So after lunch, we came home. I updated my online games then went to take a nap. Turned into a 10 hour sleep. Woke up at 1.30am and with a badly pulled back... :(
Now, I can't sit or stand up straight. Everytime I move a certain way, a sharp twinge shoots through my back. It's sudden and seemingly random. And it fucking hurts. I think I might have sat the trot too much yesterday. Now I'm not even sure if I'm able to go to school tomorrow. Dad would force me to though, for sure. It's gonna seriously suck tomorrow.
*will be walking around like the hunchback of notre dame*
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Fourteenth Lesson & Trail Ride!
It was a great ride today! :D Mum didn't mention Ruby when she booked for today's session, so I got scheduled with Sharukh. He's okay, though a bit grumpy, imo. Today though, he wasn't feeling so well, so I had to switch with Siti Mas. And with her, I learned to be firmer :o The trainer told me to whip harder because the horses aren't feeling my taps, so I tried whipping a bit harder today >.> Sales assistant who sold me my whip also told me that my whip was made more for sound, so I wasn't as worried about hurting the horse too much.
And well, it worked. I got Siti's attention *nod* Too bad she was still lazy though lol. I could tell the difference between her and D'Alonzo. Alonzo would stop VERY suddenly, as if trying to unseat the rider. Siti Mas would slooooooooow to a stop lol. That's when another rider came into the ring we were using. Mazlan wasn't around again, so I got back the same trainer as last week. He seems to like teaching 2 people at once haha. I don't mind so much though, because I've gotten to the point where I don't have to be watched constantly by my trainer. And guess what? The other rider came in with Ruby! :D I was a bit disappointed to be riding with Ruby but not on Ruby... until the other rider said something (couldn't hear) to my trainer and he answered very loudly "Ruby is a good horse! Ask her!" and pointed to me LOL! Trainer went on to telling him that I really like Ruby. Guess the word went round, hehe xD Then trainer surprised me by asking if the other rider wanted to switch horses with me... Obviously I agreed when the other rider said okay! XD
According to dad, the other rider was pulling really hard at Ruby to get out of the stables and she refused to move. After riding Ruby twice though, I knew she was like that hehe. She loves her stall, but she also has a lot of energy. So she likes the freedom of running off and returning to her stall whenever she wants. Just gotta dangle a carrot in front of her and she'll follow you, muahaha :3
So what started off as a strange and lazy ride turned into awesome. I got on Ruby and I immediately felt at home. I love how Ruby listens to me very well. I don't need a whip really. And I DEFINITELY don't need spurs (dad keeps asking me if I wanted them >.<). All I need is to keep a whip at hand to wave at her if she doesn't want to move. She keeps wanting to trot instead of walk though. And unfortunately, I find that quite tiring xD But she's giving me the motivation to get stronger. *nod*
I practised my rising and sitting trot with the other rider. Trainer ignored me quite a bit and concentrated on rider 2, but I took that as me doing pretty well and continued doing whatever I was doing :) When trainer said to start cantering, I went right into it happily! Hehe, I still have a lot more to learn about asking for canter though. I'm finding it quite hard to kick when sitting a very fast trot. I bounce too much and the chances of me losing my balance is a whole lot higher, which makes me lean forward, bringing my legs up behind me to kick the wrong spots =/ I'm getting better, but I still have lots to improve. Any suggestions on the trot to canter transitions?
Another problem I found today was my new boots making me feel funny. They were comfy, real comfy. As if I've been wearing them for months. But it was a bit hard to put my weight on my heels as I should. And all of a sudden, I couldn't tell what stirrup length was comfortable. I ended up having sharp knee pains again. But if I lengthened them, the stirrup metals would slip around under my boots instead... Wow, breaking in leather boots must be tough >.<
At one point, I lost my stirrups while cantering and while I wasn't very worried, my trainer started screaming at me to put them back in haha XD At 3.35 in the video, you'd see me smiling and trying to put my feet back in the stirrups. Trainer acted as if I was gonna fall right off, haha. Guess he wasn't around when Mazlan was training me and I cantered without my stirrups! :D
About 30 mins later, shortly after the other rider went back to the stables, my trainer asked if I wanted to ride around the club. I told him that it would be my first time and I could try. We went back to the stables and I waited on Ruby for him to get a horse. This is where I had difficulties with Ruby. She wanted to go back to her stall pretty badly. Had to pull real hard on the reins to make her stop, and yet, she couldn't stand still. (Later, I concluded that maybe she wanted to go pee lol) I really pulled back here. And had to keep pulling so that she didn't run off to her stall... Trainer then came out with Dong, the club's only Arabian, and we went off. It was fun! Though, trainer wanted us to walk first, Ruby refused and continued trotting o.o The more I tried to get her to slow down, the slower her trot became, until it was as if I was doing a piaffe instead bwaha! We decided to just let her trot as long as she didn't cut in front of Dong and my trainer. Since it was such a slow trot, I just sat it out.
Then trainer and Dong went into a fast trot and without prompting, Ruby followed. I had to start rising lol. This was where I had the most difficulty with my boots. They kept sliding into the stirrups. I had to do a few two-points just to get them back on the balls of my feet. Trainer says next time, we'll go through the hills and after that, through the nearby houses! :o Can't wait! We went round the club twice, then turned back halfway through and went back to the stables. (My hour was up) I got down on wobbly legs, then led Ruby to the bathing area. Apparently, she had another ride later, so.
Fed her some carrots, went on my carrot feeding round, then back to her with the rest. And wow, did she gobble! Dad said she snuggled up to me a lot too. Hehe, I definitely felt her pushing her head against me quite a bit. She couldn't stop munching and asking for more! This was while another trainer came to un-tack her, wash her legs and wipe her down o.O So I asked what's up while he was getting a halter and exchanging it for the bridle. He then told me to take her grazing :o Damn, I agreed immediately!
And so, mum took Zidane, the horse she had been grazing for a month or so and we went in search of grass together. I now know how fussy Ruby can be :D She only munched a tiny bit at the long grass we call 'lalang'. She pushed me here and there with her head lol. There were also times when she just stood there and it seemed as if she was looking at me. I would ask her 'What do you want?' and she'd push my arm in a direction she wants to go, haha. We seem to be getting on really well. We stand nearer to each other now and she seems very comfortable with me. Then we got to a patch of weeds where it looked like 3 leaf clovers, she started munching nonstop. Fussy eater... just like me! :o She'd chew off all the leaves and spit out the roots!
I'll have to look for another patch of weeds next time we graze though. She kinda finished that particular patch :D It's all uprooted roots now. We went back to the stables and I proceeded to put her in her stall. This was the funny part. I took off her halter, turned around to hang it on the appropriate hooks, turned around and she was doing her business XD Hence why I thought maybe she couldn't keep still because she wanted to go! I've never seen her pee anywhere else, while other horses seem content to do it anywhere theres sand *facepalm* Again, fussy? Just like me LOL! I hate public toilets, even the school's! I'm happier at home XD
I fed her the last two carrots, then went off with mum to eat lunch :)
And well, it worked. I got Siti's attention *nod* Too bad she was still lazy though lol. I could tell the difference between her and D'Alonzo. Alonzo would stop VERY suddenly, as if trying to unseat the rider. Siti Mas would slooooooooow to a stop lol. That's when another rider came into the ring we were using. Mazlan wasn't around again, so I got back the same trainer as last week. He seems to like teaching 2 people at once haha. I don't mind so much though, because I've gotten to the point where I don't have to be watched constantly by my trainer. And guess what? The other rider came in with Ruby! :D I was a bit disappointed to be riding with Ruby but not on Ruby... until the other rider said something (couldn't hear) to my trainer and he answered very loudly "Ruby is a good horse! Ask her!" and pointed to me LOL! Trainer went on to telling him that I really like Ruby. Guess the word went round, hehe xD Then trainer surprised me by asking if the other rider wanted to switch horses with me... Obviously I agreed when the other rider said okay! XD
According to dad, the other rider was pulling really hard at Ruby to get out of the stables and she refused to move. After riding Ruby twice though, I knew she was like that hehe. She loves her stall, but she also has a lot of energy. So she likes the freedom of running off and returning to her stall whenever she wants. Just gotta dangle a carrot in front of her and she'll follow you, muahaha :3
So what started off as a strange and lazy ride turned into awesome. I got on Ruby and I immediately felt at home. I love how Ruby listens to me very well. I don't need a whip really. And I DEFINITELY don't need spurs (dad keeps asking me if I wanted them >.<). All I need is to keep a whip at hand to wave at her if she doesn't want to move. She keeps wanting to trot instead of walk though. And unfortunately, I find that quite tiring xD But she's giving me the motivation to get stronger. *nod*
I practised my rising and sitting trot with the other rider. Trainer ignored me quite a bit and concentrated on rider 2, but I took that as me doing pretty well and continued doing whatever I was doing :) When trainer said to start cantering, I went right into it happily! Hehe, I still have a lot more to learn about asking for canter though. I'm finding it quite hard to kick when sitting a very fast trot. I bounce too much and the chances of me losing my balance is a whole lot higher, which makes me lean forward, bringing my legs up behind me to kick the wrong spots =/ I'm getting better, but I still have lots to improve. Any suggestions on the trot to canter transitions?
