tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269069291231916423.post2487044224902191355..comments2023-11-05T01:29:13.677-07:00Comments on The Many Misadventures: Insightsmanymisadventureshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00269126419483167938noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269069291231916423.post-35552114646097892009-03-03T22:09:00.000-08:002009-03-03T22:09:00.000-08:00I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets the occasi...I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets the occasional lightbulb moment, and sometimes feels a bit silly for it. Stella, don't worry - it happens to all of us, apparently!<BR/><BR/>I will definitely read through both Centered Riding books. It seems that they have a lot of valuable information, and every time I think I have things figured out, I realize how much I don't understand about the way my position affects my horse.manymisadventureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00269126419483167938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269069291231916423.post-31320362044033079412009-03-03T08:54:00.000-08:002009-03-03T08:54:00.000-08:00I don't think you will ever get too experienced to...I don't think you will ever get too experienced to not have these moments......and trust me the half-halt is a huge one for EVERYONE. Mine was recently on how I was riding the canter I was staying balanced and out of my horses way with good contact but only when I started to support during the stride with my thighs did she then round up and collect.....I wasn't working hard enough to help her out!!<BR/><BR/>Also it will KILL you to keep the proper position for a while until you really honestly get it, and even then you need to be aware and checking on yourself, when I first made a major change (for the better) in my position I always knew I was doing it right when it hurt :)<BR/><BR/>I also second Equus on the Centered Riding books, I live by them, you'd be amazed how they can really help you jumping too.Ms.BarnBrathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07577541298508564810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269069291231916423.post-34885682271006488222009-02-23T12:19:00.000-08:002009-02-23T12:19:00.000-08:00My mare is on the forehand A LOT. Because of this,...My mare is on the forehand A LOT. Because of this, we haven't been able to hit those nice extended gaits, or get decent canter transitions, she liked to hang on my hands and generally be a nuisance. It was very frustrating, especially because I knew what was going wrong, I just coudn't fix it - and I hadn't had this problem with any of the others I've ridden and shown. <BR/><BR/>Everyone kept telling me I needed to 'ride her up', and I kept seething over the fact that I was riding her up. I drove her into my hands, didn't get into her face, sat back like is correct for a hunter... and then the other day, inspiration hit. Maybe I should try riding my horse like I'm up sadddleseat instead of hunt - Tada! I loosened by lower leg and simply allowed her to move forward instead of driving, I lifted my hands another 4 or so inches, and I'm staying extremely light on her back while sitting back much further. In one ride my horse suddenly was beginning to nail walk/canter transitions, we're hitting a few strides of that massive trot she's had locked up (and then she breaks into a canter because she just doesn't have the muscle to hold herself together, but that will come in time.)<BR/><BR/>I feel like such an idiot, this is not new knowledge for me, I know how to 'ride up' a saddleseat horse, I've just never transferred the knowledge into my hunt saddle apparently. Heck, I even do when I'm up western. <BR/><BR/>I feel the need to hide my head in shame!Stelladorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08208275944944079021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269069291231916423.post-19245916059598714932009-02-22T21:16:00.000-08:002009-02-22T21:16:00.000-08:00Oh how funny! No, I haven't even read all the way ...Oh how funny! No, I haven't even read all the way through Centered Riding 1, let alone Centered Riding 2. I got the idea from a section taught at a band leadership camp I go to, called The Band is Your Mirror ;) I gave a short seminar at camp this year tying this in with horses, and decided to turn it into a blog post.<BR/><BR/>I should probably work my way through CR1 and 2 - again and again, I run into people referencing them. Seems that there's a lot of good ideas in those books.manymisadventureshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00269126419483167938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269069291231916423.post-33994119841916654112009-02-22T20:29:00.000-08:002009-02-22T20:29:00.000-08:00I don't think you should feel silly! I feel just a...I don't think you should feel silly! I feel just as happy and excited when I have those "Ah-ha" moments. It's nice to hear it still happens to those at your level of experience!<BR/><BR/>My last big one was realizing the cause and effect between my position and one particular mare's reactions. She fixed my seat quite a bit, lol! She also taught me the importance of outside rein.<BR/><BR/>Just yesterday, I was reading (re-reading!) "Centered Riding" and realized that my legs are a little too far forward (I think), so I laughed when I read your post!<BR/><BR/>Incidentally, I was flipping through "Centered Riding 2" and session three is titled "The horse is your mirror" I wondered if you had read that before writing your "use your mirrors" posts, but I don't think so :) I thought you'd find that interesting if you didn't already know about it...RuckusButthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14760056031442317243noreply@blogger.com