She's still for sale, and I'm dying to see this mare get into a good show home. Someone buy her!
Lisa also took pictures of Connor and I, and they really helped me visualize some of the things my trainer has been getting after me about lately. Like the fact that I need to keep my left leg by the girth, I had no idea it was this bad. Every single picture, my left leg looks like this:
Meanwhile, right leg? Where it's supposed to be, every single picture. There's a solid 6 inch difference between where my toe is on the left and on the right at all times. That ain't right. Right leg, for comparison:
How about over-posting?
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| WHO DOES THIS?! My butt cheeks are flexed, they're working so hard. |
Shoulders behind the vertical...
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| And lines in my forearms. The two are connected. |
I'm grateful for those for showing me what to work on, but thankfully there were a ton of good moments too, including this crazy sitting canter picture. This was actually not the transition, but the stride immediately afterward:
It rode as nicely as it photographed, too, the canter he launched into was coiled, compact, and powerful:
And he was even lifting from the base of the neck, in the canter. What horse is this!
I am so thankful to Lisa for coming out and taking these pictures and hanging out with us for a little while! It's awesome to see the progress in these pictures.
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| My best friend! |
Looking ahead to a very fun week:
- Makeup lesson today
- Regularly scheduled lesson Thursday
- Two day CJF clinic next weekend
- Makeup lesson today
- Regularly scheduled lesson Thursday
- Two day CJF clinic next weekend
Oooh, that mare is GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am glad I'm not the only one with one leg that behaves differently from the other. Only mine is my right leg. It totally has a mind of its own. I swear, I want to duct-tape it to my girth sometimes. Leg, y u no do whut i want?
Haha, duct tape! The bad part is, I didn't know it was a problem until yesterday, NOW I have to fix it!
DeleteI struggle with the one side being weaker than the other too. My right leg loves to creep up to the point where I've noticed sometimes I set my stirrup lengths while mounted unevenly thinking they're level. I like the duct tape idea above :) Great pictures - that canter depart is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt's always something, isn't it? Thanks!
DeleteMy right leg likes to lock :( I haven't had too much of an issue with it since I started stretching + added composite stirrups, but I know what a pain it can be to have a leg that just wont behave!
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in composite stirrups, but didn't really consider that they would help with something like this. What kind do you have?
DeleteMy left leg creeps up not back but same type of problem for me, too. So glad you are going to ride with CJF! I was wondering if you'd get to again soon.
ReplyDeleteYes! I missed out in May due to my father-in-law passing away, so I'm thrilled to get to ride with her this time. She did hang out with us at Fox River Valley and threw a single piece of advice with me in XC warmup, but there's nothing like having her (mostly) undivided attention for an hour.
DeleteNothing like pics or video to point out our flaws. You two still look really good though! I seriously wish I could afford to buy Regalia for my mom (my mom is short, not giant like me). She would be perfect for her. Between Conner and Regalia, I'd say that lady breeds some really nice horses!
ReplyDeleteYes she does! I wish more moms could get Cobs or Cob crosses, they are just the right combination of safe/predictable/athletic.
DeleteWhat a great set of pics - it's so helpful to see what we do when riding. Thanks for sharing on your blog - it makes me think about how my position could be improved! Both horses are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Tough to put the bad pics up - ha! Thanks, Regalia especially is just stunning!
Deletethat canter pic is great! and i feel your pain with the uneven legs... it's a constant struggle lol. getting someone to take pics of you is so great tho! i've recently been begging the barn rat kids to get videos and then i can pore over the stills later...
ReplyDeleteWe have no barn rats, so I don't even have that! Haha.
DeleteDespite that ornery leg, you still look great, Conner is improving in leaps and bounds! He is totally working his butt these days! OMG Regalia is freaking beautiful...I have a case of the wants!
ReplyDelete