Another problem I found today was my new boots making me feel funny. They were comfy, real comfy. As if I've been wearing them for months. But it was a bit hard to put my weight on my heels as I should. And all of a sudden, I couldn't tell what stirrup length was comfortable. I ended up having sharp knee pains again. But if I lengthened them, the stirrup metals would slip around under my boots instead... Wow, breaking in leather boots must be tough >.<
At one point, I lost my stirrups while cantering and while I wasn't very worried, my trainer started screaming at me to put them back in haha XD At 3.35 in the video, you'd see me smiling and trying to put my feet back in the stirrups. Trainer acted as if I was gonna fall right off, haha. Guess he wasn't around when Mazlan was training me and I cantered without my stirrups! :D
About 30 mins later, shortly after the other rider went back to the stables, my trainer asked if I wanted to ride around the club. I told him that it would be my first time and I could try. We went back to the stables and I waited on Ruby for him to get a horse. This is where I had difficulties with Ruby. She wanted to go back to her stall pretty badly. Had to pull real hard on the reins to make her stop, and yet, she couldn't stand still. (Later, I concluded that maybe she wanted to go pee lol) I really pulled back here. And had to keep pulling so that she didn't run off to her stall... Trainer then came out with Dong, the club's only Arabian, and we went off. It was fun! Though, trainer wanted us to walk first, Ruby refused and continued trotting o.o The more I tried to get her to slow down, the slower her trot became, until it was as if I was doing a piaffe instead bwaha! We decided to just let her trot as long as she didn't cut in front of Dong and my trainer. Since it was such a slow trot, I just sat it out.
Then trainer and Dong went into a fast trot and without prompting, Ruby followed. I had to start rising lol. This was where I had the most difficulty with my boots. They kept sliding into the stirrups. I had to do a few two-points just to get them back on the balls of my feet. Trainer says next time, we'll go through the hills and after that, through the nearby houses! :o Can't wait! We went round the club twice, then turned back halfway through and went back to the stables. (My hour was up) I got down on wobbly legs, then led Ruby to the bathing area. Apparently, she had another ride later, so.
Fed her some carrots, went on my carrot feeding round, then back to her with the rest. And wow, did she gobble! Dad said she snuggled up to me a lot too. Hehe, I definitely felt her pushing her head against me quite a bit. She couldn't stop munching and asking for more! This was while another trainer came to un-tack her, wash her legs and wipe her down o.O So I asked what's up while he was getting a halter and exchanging it for the bridle. He then told me to take her grazing :o Damn, I agreed immediately!
And so, mum took Zidane, the horse she had been grazing for a month or so and we went in search of grass together. I now know how fussy Ruby can be :D She only munched a tiny bit at the long grass we call 'lalang'. She pushed me here and there with her head lol. There were also times when she just stood there and it seemed as if she was looking at me. I would ask her 'What do you want?' and she'd push my arm in a direction she wants to go, haha. We seem to be getting on really well. We stand nearer to each other now and she seems very comfortable with me. Then we got to a patch of weeds where it looked like 3 leaf clovers, she started munching nonstop. Fussy eater... just like me! :o She'd chew off all the leaves and spit out the roots!
I'll have to look for another patch of weeds next time we graze though. She kinda finished that particular patch :D It's all uprooted roots now. We went back to the stables and I proceeded to put her in her stall. This was the funny part. I took off her halter, turned around to hang it on the appropriate hooks, turned around and she was doing her business XD Hence why I thought maybe she couldn't keep still because she wanted to go! I've never seen her pee anywhere else, while other horses seem content to do it anywhere theres sand *facepalm* Again, fussy? Just like me LOL! I hate public toilets, even the school's! I'm happier at home XD
I fed her the last two carrots, then went off with mum to eat lunch :)
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Thirteenth Lesson & New Boots!
Today’s ride was... meh. Although I managed to get scheduled with Ruby again today, I didn’t get to ride her. Either the wound on her withers got worse, or it’s on the verge of healing and they don’t want a rider killing it. Mazlan was also not around again, so I got another trainer.
It definitely wasn’t very satisfying a ride. I had to change horses 3 times. First horse I rode is called Space U. He was okay, but his trot was REALLY rough. In just about 3 rounds of rising trot, I was exhausted and breathless. At that time, D’Alonzo was just finished with his riding session and was walking back to the stables. My trainer decided I ride him instead. So I switched. We didn’t have a mounting block nearby though, so I was made to force myself up into the saddle XD It has been ages since I last mounted from ground up. Took a while, but I finally managed to pull myself up. As the first time I rode Alonzo, he was stubborn and a very angry horse to ride =/ Although he trotted and listened a lot more than before, he decided to stop listening halfway through when I started asking for canter. *sigh*
My trainer was training another rider with me by now. She was riding Alvarro but switched to Daisy. After a bit, when it seemed as if she had difficulties controlling Daisy and I had difficulties with Alonzo, we both switched horses lol. So my third horse was Daisy. She’s okay, I guess. Again, I had to force myself up into the saddle. It was easier though, lol. Alonzo isn’t all that much taller, so I think it might be because I got more familiar with heaving my weight up XD Daisy’s trot was fine. Her canter was smooth. Only problem is her insistence to go back to her stall. Everytime we near the gate, she’d ride straight into the gate and stop HARD >.< As if she was expecting it to open for her. Silly mare. She’s also very... excited? It was a bit harder getting her to stop and stand still compared to other horses. She would jump into a canter without the usual prompting too.
With all the time wasted on switching horses and with D’Alonzo being so stubborn, it wasn’t a satisfying ride. At the end of my hour, I was still restless. There was no bathing today because Daisy had more rides scheduled, so I just fed carrots to the horses in the stables. This is the cute part. The club has a 5 day old pony filly :D According to the stable hands, the filly is 3 months premature :o Also, the mother bites lol. So when I approached, the filly trotted up to me. Couldn’t do a normal pet too! Had to use my index finger to pet the filly on the muzzle :D She was SO tiny. Entire head is only as long as my hand to elbow! Poor thing though, doesn’t know how to suckle from the mother. They had to milk the mother into a bowl and feed the filly that way D:
The club also has 2 new horses! Lavender and Harmony. One is white and the other is brown with a white streak on her head. I’m not sure which is which yet. We’ll see. The brown one didn’t know how to eat carrots though wtf o.O
This was when Ruby decided to slip past the stable hand that was mucking out her stall, hehe. She trotted out and went her way. Then she came all the way back into her stall. So damn smart. According to mum, while I was riding, Ruby was prancing and pacing round and round in her stall. So I decided to take her out for a walk and to graze a bit :) Really smart mare. After the walk, I was FINALLY satisfied and tired out, so we ate lunch and left.
And now, I shall tell you about my insane father. Mum wants to start riding lessons herself. So we went gear shopping again after lunch. Unfortunately, while trying on the boots and chaps, mum finds that her ankles and calves are too... large for normal sizes o.o If she got sizes a bit bigger, they’d be too long for her lol. She’s stubby and short! D: So she had to try on my boots. And it fits perfectly XD Cause I’ve already expanded it, so. We wanted to get another new pair, same brand and same size, but the shop ran out. So I had to try on other boots... again. I ended up not liking any of the cheap ones. Then I tried on the leather boots with laces. FUCK IT WAS SO COMFY OMG XD Ariat Women’s Heritage III Paddock Boots. RM 480. Hehehehehhehehehehe. Dad was like “*sigh* Okay, fine. >.<”
And so, I have new leather boots that would probably last me 5 years *nod*. Then we went hunting around to leather tailor shops to see if they could make chaps for mum. They only made full leather though, which is way too hot for casual riding. We ended up going to the horse tack shop I mentioned some time back, where the boots were damn expensive according to their website. The stuff there isn’t all that expensive though, it seems. Theres like a WHOLE lot of variety, ALL kinds of things sold there. And guess what? They ordered a bunch of chaps in “Malaysian size” which fits mum perfectly XD Guess theres a lot of people who’re short and stubby too, bwaha.
Dad insisted on buying me a whip, so I now have my very own whip too. My parents are like “Well. Since you’re now taking riding seriously, guess we’ll have to buy serious tack too...” All I could think of was this: If I weren’t serious, I wouldn’t even have asked to buy riding gear, damnit! XD Time to break in my new boots!
