Post by twisting on Aug 11, 2010 1:54:55 GMT -5
About two months ago I decided life is too short to not try new things. So I decided to buy a sidesaddle. I sent off a mold of Keno's back to an experienced lady in South Carolina and she sent back a saddle that fits Keno beautifully. It's amazingly cozy and I'm getting more stable and comfortable with it every time I ride.
Problem? I am probably the only person in Hawaii using a sidesaddle to do more than meander sedately down the road in a parade. My ultimate goal is to jump in a sidesaddle, but I'm learning all of this on my own, so it's slow going. Mostly we have been mastering the surprisingly difficult act of travelling in a straight line. I'm finally getting the hang of relaxing into the movement of the walk and trot and decided to work on the canter today.
Now I was a bit stumped on just how to ask for the canter with only one leg and a dressage whip. I tried a couple of different things for about 15 minutes and Keno was getting quite cranky with the whole ordeal. I was heading towards cranky and frustrated myself so I took a short break to ponder my dilemma. Finally, I decided to try something crazy, well crazy in the hunter world.
I sat up nice and tall, took a soft feel of his mouth and just said "canter", without fussing with my legs or whip at all. I then proceeded to burst out laughing as my boy stepped into a beautiful canter transition. He was so calm and relaxed about it I could practically hear him thinking "Next time just tell me what you want, Mom."
I complain sometimes that my horse is too smart for his own good, usually when he figures out some cheat that lets him do what I ask without actually working hard. Today though I was bragging about how my horse was smarter than me. He was waiting for me to figure out that asking for the canter was as simple as. . . well. . . asking.
Problem? I am probably the only person in Hawaii using a sidesaddle to do more than meander sedately down the road in a parade. My ultimate goal is to jump in a sidesaddle, but I'm learning all of this on my own, so it's slow going. Mostly we have been mastering the surprisingly difficult act of travelling in a straight line. I'm finally getting the hang of relaxing into the movement of the walk and trot and decided to work on the canter today.
Now I was a bit stumped on just how to ask for the canter with only one leg and a dressage whip. I tried a couple of different things for about 15 minutes and Keno was getting quite cranky with the whole ordeal. I was heading towards cranky and frustrated myself so I took a short break to ponder my dilemma. Finally, I decided to try something crazy, well crazy in the hunter world.
I sat up nice and tall, took a soft feel of his mouth and just said "canter", without fussing with my legs or whip at all. I then proceeded to burst out laughing as my boy stepped into a beautiful canter transition. He was so calm and relaxed about it I could practically hear him thinking "Next time just tell me what you want, Mom."
I complain sometimes that my horse is too smart for his own good, usually when he figures out some cheat that lets him do what I ask without actually working hard. Today though I was bragging about how my horse was smarter than me. He was waiting for me to figure out that asking for the canter was as simple as. . . well. . . asking.
I do agree we need pics...I also have to agree with the horse that is so smart, they surprise you ;D I have seen that in mine as well