more’ approach which I love.
All my previous riding experience has been non-Classical training, it was standard RS style – give him a kick! I’ve learnt so much already with the classical style – mainly to stop driving with my seat (bad habit, it’s on it’s way out!). Given that Classical is a ‘less is more’ approach and when done well it looks effortless (we’re no where near that yet haha!) then maybe that is proper riding? And everything I’ve done up to now was just a warm up? I suppose I won’t know for sure until we’re established and I reach the etherial heights of ‘unconscious competence’ (ie. Doing the right thing automatically!).
Lucy & Pinto 