Oh btw, no vids or pics this week. Dad got angry when he watched me try to ride D’Alonzo and he didn’t take any vid or pics. I hope next week is better. :(
It definitely wasn’t very satisfying a ride. I had to change horses 3 times. First horse I rode is called Space U. He was okay, but his trot was REALLY rough. In just about 3 rounds of rising trot, I was exhausted and breathless. At that time, D’Alonzo was just finished with his riding session and was walking back to the stables. My trainer decided I ride him instead. So I switched. We didn’t have a mounting block nearby though, so I was made to force myself up into the saddle XD It has been ages since I last mounted from ground up. Took a while, but I finally managed to pull myself up. As the first time I rode Alonzo, he was stubborn and a very angry horse to ride =/ Although he trotted and listened a lot more than before, he decided to stop listening halfway through when I started asking for canter. *sigh*
My trainer was training another rider with me by now. She was riding Alvarro but switched to Daisy. After a bit, when it seemed as if she had difficulties controlling Daisy and I had difficulties with Alonzo, we both switched horses lol. So my third horse was Daisy. She’s okay, I guess. Again, I had to force myself up into the saddle. It was easier though, lol. Alonzo isn’t all that much taller, so I think it might be because I got more familiar with heaving my weight up XD Daisy’s trot was fine. Her canter was smooth. Only problem is her insistence to go back to her stall. Everytime we near the gate, she’d ride straight into the gate and stop HARD >.< As if she was expecting it to open for her. Silly mare. She’s also very... excited? It was a bit harder getting her to stop and stand still compared to other horses. She would jump into a canter without the usual prompting too.
With all the time wasted on switching horses and with D’Alonzo being so stubborn, it wasn’t a satisfying ride. At the end of my hour, I was still restless. There was no bathing today because Daisy had more rides scheduled, so I just fed carrots to the horses in the stables. This is the cute part. The club has a 5 day old pony filly :D According to the stable hands, the filly is 3 months premature :o Also, the mother bites lol. So when I approached, the filly trotted up to me. Couldn’t do a normal pet too! Had to use my index finger to pet the filly on the muzzle :D She was SO tiny. Entire head is only as long as my hand to elbow! Poor thing though, doesn’t know how to suckle from the mother. They had to milk the mother into a bowl and feed the filly that way D:
The club also has 2 new horses! Lavender and Harmony. One is white and the other is brown with a white streak on her head. I’m not sure which is which yet. We’ll see. The brown one didn’t know how to eat carrots though wtf o.O
This was when Ruby decided to slip past the stable hand that was mucking out her stall, hehe. She trotted out and went her way. Then she came all the way back into her stall. So damn smart. According to mum, while I was riding, Ruby was prancing and pacing round and round in her stall. So I decided to take her out for a walk and to graze a bit :) Really smart mare. After the walk, I was FINALLY satisfied and tired out, so we ate lunch and left.
And now, I shall tell you about my insane father. Mum wants to start riding lessons herself. So we went gear shopping again after lunch. Unfortunately, while trying on the boots and chaps, mum finds that her ankles and calves are too... large for normal sizes o.o If she got sizes a bit bigger, they’d be too long for her lol. She’s stubby and short! D: So she had to try on my boots. And it fits perfectly XD Cause I’ve already expanded it, so. We wanted to get another new pair, same brand and same size, but the shop ran out. So I had to try on other boots... again. I ended up not liking any of the cheap ones. Then I tried on the leather boots with laces. FUCK IT WAS SO COMFY OMG XD Ariat Women’s Heritage III Paddock Boots. RM 480. Hehehehehhehehehehe. Dad was like “*sigh* Okay, fine. >.<”
And so, I have new leather boots that would probably last me 5 years *nod*. Then we went hunting around to leather tailor shops to see if they could make chaps for mum. They only made full leather though, which is way too hot for casual riding. We ended up going to the horse tack shop I mentioned some time back, where the boots were damn expensive according to their website. The stuff there isn’t all that expensive though, it seems. Theres like a WHOLE lot of variety, ALL kinds of things sold there. And guess what? They ordered a bunch of chaps in “Malaysian size” which fits mum perfectly XD Guess theres a lot of people who’re short and stubby too, bwaha.
Dad insisted on buying me a whip, so I now have my very own whip too. My parents are like “Well. Since you’re now taking riding seriously, guess we’ll have to buy serious tack too...” All I could think of was this: If I weren’t serious, I wouldn’t even have asked to buy riding gear, damnit! XD Time to break in my new boots!
Oh btw, no vids or pics this week. Dad got angry when he watched me try to ride D’Alonzo and he didn’t take any vid or pics. I hope next week is better. :(
Sunday, February 10, 2013
A Deliciously Painful Chinese New Year
My shoulders and arms, especially my biceps, hurt like hell. But you know what? I don't fucking care :D And I don't care that it's Chinese New Year. You know why? Because this pain is fucking worth it. I'm actually tempted to go riding again on Tuesday.
For people who think that pain during an awesome holiday/festival sucks: When the pain comes from horse riding, it's just way too worth it to give up. Oh yeah, did I mention that my butt (near my tailbone) hurts too? :D Cantering is hammering at my butt muscles lol
Yes, I realise how masochistic I'm sounding right now. *puts on her cool sunglasses like a BAWS*
For people who think that pain during an awesome holiday/festival sucks: When the pain comes from horse riding, it's just way too worth it to give up. Oh yeah, did I mention that my butt (near my tailbone) hurts too? :D Cantering is hammering at my butt muscles lol
Yes, I realise how masochistic I'm sounding right now. *puts on her cool sunglasses like a BAWS*
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Twelveth Lesson & A Happy Trainer?
Today was fun :D Not a great ride, but I had fun. Mazlan and I was in a good mood hehe. All my mistakes were turned into grins and giggles!
Ruby wasn’t as obedient as she was last week. We went into the main arena first and she kept moving away from the track to join the other horses o.O Why do they all do that? Every horse I’ve ridden in the main arena pulls away towards the other horses. Is it that ‘herd’ mentality? I dunno, but it makes for difficult controlling if the horse refused to stay on OUR track. We decided to shift to one of the lunging paddocks instead. Did a few rising trots, then Mazlan wanted to see my sitting trots. He was really happy and satisfied with my progress, apparently :o He kept saying ‘Yes, yes!’ when I could sit the trot without freezing. That was certainly awesome! I found out that sitting trot needs a slow and very gentle trot or I’d be bouncing anyway.
We shifted to the oval ring again. This ring seems to be a favourite among all the trainers lol. I guess it’s cause it isn’t as boring as a lunging paddock. Here, I practiced sitting trot some more. Dad didn’t record any of my earlier sitting trots though. Then another trainer walked by and told Mazlan, “Last week, she could canter!”, to which Mazlan was surprised then told me to try it out XD I guess that trainer saw me last week, hehe. Yikes, all of them know me already! >.<
So I did the canter. It wasn’t as awesome as last week though. It was easy, getting Ruby to canter, last week. I think all the trainers have a different style of asking for the canter. Mazlan’s way is to push the reins forward when asking for the canter. Last week’s trainer told me to do rising trot, come to the corner, sit twice and kick hard. I didn’t get as much response from Ruby today. Took a bit to canter and then she’d slow down and stop everytime we reached where Mazlan was standing, as you’ll see in the video.
Mazlan also told me to try searching for my stirrups without looking XD That was funny. The stirrup was twisted, so I just couldn’t find it lol. It’ll take me some time to make searching without looking a habit lol. There was a couple of times where I concentrated so hard on searching for my stirrups that I didn’t pay attention to the canter >.< But Mazlan was definitely pleased. Cause I lost my stirrups while cantering and couldn’t find them again. Ended up cantering without the stirrups haha.
Two other riders came into the ring (again, lol), so Mazlan shifted us back to the lunging paddock. This is where I had real difficulty asking for the canter. I also kinda lost my balance completely o.o It was probably the extremely fast trot though. Looks like I still have work to do :D
Bad news, upon leaving the paddock when my hour was up, Mazlan didn’t push the gate far enough and it swung back... Guess where it hit? :( My left knee. HUGE metal thing swinging back with force? OUCH! The bruise isn’t just black now. It’s a swollen red lump with a black line below it... *whimper* That blow was really painful. It numbed up and faded off in time for me to give Ruby another shower though.
And this time, I showered her myself, ALONE XD It was amazing. I brushed her down soooooo well. Took my time in reaching every part of her :D And after that, one of the trainers told me to rub oil into her mane when I asked for a comb :o And then, the trainer told me to apply some green paste thing on Ruby’s wound. It was slimey and yuck! The paste turned out to be like paint, it didn’t wanna wash off my hand! Dad suggested I scrubbed my hand with the brush used for Ruby lol. It worked, but yuck! XD I think I prefer that spray my trainer used last week! I covered the wound real well though. I don’t think the flies like that paste, which is a good thing. Less flies near a wound, faster it heals.
After that, it was carrots time and then I led Ruby back to her stall. ^_^ I think she was happy to receive all that attention lol. Though, she was definitely a bit more hyper today than she was last week.
