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That was NICE! You sure as heck don't look flabby my dear...my goodness you look amazing!
Thankyou Karen! I have lost 7kg in the last year, but I still see plenty of flab that wasn't there a few years ago. 7 to go! Black is such a forgiving color though!
I meant more though that I just haven't exercised much in the last month so I definitely feel my core is less strong than it was when I was running/cycling and riding my "endurance team" (
AKA Sunrise and Harlequin) over summer. And I could definitely feel it. I had to put more effort into strengthening and being upright, and the more effort easily translates into stiffness.. So it took half an hour of playing around with the combinations, and looking at the videos, to have it looking like I wanted. And feeling like Footprint wanted. Interesting. My fitness never used to slip so fast when I was younger..
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I'll try one soon...with a video.
Yayyayayay! I'm so glad! Let's make this a work in progress..
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I do have a treadmill...just have to fight the notion that it's so incredibly boring to walk or jog on it.
You could always take up learning chinese..
then you'd be all set for when you eventually get around to visiting me.
Seriously, I find running incredibly boring and wasteful of time, but now that I've found a way to multi-task - run for fitness, exercise my dogs, AND listen to my MP3 lesson at the same time, I've found I can handle the tedium and guilt! Get ye over to the fitness thread, young lady!
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midway through the video when Footie did the canter depart, it looked so soft and lovely!
Believe it or not, I was not particularly happy with that canter depart.... I can see the faults. She "hops" into it with front legs, then hesitates back into trot, then begins again. Footprint's canter departs are things of absolute elegance and lightness. She'll walk canter walk canter, precisely, exactly, softly at the exact moment that you think it, without the slightest external sign of a cue from the rider. It's her piece de resistance!
Not bad for a middle aged farm horse! This time, we were having a little internal confusion over who was leading. She had the idea to go into a canter, and instead of staying with her, I "held" her for a moment with my body in trot, because I consciously thought I didn't want her to canter at that point (there was a soft pot hole of mud in front of us on the bend), and then I second thought "what the heck" and opened up again, and off she went.
You can see an instance of her cueless transition when she goes from trot to walk about midway through the video.
It's hard to explain how we do it - she taught me, not vice versa - but I've been able to teach it to others who ride her. You have to stay absolutely soft and fluid, no clamping down or actively TRYING to make her stop. It's just a sitting up tall and relaxed, and sinking softly down through the seat with a sigh!
Anyway, thanks for the nice comment. Will have to make another attempt and see if we can capture some of our better canter departs on film.
The "saddle" is the deluxe version of the Christ's Horsedream Lamsfelle bareback pad. With stirrups added, and modified with a homemade "tree" to give it just a little twist. That is, I bought closed cell foam pad of varying rigidity, and cut it into a seat shape, built up with extra layers at cantle and pommel and inserted it into the saddle pad. The Deluxe pad has a zipper that allows the top sheepskin to be taken off. It's super comfortable and very stable.
Josepha, thankyou!
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You see her movements improve while you and her are getting more in sync
. Yes, I could feel it too. She started a little upright and short and choppy, and later she evens out and becomes softer and more rounded.
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he chases Samantha for instance, having a blast while I get to be a passive passenger and try to get in sync
Oh yeah, chasing! Thanks for reminding me! Isn't that a great way to motivate the horse to just move while you passenger ride. It's another way to do a "lunge lesson" without a lunge.
I'll repost here the link to an old video I made of a little student of mine, Tahlia, doing exacly this on Bella as she chased the ball. Tahlia had a natural great seat, but was afraid of trotting and too scared to try a canter. In this video, she canters for the first time and learns to sit up and loose while trotting. She's most relaxed when it's just her and Bell and I leave them alone. And the chase teaches rider focus. And Bellla is.. well.. having a ball!!
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while novice rider or novice horse, a lot of passive riding should be done in the beginning so one or the other can 'figure this out' first before proceeding any further
YES! I do know exactly what you mean. This bit "novice rider OR novice horse" is SUCH a good point though, it should be plastered up all over the place! Most people accept that novice riders benefit from passenger lessons, but the idea of passenger lessons on novice horses is probably quite threatening for most. It's SUCH a great way to start though!
I think that's what Leigh has been doing with Circe too..
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I have not sought the horse of bits, bridles, saddles and shackles,
But the horse of the wind, the horse of freedom, the horse of the dream. [Robert Vavra]