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Saturday, January 05, 2013

Seventh Lesson Brings Unexpected Knowledge!

So I decided to brave it and go for a ride today. I'm glad I did too! Until now, no sign of anything red lol.

Today's horse was Dibbie. Once again, I had difficulties getting her to get into a trot and to stay trotting till I tell her to stop. I seem to have this problem with every other horse I've ridden... except the first horse (Mr. T, I think) and Siti Mas, both of which I haven't had the opportunity to ride on my own. Maybe it's cause I'm not a full rider yet? Maybe they're all testing me, to see if I could actually become a rider and be the one in charge? I'm not sure what to think. Next time I ride any of the 5 I've ridden so far, I hope things change. For now, I'm quite happy to switch between all the horses and see which I like best :D

Dibbie was pretty hard to ride. She doesn't respond to whip waving, whip tapping or even heel tapping. To get her to trot everytime, Mazlan (today's trainer) had to be the one waving the whip. He says it's cause she knows that I can't control her very well and so, she's bullying me... =/ Meanie horsie!

I learned quite a bit today! When the horse is walking, I've finally realised what a friend (Thanks for all the help, Jess!) meant when she told me that horse riding is also about abdomen exercise. Mazlan helped me understand what all the trainers mean when they say 'Relax' and 'Push with your back'. I could follow the horse movements really well now. Was almost as if I was swaying with the horse. I wouldn't say 'As one' yet, because I haven't gotten to know the horse well enough. I also learned to urge the horse into walking without words and without tapping. Just need to 'push' at the saddle :D I haven't been able to stop her in the same way, by just leaning back though o.o For some reason, she just ignores me when I try to make her stop with just my body language. Good news though, is that I'm paying a lot more attention to horse body language. I can now recognise signs of unhappiness compared to stubbornness and laziness lol.

There was a short moment where I did the sitting trot perfectly :o It was just as I was preparing to do the rising trot. My body was sort of like a snake and my butt kinda stayed in the saddle. It wasn't like before, where I bounced up and down like a doll. I think this is what Mazlan was saying about me needing to soften up. It's pretty amazing, what a short moment of not thinking about doing it can do. It was like automatic, as if it was by instinct. I really hope I can do it again on my next ride.

We did mostly rising trot today. Mazlan is really pleased with my progress, apparently. Other than my heels needing to be kept down (I might be having a problem with the boots for that) and the fact that I couldn't really continuously trot because Dibbie kept stopping, my rising trot is doing really well too! Although, for some reason, I was really tired today, even while riding, and that's not very often. I usually feel ecstatic enough to last me the whole ride and only start wobbling a few minutes after dismounting. I'm blaming it on my uneasy sleep last night :( I kept waking up every now and then. I suppose breakfast wasn't heavy enough either. Oh well.

One other thing I've learned today was pretty unexpected o.o Dibbie kept stopping at the start, not because she was stubborn, but because she had to do a short business XD Once she stopped, I felt her two hind legs spread out... Her entire hindquarters dropped a bit and a second later... the sound of water splashing into sand >.<

And at another point, she stopped in the middle of a trot. The moment I tapped her with my heel, I heard the sound of a splatter... Looked behind and her tail was held high... yes, she was doing a big business at that time! XD When she finished, she went back to walking. That was a weird but very knowledgeable event lol

It also looks like I have a designated trainer... sort of... maybe... I think... Both times that Mazlan taught me, he and his group of (we're guessing) volunteer trainers are always commenting on me being a fast learner and what Mazlan is gonna teach me next week o.O Does that mean Mazlan likes teaching me or something? lol. Well, he says he's gonna bring me into the main arena next week. Looks like I'm gonna be getting lessons on how the main arena works :o Yays! I seriously don't mind. Eventhough Mazlan seems to be attached to his phone like a teenager haha. With him, I progress REALLY well and fast. Distracted Mazlan or not. Maybe that's why they call me a fast learner :D

Dad says I need to buy a short whip and a dressage whip O.O I was like "Wat... why? I can just borrow theirs. I don't need a whip yet... Maybe when I can ride on my own without a trainer, we'll go get me whips, but right now, we really don't need to spend more..." I'm the one riding and spending all his money on riding gear + lessons and he's suggesting MORE unnecessary gear?! *facepalm* Sometimes, I don't understand my parents. On one hand, they complain about me choosing to love horses instead of the cheaper maintenance dogs. On the other, they're asking me to spend more... WTF?! -.-

2 comments:

  1. I wouldn't be surprised if your trainer really does enjoy working with you. Every trainer I've known has LOVED it when they got to work with someone who absolutely adores horses and is focused and eager to learn during the lesson. It's a super bonus when they also learn quickly. They tend to get plenty of kids who are there because their parents have more money than sense and think that riding is the "appropriate" activity for their children - in most cultures it is seen as "refined" and genteel, probably in large part because it's so expensive, so it used to be available only to the wealthy (mostly still is) and their snobbery. ;) Those kids don't want to be there, don't pay attention, are often even downright rude to the trainers, etc. So having someone like you is amazing for them, reminds them of why they decided to do this in the first place, etc. :)

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    1. I haven't thought of it that way :D Hehe, it's actually a whole lot more fun this way. Trainer and I could laugh at my mistakes, we could agree on the horse being silly, etc! Not only do I bond with the horse, I bond with the trainer too!

      But yeah, ANYTHING the parents force on their kids are not enjoyed. I love dancing. I was born a dancing queen. I would've been so happy if I were put in ballet instead of taekwon-do. But since I was put in martial arts instead... well, I wasn't a happy kid lol

      Equestrianism should definitely be a willing sport. It's so dangerous that it might as well be enjoyed instead of being a grump

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