Ruby wasn’t as obedient as she was last week. We went into the main arena first and she kept moving away from the track to join the other horses o.O Why do they all do that? Every horse I’ve ridden in the main arena pulls away towards the other horses. Is it that ‘herd’ mentality? I dunno, but it makes for difficult controlling if the horse refused to stay on OUR track. We decided to shift to one of the lunging paddocks instead. Did a few rising trots, then Mazlan wanted to see my sitting trots. He was really happy and satisfied with my progress, apparently :o He kept saying ‘Yes, yes!’ when I could sit the trot without freezing. That was certainly awesome! I found out that sitting trot needs a slow and very gentle trot or I’d be bouncing anyway.
We shifted to the oval ring again. This ring seems to be a favourite among all the trainers lol. I guess it’s cause it isn’t as boring as a lunging paddock. Here, I practiced sitting trot some more. Dad didn’t record any of my earlier sitting trots though. Then another trainer walked by and told Mazlan, “Last week, she could canter!”, to which Mazlan was surprised then told me to try it out XD I guess that trainer saw me last week, hehe. Yikes, all of them know me already! >.<
So I did the canter. It wasn’t as awesome as last week though. It was easy, getting Ruby to canter, last week. I think all the trainers have a different style of asking for the canter. Mazlan’s way is to push the reins forward when asking for the canter. Last week’s trainer told me to do rising trot, come to the corner, sit twice and kick hard. I didn’t get as much response from Ruby today. Took a bit to canter and then she’d slow down and stop everytime we reached where Mazlan was standing, as you’ll see in the video.
Mazlan also told me to try searching for my stirrups without looking XD That was funny. The stirrup was twisted, so I just couldn’t find it lol. It’ll take me some time to make searching without looking a habit lol. There was a couple of times where I concentrated so hard on searching for my stirrups that I didn’t pay attention to the canter >.< But Mazlan was definitely pleased. Cause I lost my stirrups while cantering and couldn’t find them again. Ended up cantering without the stirrups haha.
Two other riders came into the ring (again, lol), so Mazlan shifted us back to the lunging paddock. This is where I had real difficulty asking for the canter. I also kinda lost my balance completely o.o It was probably the extremely fast trot though. Looks like I still have work to do :D
Bad news, upon leaving the paddock when my hour was up, Mazlan didn’t push the gate far enough and it swung back... Guess where it hit? :( My left knee. HUGE metal thing swinging back with force? OUCH! The bruise isn’t just black now. It’s a swollen red lump with a black line below it... *whimper* That blow was really painful. It numbed up and faded off in time for me to give Ruby another shower though.
And this time, I showered her myself, ALONE XD It was amazing. I brushed her down soooooo well. Took my time in reaching every part of her :D And after that, one of the trainers told me to rub oil into her mane when I asked for a comb :o And then, the trainer told me to apply some green paste thing on Ruby’s wound. It was slimey and yuck! The paste turned out to be like paint, it didn’t wanna wash off my hand! Dad suggested I scrubbed my hand with the brush used for Ruby lol. It worked, but yuck! XD I think I prefer that spray my trainer used last week! I covered the wound real well though. I don’t think the flies like that paste, which is a good thing. Less flies near a wound, faster it heals.
After that, it was carrots time and then I led Ruby back to her stall. ^_^ I think she was happy to receive all that attention lol. Though, she was definitely a bit more hyper today than she was last week.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Dark, Darker, Black?!
Wtf. I looked down at my arms and guess what I saw? Two lines on each of my arms. At the middle of my biceps and slightly below my wrists.
I'M GETTING DARKER NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO D: And my tshirt and gloves has been creating lines! My arms look so funny now! >.<
I guess it's time to find arm covers >.> MORE gear... which is not made for riding really... Yeah, I had to buy ankle supports just to pad up the empty spaces in my boots...
*checks her face* Omg... My neck is this DARK pillar on my shoulders... MY SHOULDERS LOOK SO WHITE NOW! O.O Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...
I'M GETTING DARKER NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO D: And my tshirt and gloves has been creating lines! My arms look so funny now! >.<
I guess it's time to find arm covers >.> MORE gear... which is not made for riding really... Yeah, I had to buy ankle supports just to pad up the empty spaces in my boots...
*checks her face* Omg... My neck is this DARK pillar on my shoulders... MY SHOULDERS LOOK SO WHITE NOW! O.O Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Eleventh Lesson ~ The Best Ride Ever!
WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO! Had a BLAST today! 8D Best ride I’ve EVER had! EVER!
I got scheduled with Ruby again today. Thankfully, she was free, haha. Mazlan was busy again today. Or maybe he didn’t wanna teach me again? *shrug* I dunno. I got another volunteer trainer, don’t know her name. Was supposed to be Rony, but I guess he was busy too.
Ruby was a bit hesitant in coming out of the stables. Or maybe lazy? Stubborn perhaps? No idea. I fed her a couple of carrots and eventually, we got her out. I mounted her and expected another stubborn horse that wouldn’t move at the heel tap (I forgot to get a whip). But she was pretty willing. We walked around the ring, warmed up and got ready to ride. And what a shock, I only needed to tap her once and she went into a trot. She didn’t stop trotting until I reined her in or she felt me getting breathless too. First time that happened! My trainer watched my rising and sitting trot and was apparently satisfied. She didn’t give me many instructions. Not once she mentioned my heels, had to remember that myself.
Then she told me to do the two-point and taught me how. It was a bit choppy at first (as you’ll see in the vid), but I didn’t realise that I was supposed to hold onto the horse neck to balance anyway lol. It got better later and it was awesome! A bit difficult steering when holding on to Ruby’s neck though. Might need to watch a few vids on two-point and work on that part. But it was definitely awesome :D
Later, my trainer decided that I should try canter. Was nervous at first. And it was tough trying to kick Ruby hard when turning the corner to start the canter. Took me a few tries. Then WOOSH we were cantering 8D Took me a while to figure out how to sit a canter without killing my butt, but I finally realised what everyone meant by leaning back when cantering. My butt sort of slided in the saddle when I leaned back, instead of bouncing (or ‘scooping the saddle’ as this vid calls it). Following the rhythm of the hooves was really easy. Only problem I found was my legs not staying as still as I liked and my feet not staying in the stirrups. Really need to work on that D:
But anyway, cantering was THE BEST! I praised Ruby all the way! Petted her neck a lot, encouraged her to keep going, etc. When cantering, there was one time near the end of our ride where I urged her to keep cantering, tapping her with my swinging legs every now and again, saying “Canter!” and “Good girl!” immediately after. We went round the ring about 3 or 4 times. Then she had to stop =/
Not because of me or her. Because two other riders and their trainers decided to share the ring with me lol. The two riders had their horses walking side by side in front of Ruby and I. She slowed to a trot. Smart horse, that one *wub* But despite the other two riders blocking/getting in my way, the ride with Ruby was just heavenly. Cantering made me REALLY breathless but omg I felt sooooooooooo good! I was parched and my throat really dry, but I didn’t care. I was concentrating on Ruby and the track in the ring :D
Once my hour was up, we went back to the stables and I got down. Seemed more like I stumbled down though XD Legs were sooooooooooooo jelly and wobbly! Then we took Ruby to the bathing area and I got to bathe a horse with long mane, finally! xD Ruby was the 2nd horse I bathed. Brushed her down real well, scraped off most of the water, brushed her gorgeous mane and watched my trainer spray some meds on the sore on her withers, poor girl. I fed her a few carrots, then left her to dry off while I fed the other horses in the stables. They all got 2 pieces from me, no more XD The rest I saved specially for Ruby!
I went back to her, finished the bag of carrots, checked to see if she was dry, then led her back to her stall. She was amazing from start to end. So quiet and docile... And smart! I don’t know, I just get the feeling that she’s extremely smart! I just might have found my fav horse for the moment :D We’ll see. I asked if I could be scheduled with her again next week. Apparently, she’s not a beginner’s horse. Sulaiman, the... manager? told us that Ruby is for advanced riders, but if I’m learning to canter, I could ride her hehe. Hmm, that’s probably why Ruby got switched with Flicka in my Ninth Lesson. Hopefully I get her and we get to try riding in the main arena. Then I get to test out steering with her. The ring was pretty straightforward, so I didn’t need to do much steering as compared to in the main arena.
Today was just splendid. *nod* Oh, and enjoy dat short tail XD Ruby’s tail is just SO cute!
Sorry about the extremely short scenes near the end of the vid. My parents are silly. Just because there was a tarp and some trees in the way, they didn’t want to continue the vid. It’s no wonder why they missed taking a vid of my first canter! :( I would’ve loved to see my first canter! So unfair. I did so many canters too! *sigh* And sorry for the blurness in some scenes. Parents zoomed in way too much -.- I need a machine that takes videos for me, zooming in when necessary and zooming out when not and following my movements steadily... Would be able to take of the entire hour then...
