Since it was pretty hot I just put his bridle on and hopped on bareback. That was also semi-intentional because so much of the emphasis this weekend was on how important proper posture and position was. I wanted a chance to work on it without worrying about where the saddle was putting me. I focused on keeping my weight back over my seat bones and had my mom tell me when I wasn't staying up straight. I kept wanting to look down (I have the habit of staring at my horse's ears when I zone out to focus on feel). He was incredibly good, though I don't know that that's from my position, it's probably more from Kate's work. :) He stayed soft and round the entire time, didn't even try to protest the transitions. I did a couple big circles and big figure-8's at the walk and trot and cantered two circles to the left. I was pretty happy with how he went. :) We'll see if I can translate that into saddle work on Thursday.
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4 comments:
Fun, barework work! I too always have my head down, Im working on it though. Im glad he is getting so much better!
I <3 that my lease person is so dedicated that she audits clinics/seminars and incorporates that new knowledge into riding my horse! :) I'm SO lucky!
I'm so pleased that he was great for you bareback!!!! And it's cute that your mom helped you from the ground - an outside voice is always great. I'm sure it'll translate into good work on Thursday.
So how did it feel to really experience his back muscles under your seatbones? How was the plugging in same/different?
His back felt... uhh... squishy? ;) I was trotting and I could really feel the muscles bunching up under my seat bones while I sat the trot and my seat bones digging into the meat of his muscle. It was very strange feeling... you should try it sometime!
Awesome! I love riding bareback. It always helps to have eyes on the ground, too! ...and like I said in Kate's post, you had to be doing something good up there, or Pro wouldn't have stayed soft and round!
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