Thursday, May 29, 2008

Starting a new blog... again

Ok so I'm starting my newest blog. I've had several i've started and for some reason just can't seem to keep up with it. So maybe since this is going to just be a way for me keep notes on my riding I'll actually do it.

I have actually been riding since August 07 so i'm a bit behind in journaling about my progression but hey better late then never. I started riding at the ripe old age of 30 ;). I had never ridden before except for a few trail rides here and there. We moved to this more horsey part of the country almost 2 years ago and after longingly driving by tons of horse farms everyday I decided I wanted to start taking some lessons therefore starting my riding career.

At this point I am riding 1x/per week (group lesson) at a local lesson barn and reading tons of books on horses and riding.
I have been riding a perch/quarter horse cross mare for about the last 6-7 months named Sophie. That is her on the picture with me.
She is a sweetie who does not like other horses (makes mean faces when they get too close) and is allergic to grass. She is quite the princess and is teaching me alot about horses and riding.

I am starting this blog so that I can keep a record of what I am doing each week at my lessons or anything else horsey I do.
I had a lesson last night at 6:30 with 2 other people. Great weather, 65 degrees and sunny.

We warmed up by doing some shortening and lengthening exercises then went into figure 8's over poles. Grrr, don't really like those since sometimes Sophie has a mind of her own. I was pretty much sweating the whole time trying to keep her moving at a nice trot the whole way.
At this point I can walk/trot (still working on keeping those darn diagonols). Sometimes I think I hear someone saying "watch your diagonols" in my sleep! I am also cantering at this point but not always very nicely. Still trying to get a handle on all the correct aids and just forget the leads (haven't gotten those yet).

In regards to jumping, I am trotting over small cross rails and have just in the last 2 weeks started cantering over short cross rails. Fun!!!!

Next week I am supposed to be focusing on leg yields to try and push Sophie from crouching into the middle and am working on turns on the foreleg ( I think that is what it's called). All more stuff to get her to listen to my aids I assume. All tedious groundwork that I know is essential in good riding but is just not that fun.

All for now...