I got scheduled with Ruby again today. Thankfully, she was free, haha. Mazlan was busy again today. Or maybe he didn’t wanna teach me again? *shrug* I dunno. I got another volunteer trainer, don’t know her name. Was supposed to be Rony, but I guess he was busy too.
Ruby was a bit hesitant in coming out of the stables. Or maybe lazy? Stubborn perhaps? No idea. I fed her a couple of carrots and eventually, we got her out. I mounted her and expected another stubborn horse that wouldn’t move at the heel tap (I forgot to get a whip). But she was pretty willing. We walked around the ring, warmed up and got ready to ride. And what a shock, I only needed to tap her once and she went into a trot. She didn’t stop trotting until I reined her in or she felt me getting breathless too. First time that happened! My trainer watched my rising and sitting trot and was apparently satisfied. She didn’t give me many instructions. Not once she mentioned my heels, had to remember that myself.
Then she told me to do the two-point and taught me how. It was a bit choppy at first (as you’ll see in the vid), but I didn’t realise that I was supposed to hold onto the horse neck to balance anyway lol. It got better later and it was awesome! A bit difficult steering when holding on to Ruby’s neck though. Might need to watch a few vids on two-point and work on that part. But it was definitely awesome :D
Later, my trainer decided that I should try canter. Was nervous at first. And it was tough trying to kick Ruby hard when turning the corner to start the canter. Took me a few tries. Then WOOSH we were cantering 8D Took me a while to figure out how to sit a canter without killing my butt, but I finally realised what everyone meant by leaning back when cantering. My butt sort of slided in the saddle when I leaned back, instead of bouncing (or ‘scooping the saddle’ as this vid calls it). Following the rhythm of the hooves was really easy. Only problem I found was my legs not staying as still as I liked and my feet not staying in the stirrups. Really need to work on that D:
But anyway, cantering was THE BEST! I praised Ruby all the way! Petted her neck a lot, encouraged her to keep going, etc. When cantering, there was one time near the end of our ride where I urged her to keep cantering, tapping her with my swinging legs every now and again, saying “Canter!” and “Good girl!” immediately after. We went round the ring about 3 or 4 times. Then she had to stop =/
Not because of me or her. Because two other riders and their trainers decided to share the ring with me lol. The two riders had their horses walking side by side in front of Ruby and I. She slowed to a trot. Smart horse, that one *wub* But despite the other two riders blocking/getting in my way, the ride with Ruby was just heavenly. Cantering made me REALLY breathless but omg I felt sooooooooooo good! I was parched and my throat really dry, but I didn’t care. I was concentrating on Ruby and the track in the ring :D
Once my hour was up, we went back to the stables and I got down. Seemed more like I stumbled down though XD Legs were sooooooooooooo jelly and wobbly! Then we took Ruby to the bathing area and I got to bathe a horse with long mane, finally! xD Ruby was the 2nd horse I bathed. Brushed her down real well, scraped off most of the water, brushed her gorgeous mane and watched my trainer spray some meds on the sore on her withers, poor girl. I fed her a few carrots, then left her to dry off while I fed the other horses in the stables. They all got 2 pieces from me, no more XD The rest I saved specially for Ruby!
I went back to her, finished the bag of carrots, checked to see if she was dry, then led her back to her stall. She was amazing from start to end. So quiet and docile... And smart! I don’t know, I just get the feeling that she’s extremely smart! I just might have found my fav horse for the moment :D We’ll see. I asked if I could be scheduled with her again next week. Apparently, she’s not a beginner’s horse. Sulaiman, the... manager? told us that Ruby is for advanced riders, but if I’m learning to canter, I could ride her hehe. Hmm, that’s probably why Ruby got switched with Flicka in my Ninth Lesson. Hopefully I get her and we get to try riding in the main arena. Then I get to test out steering with her. The ring was pretty straightforward, so I didn’t need to do much steering as compared to in the main arena.
Today was just splendid. *nod* Oh, and enjoy dat short tail XD Ruby’s tail is just SO cute!
Sorry about the extremely short scenes near the end of the vid. My parents are silly. Just because there was a tarp and some trees in the way, they didn’t want to continue the vid. It’s no wonder why they missed taking a vid of my first canter! :( I would’ve loved to see my first canter! So unfair. I did so many canters too! *sigh* And sorry for the blurness in some scenes. Parents zoomed in way too much -.- I need a machine that takes videos for me, zooming in when necessary and zooming out when not and following my movements steadily... Would be able to take of the entire hour then...
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Tenth Lesson & Feeding Time!
Had a terrible ride today. I got scheduled with a horse named B.J. He’s pretty tall and bony. Was also given another trainer, Siham, Zoffer’s wife. Looks like Mazlan has been busy lol. Anyway, according to her, B.J. is one of the most gentlest horses in the club and all the ladies love him. Also the fastest horse. Well, my ride was definitely more than bumpy and fast.
Siham nitpicked on my sitting trot and my heels. I have no idea why. She kept scolding me, saying that I was bouncing. I get that, but she wasn’t exactly trying to help me relax. She was constantly shouting at me about keeping my back straight and heels down. Even mum told me that when she walked pass the paddock I was riding in, she could hear Siham screaming “Heels down! Heels down!”. How the hell am I supposed to NOT freeze when it fucking hurts and when she’s a screaming banshee?!
B.J. was okay, but I don’t think he’s a suitable horse for me. He moved way too fast for me to sit the trot properly and the longer we rode, the worst it got. He had a very sharp sort of spring in his step too. Everytime he did an active walk, his head would swing side to side as if a puppet controlled by a puppeteer... o.O All in all, it felt like I was bouncing on a rock instead of a saddle. And for some reason, that saddle was stupid hard. I now have 2 HUGE and BLACK bruises. Guess where they are? One on each of my butt cheeks. Sitting is so painful. Next few days is gonna be hell...
My parents finally took videos but they’re all short and spaced out. I suppose it got pretty hot to stand there for longer than 5 minutes >.> Had to edit them to put them all into 1 video. And I gotta say, throughout all the vids, I could see that I was extremely uncomfortable.
After the ride was thankfully much more pleasant though. I took my time in taking pictures and petting the horses in the stables. Took so long that it got to feeding time lol. Yes, for the friends who have been asking, they’re being fed every afternoon. I doubt the club would starve them in the mornings and nights too, so it’s quite probable that these horses have Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. No, they’re not just fed with grains. I saw a whole lot of variety in pellets, grains, possibly oats and a few other weird looking stuff... I’m no expert in horse feed, kay. :P
Thing is, I watched the trainers carefully count pail after pail of different horse feeds into different buckets. All the buckets had the horse names painted on. And every horse had different combinations of the feed. So I’m quite inclined to think that all of them are pretty skinny for horses because of the little or lack of pasturing.
I got down most of the names of the horses, finally. In time, I’ll be able to name each individual horse just by a glance, phew! Feeding time was pretty funny lol. Horses sure are pigs XD While the trainers were pouring the feed into the buckets, all the horses had their heads and necks directed towards that feed store... erm big room? Some waited patiently, allowed me to pet them, etc. Others were dancing around, waiting veerrryyyyyy impatiently for their food haha. When the feed were finally given out, mum approached one, Shiva, he attempted to chase her off as if to protect his feed. That was adorable, hehe. Lunch was timed to exactly 12pm. Pretty cool.
Well, enjoy the horrible video lol.
Siham nitpicked on my sitting trot and my heels. I have no idea why. She kept scolding me, saying that I was bouncing. I get that, but she wasn’t exactly trying to help me relax. She was constantly shouting at me about keeping my back straight and heels down. Even mum told me that when she walked pass the paddock I was riding in, she could hear Siham screaming “Heels down! Heels down!”. How the hell am I supposed to NOT freeze when it fucking hurts and when she’s a screaming banshee?!
B.J. was okay, but I don’t think he’s a suitable horse for me. He moved way too fast for me to sit the trot properly and the longer we rode, the worst it got. He had a very sharp sort of spring in his step too. Everytime he did an active walk, his head would swing side to side as if a puppet controlled by a puppeteer... o.O All in all, it felt like I was bouncing on a rock instead of a saddle. And for some reason, that saddle was stupid hard. I now have 2 HUGE and BLACK bruises. Guess where they are? One on each of my butt cheeks. Sitting is so painful. Next few days is gonna be hell...
My parents finally took videos but they’re all short and spaced out. I suppose it got pretty hot to stand there for longer than 5 minutes >.> Had to edit them to put them all into 1 video. And I gotta say, throughout all the vids, I could see that I was extremely uncomfortable.
After the ride was thankfully much more pleasant though. I took my time in taking pictures and petting the horses in the stables. Took so long that it got to feeding time lol. Yes, for the friends who have been asking, they’re being fed every afternoon. I doubt the club would starve them in the mornings and nights too, so it’s quite probable that these horses have Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. No, they’re not just fed with grains. I saw a whole lot of variety in pellets, grains, possibly oats and a few other weird looking stuff... I’m no expert in horse feed, kay. :P
Thing is, I watched the trainers carefully count pail after pail of different horse feeds into different buckets. All the buckets had the horse names painted on. And every horse had different combinations of the feed. So I’m quite inclined to think that all of them are pretty skinny for horses because of the little or lack of pasturing.
I got down most of the names of the horses, finally. In time, I’ll be able to name each individual horse just by a glance, phew! Feeding time was pretty funny lol. Horses sure are pigs XD While the trainers were pouring the feed into the buckets, all the horses had their heads and necks directed towards that feed store... erm big room? Some waited patiently, allowed me to pet them, etc. Others were dancing around, waiting veerrryyyyyy impatiently for their food haha. When the feed were finally given out, mum approached one, Shiva, he attempted to chase her off as if to protect his feed. That was adorable, hehe. Lunch was timed to exactly 12pm. Pretty cool.
Well, enjoy the horrible video lol.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
No Pain, No Gain ~ Part 4
My biceps hurt. Stinging joints have turned into numb muscle pains :( Although, I kinda prefer muscle pain. It's not as sharp as joint pains. Being able to sleep off the join pains was awesome lol. Still! Of all muscles to hurt, why my biceps?! D: *sigh* I guess it's gonna keep hurting for a looooooong time more. Cons of being a couch potato >.>
Also, my dad showed me a picture of a Gypsy Vanner earlier. It was the usual types, horse cantering with wind spreading out the Gypsy Vanner's ridiculously enormous mane and tail XD And the fetlock feathers are puffy and look more like the trousers of the flower power age... Guess what he said? "This is your horse"
My reaction: O.O with a jaw drop. I have no idea what he means by that. I don't think a Gypsy Vanner can survive easily in Malaysia. Unless all hair is shaved off, in which case, the horse loses its beauty... I'm not sure why my dad would want me to get a giant complete with a whole lot of hair... I suppose he was joking, but who knows with him. There were many times where he sounded like he was joking but he actually did whatever he was supposedly joking about. I'm not saying I don't want a Gypsy Vanner, but I'm being realistic and practical. That's like saying I want a Siberian Husky and he gets me a Saint Bernard instead >.<
Would be tough enough to keep all that hair groomed, let alone keep that giant fed, cool and happy!
Also, my dad showed me a picture of a Gypsy Vanner earlier. It was the usual types, horse cantering with wind spreading out the Gypsy Vanner's ridiculously enormous mane and tail XD And the fetlock feathers are puffy and look more like the trousers of the flower power age... Guess what he said? "This is your horse"
My reaction: O.O with a jaw drop. I have no idea what he means by that. I don't think a Gypsy Vanner can survive easily in Malaysia. Unless all hair is shaved off, in which case, the horse loses its beauty... I'm not sure why my dad would want me to get a giant complete with a whole lot of hair... I suppose he was joking, but who knows with him. There were many times where he sounded like he was joking but he actually did whatever he was supposedly joking about. I'm not saying I don't want a Gypsy Vanner, but I'm being realistic and practical. That's like saying I want a Siberian Husky and he gets me a Saint Bernard instead >.<
Would be tough enough to keep all that hair groomed, let alone keep that giant fed, cool and happy!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Nineth Lesson!
I had a weird day today. Or maybe everyone is just distracted lol. It wasn't a very bad day, for sure :D
I think I can expect all the horses to 'misbehave' on my first ride on them. Scheduled with Ruby, but rode Flicka today. Apparently, he's a really easy horse to control and a very good boy. But he stopped a lot, bucked a few times (or is it called pig root?), didn't trot when asked to at first, etc etc. Trainer says they're testing me, and I suppose they are. Silly horsies xD
So at first, Flicka stopped everytime I tapped him with the whip, which is kinda weird lol. Needed Mazlan to slap his whip on the ground before Flicka trotted. After a while though, seems like Flicka trots at a few heel taps. I really do hope it was just him getting used to me and not because the front horse started trotting ._.
Oh yes, when I was brought into the main ring, I was told to join the 2 Korean girls who go for lessons at the same time I do every Saturday xD Zoffer is their trainer and since Zoffer and Mazlan are friends, well. Both trainers for 3 students LOL! It was pretty fun joining them, tbh. Maybe it's because one of the girls is a bit whiney and baby doll kinda person XD I think it's more because the trainers are just as fun though!
After my ride, I got to give Wind a bath again. Unfortunately, since Zoffer was busy (he was the one eager to teach me how to bathe horses lol), I was taught by one of the stablehands and he didn't teach me shampooing lol. I also stepped in Wind's shit while giving him a bath! D: Dang horse >.<
After his bath, I took him back to his stall... and didn't have the strength to latch it back properly :D He managed to push his gate loose and proceeded to groom the horse next to him, Messi I think hehehe. Another horse managed to get out of his stall too lol. It was while I was feeding the horses carrots, he suddenly appeared behind me... was pretty surprising! He's the one with a really huge swollen fetlock and was always laying in his stall when we visited the stables. I suppose he's feeling much better now!
As for what I learned today, I learned that my sitting trot is DEFINITELY improved. I was so bendy! XD But I think my rising trot needs work. Everytime I try to rise, I had to bend forward to push myself up... That's not good! :( Still need to find something to pad up my ankle area inside the boots too. I'm thinking maybe ankle supports. Sponges did not work at all lol.
Flicka also managed to scrape my right leg on the fence. He kept refusing to change direction and turn around. Had to pull him till his nose was at his shoulder >.> I suppose he couldn't see and so walked sideways into the fence. By tonight, there will be a HUGE black lump on my shin *ow*
Scolded mum today haha. She took a horse out to graze around the perimeters of the club. And she still had plenty of time to take a video! But she didn't for who knows what reason. Both Mazlan and Zoffer say I lean forward a lot. My mum agrees wholeheartedly. Guess what? I don't feel like I'm leaning forward at all. To me, that position is what I feel as sitting straight. When they tell me to lean backwards so that I look like I'm sitting straight, I feel like I'm gonna lay down on top of the horse rather. I need videos to tell what my progress is and to see what the heck everyone is talking about! Mum says I can imagine how I look and I can try forever, but I'll never actually know what everyone is trying to tell me. It's really frustrating when my parents just don't understand anything I say :( If I could, I would've just put the camera on a stand, set it at the side of the ring and recorded -.- Mum is all like "You're not proficient in riding yet, why should I take a video?" She makes me wanna headdesk. I'm not looking for a perfect video, mum! I'm not in a competition! I wanna see my own fucking progress! :(
Meh, other than that video argument with mum, I suppose I enjoyed myself today. I definitely can't wait for next Saturday lol. Also, my joints. They're killing me. D:
I think I can expect all the horses to 'misbehave' on my first ride on them. Scheduled with Ruby, but rode Flicka today. Apparently, he's a really easy horse to control and a very good boy. But he stopped a lot, bucked a few times (or is it called pig root?), didn't trot when asked to at first, etc etc. Trainer says they're testing me, and I suppose they are. Silly horsies xD
So at first, Flicka stopped everytime I tapped him with the whip, which is kinda weird lol. Needed Mazlan to slap his whip on the ground before Flicka trotted. After a while though, seems like Flicka trots at a few heel taps. I really do hope it was just him getting used to me and not because the front horse started trotting ._.
Oh yes, when I was brought into the main ring, I was told to join the 2 Korean girls who go for lessons at the same time I do every Saturday xD Zoffer is their trainer and since Zoffer and Mazlan are friends, well. Both trainers for 3 students LOL! It was pretty fun joining them, tbh. Maybe it's because one of the girls is a bit whiney and baby doll kinda person XD I think it's more because the trainers are just as fun though!
After my ride, I got to give Wind a bath again. Unfortunately, since Zoffer was busy (he was the one eager to teach me how to bathe horses lol), I was taught by one of the stablehands and he didn't teach me shampooing lol. I also stepped in Wind's shit while giving him a bath! D: Dang horse >.<
After his bath, I took him back to his stall... and didn't have the strength to latch it back properly :D He managed to push his gate loose and proceeded to groom the horse next to him, Messi I think hehehe. Another horse managed to get out of his stall too lol. It was while I was feeding the horses carrots, he suddenly appeared behind me... was pretty surprising! He's the one with a really huge swollen fetlock and was always laying in his stall when we visited the stables. I suppose he's feeling much better now!
As for what I learned today, I learned that my sitting trot is DEFINITELY improved. I was so bendy! XD But I think my rising trot needs work. Everytime I try to rise, I had to bend forward to push myself up... That's not good! :( Still need to find something to pad up my ankle area inside the boots too. I'm thinking maybe ankle supports. Sponges did not work at all lol.
Flicka also managed to scrape my right leg on the fence. He kept refusing to change direction and turn around. Had to pull him till his nose was at his shoulder >.> I suppose he couldn't see and so walked sideways into the fence. By tonight, there will be a HUGE black lump on my shin *ow*
Scolded mum today haha. She took a horse out to graze around the perimeters of the club. And she still had plenty of time to take a video! But she didn't for who knows what reason. Both Mazlan and Zoffer say I lean forward a lot. My mum agrees wholeheartedly. Guess what? I don't feel like I'm leaning forward at all. To me, that position is what I feel as sitting straight. When they tell me to lean backwards so that I look like I'm sitting straight, I feel like I'm gonna lay down on top of the horse rather. I need videos to tell what my progress is and to see what the heck everyone is talking about! Mum says I can imagine how I look and I can try forever, but I'll never actually know what everyone is trying to tell me. It's really frustrating when my parents just don't understand anything I say :( If I could, I would've just put the camera on a stand, set it at the side of the ring and recorded -.- Mum is all like "You're not proficient in riding yet, why should I take a video?" She makes me wanna headdesk. I'm not looking for a perfect video, mum! I'm not in a competition! I wanna see my own fucking progress! :(
Meh, other than that video argument with mum, I suppose I enjoyed myself today. I definitely can't wait for next Saturday lol. Also, my joints. They're killing me. D:
Sunday, January 13, 2013
No Pain, No Gain ~ Part 3
So I woke up today with a hand on my back like a pregnant woman. Not because of a heavy belly, but because my back HURTS LIKE FUCKING HELL OMG WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?! *sob*
Everytime I move slightly, it hurts. I even got the strange yet funny idea of borrowing mum's waist brace thingy (to make her look slimmer) to see if it could... well, brace my back. Didn't work >.> It was a size too large for me...
Took 2 painkillers already and it still hurts ;( When I started riding, I expected to get leg pains, butt pains and even arm pains... not back. This sucks ;(
On another note, I found a contradictory poem (to this post) on Facebook. Beautiful though.
-----
To Harmonize
Poem By Sarah Ackerman, 14, from Sheridan, Montana
My footsteps echo powerfully as I run toward the barn. I quickly grab the bit trying to keep it warm.
I see them all grazing in the pasture, I try to grab him but he is much faster.
His silky Black coat shiny and bright, He runs round the pasture like a colt in delight.
When he finally comes I slip the bit in his mouth, I step on the log getting ready to mount.
We trot over the pasture with graceful ease, we break into a canter and I feel a soft breeze.
I feel like we’re one, the speed that were at.
His hoof beats are fast, And unrelenting he doesn't stop, he's never ending.
My heart beats fast, but I’m unafraid, the world around me seems to fade.
The riding takes away the pain, I feel alive and free again.
Our souls now have a deep connection, he's filled my life with a small perfection.
The motion of his powerful legs, seems to take my breath away.
His hooves they kick up snow and dirt, riding takes away the hurt, the pain, the agony I have felt, the broken hearts that make me melt.
Our harmony is unbreakable, out love is unshakable.
Everytime I move slightly, it hurts. I even got the strange yet funny idea of borrowing mum's waist brace thingy (to make her look slimmer) to see if it could... well, brace my back. Didn't work >.> It was a size too large for me...
Took 2 painkillers already and it still hurts ;( When I started riding, I expected to get leg pains, butt pains and even arm pains... not back. This sucks ;(
On another note, I found a contradictory poem (to this post) on Facebook. Beautiful though.
To Harmonize
Poem By Sarah Ackerman, 14, from Sheridan, Montana
My footsteps echo powerfully as I run toward the barn. I quickly grab the bit trying to keep it warm.
I see them all grazing in the pasture, I try to grab him but he is much faster.
His silky Black coat shiny and bright, He runs round the pasture like a colt in delight.
When he finally comes I slip the bit in his mouth, I step on the log getting ready to mount.
We trot over the pasture with graceful ease, we break into a canter and I feel a soft breeze.
I feel like we’re one, the speed that were at.
His hoof beats are fast, And unrelenting he doesn't stop, he's never ending.
My heart beats fast, but I’m unafraid, the world around me seems to fade.
The riding takes away the pain, I feel alive and free again.
Our souls now have a deep connection, he's filled my life with a small perfection.
The motion of his powerful legs, seems to take my breath away.
His hooves they kick up snow and dirt, riding takes away the hurt, the pain, the agony I have felt, the broken hearts that make me melt.
Our harmony is unbreakable, out love is unshakable.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Lesson Number Eight & Bathing Time!
I had a good ride. Wasn't great though. Today, Mazlan wasn't around. He went back home to Penang, apparently. So I had to train with Rony, one of the club's own trainers (not volunteer). I got scheduled with Wind. Yeah I know, finally, an actual horsie name XD
Wind is a pretty skittish horse. He couldn't stay still when I tried mounting him (damnit, he was as tall as Dibbie!) and he speeds up by a lot when something scares him. A plane flew past at one point and that buzzing sound made him go into a canter ._. I lost balance but managed to rein him in lol. He didn't stop entirely either =/ I can't seem to get him to fully stop. He's just sooooooooo nervous lol. He's also really REALLY sensitive. I've never seen any of the other horses try to shake off the flies as much as he does. The moment a fly lands on his neck, he shakes. Throughout my ride, he constantly shook his head, kicked his hind legs, whacked his tail at me, shuddered under the saddle... *sigh* It's not that Wind is a bad boy, it's just that he's really distracted lol.
I didn't learn much. Kinda lost my balance today. Not sure why. It's like I went back to my 3rd ride =/ Kept leaning forward and everything. Trainer says my rising trot looks good though. That only thing I need to work on is my leaning forward >.< I still haven't found out how I did the sitting trot the last time :( So all in all, bad balance. Also, I have no idea why, but the saddle kept hurting me ._.
Most fun part though, was the bath :D Zofer, Mazlan's friend (the trainer who told me that I'm a fast learner lol) pushed me to learn to wash a horse, so I was like "Of course! I'd take what I can get!" hehe. I got so wet XD And yes, I know how dirty that sounds. I didn't learn shampooing though. Zofer said that's for next week. All we did today was spray Wind's legs, then body and neck, then under his tail haha, with water. Rubbed him with those therapy bumps thingies while spraying. And after that, scraped him off with a wiper blade thingy to get rid of the access water. The bath was seriously awesome. And after that, I fed him lots and lots of carrots :D He gobbled them up so happily lol.
I hope to bond a bit with all the horses there. It'd be really nice to see which horses would be amazing after bonding and which would still be horrible lol. Also, mum didn't feel well today, so no pics or vids, sorry :(
Wind is a pretty skittish horse. He couldn't stay still when I tried mounting him (damnit, he was as tall as Dibbie!) and he speeds up by a lot when something scares him. A plane flew past at one point and that buzzing sound made him go into a canter ._. I lost balance but managed to rein him in lol. He didn't stop entirely either =/ I can't seem to get him to fully stop. He's just sooooooooo nervous lol. He's also really REALLY sensitive. I've never seen any of the other horses try to shake off the flies as much as he does. The moment a fly lands on his neck, he shakes. Throughout my ride, he constantly shook his head, kicked his hind legs, whacked his tail at me, shuddered under the saddle... *sigh* It's not that Wind is a bad boy, it's just that he's really distracted lol.
I didn't learn much. Kinda lost my balance today. Not sure why. It's like I went back to my 3rd ride =/ Kept leaning forward and everything. Trainer says my rising trot looks good though. That only thing I need to work on is my leaning forward >.< I still haven't found out how I did the sitting trot the last time :( So all in all, bad balance. Also, I have no idea why, but the saddle kept hurting me ._.
Most fun part though, was the bath :D Zofer, Mazlan's friend (the trainer who told me that I'm a fast learner lol) pushed me to learn to wash a horse, so I was like "Of course! I'd take what I can get!" hehe. I got so wet XD And yes, I know how dirty that sounds. I didn't learn shampooing though. Zofer said that's for next week. All we did today was spray Wind's legs, then body and neck, then under his tail haha, with water. Rubbed him with those therapy bumps thingies while spraying. And after that, scraped him off with a wiper blade thingy to get rid of the access water. The bath was seriously awesome. And after that, I fed him lots and lots of carrots :D He gobbled them up so happily lol.
I hope to bond a bit with all the horses there. It'd be really nice to see which horses would be amazing after bonding and which would still be horrible lol. Also, mum didn't feel well today, so no pics or vids, sorry :(
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Missing Out...
This is torture. Having to go back to riding only once a week, I am now restless and upset :(
Last week, I could ride Saturdays and Tuesdays. Now that I'm back to school, only Saturdays. I'm sick and tired of school, assignments, lecturers and my schoolmates. Horses are so much better companions. My classmates are just disgusting. And you know what's funnier? Horses don't even speak English. My classmates do and I hate listening to them... Surrounded by stupidity now :(
REALLY not happy. I hope this doesn't add to my depression problems...
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Differences in Horse Gaits?
Wow, this is irritating. There are millions of videos on Youtube giving you 'how-to's to everything you need to know about horses and riding them... or so you'd think.
My parents are finding it hard to differentiate between a trot, canter and gallop. I'm having trouble remembering what the different types of each gait is and how it looks too. So off I go looking for videos. Simple enough, right? There SHOULD be a few videos on how each gait is different, and how each gait has different types of movement.
But no. Theres only ONE video that shows the difference in the trots and even then, it's not obvious enough for a non-rider to understand. Why in the world are people posting videos of them sitting on a still horse and just TALKING about it?! Is that going to bloody help ANYONE?! Hell no!
Is this a really difficult request? Just a series of videos to show the difference? I'm tired of looking already. If anyone has found videos on the differences between horse gaits, I'd be really appreciated.
~ An annoyed new rider
My parents are finding it hard to differentiate between a trot, canter and gallop. I'm having trouble remembering what the different types of each gait is and how it looks too. So off I go looking for videos. Simple enough, right? There SHOULD be a few videos on how each gait is different, and how each gait has different types of movement.
But no. Theres only ONE video that shows the difference in the trots and even then, it's not obvious enough for a non-rider to understand. Why in the world are people posting videos of them sitting on a still horse and just TALKING about it?! Is that going to bloody help ANYONE?! Hell no!
Is this a really difficult request? Just a series of videos to show the difference? I'm tired of looking already. If anyone has found videos on the differences between horse gaits, I'd be really appreciated.
~ An annoyed new rider
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?! -.-
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?! -.-
Friday, January 04, 2013
Being A Girl Sucks
Might have terms and graphic descriptions that might turn your stomach.
If you're squirmish of reading about female stuff, skip this post lol.
So I'm actually supposed to be releasing the red fountain of life yesterday. Only time I experienced one of the symptoms I usually get, was on Tuesday... But no red fountain. And no other symptoms... WHERE ARE TEH SORE BOOBS?! This has me torn. My parents and I avoided booking a lesson on Saturday because I was due on Thursday. It's now Friday afternoon and nothing at all. Nada. Zip. Zilch. To call mum and tell her to book a session tomorrow? Or to leave it in fear of everything going downhill DURING the ride? *sigh* Just by being a girl, gives you stress. Don't like... :(
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Sixth Lesson! And a bad ride...
Happy New Year all! Sorry about the slightly late update. I haven’t been feeling very good. While this is probably the best New Year I’ve ever had, it wasn’t the best riding experience.
Today, I was scheduled with D’Alonzo again. And this time, I got to ride him. I was actually supposed to ride D’Alonzo last Saturday, but he was being very naughty apparently, and I was put on Mamat. So today, I found out what the trainers meant by naughty. I don’t think he’s naughty though. I’m not sure what his problem is. For one, the main body language I noticed while riding him, that told me it wasn’t just ‘naughty’, was that his ears kept folding back. Not totally flat on his head, but it constantly faced me, as if he was angry. The trainers told me to whip him really hard everytime he stopped moving and to jerk back on the reins if he fights back and bucks. But guess what I find? He moves faster if I only wave the whip around, anyway. And if I actually whip him, he bucks... There was even one time where the trainer took him by the bridle and whipped him 3 times... really hard. While I was on top of him, yes. Needless to say, D’Alonzo went in circles, trying to avoid the whip.
I can’t bring myself to whip a horse hard. I just can’t. In no way is hurting a horse to make him obey is necessary. I don’t know how they do things when training a horse, but D’Alonzo has been riden MANY times, by MANY riders. I’m pretty sure he’s already trained. And if ALL of those riders whipped him hard... Ouch :(
Another reason why I think D’Alonzo just doesn’t like being riden, is when the trainer guided him out of the ring when my session was up. I thought I was supposed to dismount and lead him back to the stables, but D’Alonzo just continued walking and I kinda rode him back. And the strange thing was, whenever he walked in the ring, he walked really slow. But once on the track back to the stables, he sped up o.o The walk became an active walk, as if he was eager to get back to his stall.
All I can say is, whatever I learned on Mamat with Mazlan, the Saturday trainer, has gone out the window... well, kinda. D’Alonzo stopped very suddenly a lot. Everytime I was ready to practice whatever Mazlan taught me, he stops. Everytime I’m ready to stop, he doesn’t stop. And then there was the problem with the trainers. The trainer I was scheduled with today, wasn’t feeling well. So I had to wait an entire half an hour after my session was supposed to start, for another trainer to take over. Everything went okay-ish... until he shifted me to the main arena ring. There was another trainer there with 2 riders. Mother and daughter, I presume. He shouted over to my trainer and all of a sudden, I was made to join the 2 riders. My ride went downhill. Not only could I not do much, because all D’Alonzo had to do was follow the other two horses, but the trainer spent most of the session observing. All we did was rising trot and a tiny bit of sitting trot. My progress suddenly depends on the other two riders. If they couldn’t keep up, I’m forced to stop. If I couldn’t keep up (due to a slower and stubborn horse)... well, I fall behind. I definitely do NOT like group lessons. Nothing went right today. It was not a good day at all.
Good news though, I managed to mount from ground up again :D This time, trainer taught me to stand next to the horse shoulder and twist the stirrup around. I guess D’Alonzo is also a smaller horse. I learned a tiny bit more about control today. D’Alonzo doesn’t seem to have common sense o.o He went off the track quite a lot. Mamat followed the ring well enough, but D’Alonzo acted as if he would slam into the fences if I didn’t direct him away. I think I’m doing quite nicely in turning a horse around too. I find that tiny gentle pulls on the reins is perfect when doing slight turns. Longer gentle pulls when making a sharper turn. I also understand what the trainers mean by looking up and forward. It takes a few seconds for a horse to actually make a correction when following a path. So looking down at the immediate track isn’t exactly going to help. The trainers didn’t make much comment on my posture when doing the rising trot, so I guess I’ve managed to improve there. I’m pulling my shoulders back and putting my heels down a lot more, since I wasn’t gonna be getting reminders, what with 2 other riders to care for *rolleyes*
I can feel myself softening when doing the sitting trot, but I can’t seem to keep my hands still o.o They jumped up and down along with me! >.< Meh, I want to ride Mamat again, with Mazlan teaching me. :( There were so much bumping on D’Alonzo that my thighs are sore and bruised now. *sigh*
Oh, and I got more pics :) I’m working on creating profiles for the horses so that I can recognise them. Right now, I can’t tell which is Ruby and which is Royal ._. Both are dark and both don’t have distinctive markings. Siti Mas has some very very VERY light brown patches on her neck and body. Other than that... complete brown horse. Oh dear =/ They also repainted the stalls, so the names were removed. I’m gonna have to wait till the names are put back up to get more pics.
Oh yeah! Was a bad day for the parents too, imagine that XD Dad has been happy to go to the club for one thing, and one thing only. Nasi Lemak LOL! It’s a Malaysian dish, google if you’re interested. Unfortunately, they only sell Nasi Lemak on Saturdays haha! And for mum, she was looking forward to eating Maggi Goreng (Fried Noodles), Indonesian style. They cooked her dish... and sent it to the wrong family... That family was so stupid as to eat the extra dish anyway. And the cook finds out that he was out of noodles and mum couldn’t eat! Hehehe, there was no breakfast for the parents today xD
Today, I was scheduled with D’Alonzo again. And this time, I got to ride him. I was actually supposed to ride D’Alonzo last Saturday, but he was being very naughty apparently, and I was put on Mamat. So today, I found out what the trainers meant by naughty. I don’t think he’s naughty though. I’m not sure what his problem is. For one, the main body language I noticed while riding him, that told me it wasn’t just ‘naughty’, was that his ears kept folding back. Not totally flat on his head, but it constantly faced me, as if he was angry. The trainers told me to whip him really hard everytime he stopped moving and to jerk back on the reins if he fights back and bucks. But guess what I find? He moves faster if I only wave the whip around, anyway. And if I actually whip him, he bucks... There was even one time where the trainer took him by the bridle and whipped him 3 times... really hard. While I was on top of him, yes. Needless to say, D’Alonzo went in circles, trying to avoid the whip.
I can’t bring myself to whip a horse hard. I just can’t. In no way is hurting a horse to make him obey is necessary. I don’t know how they do things when training a horse, but D’Alonzo has been riden MANY times, by MANY riders. I’m pretty sure he’s already trained. And if ALL of those riders whipped him hard... Ouch :(
Another reason why I think D’Alonzo just doesn’t like being riden, is when the trainer guided him out of the ring when my session was up. I thought I was supposed to dismount and lead him back to the stables, but D’Alonzo just continued walking and I kinda rode him back. And the strange thing was, whenever he walked in the ring, he walked really slow. But once on the track back to the stables, he sped up o.o The walk became an active walk, as if he was eager to get back to his stall.
All I can say is, whatever I learned on Mamat with Mazlan, the Saturday trainer, has gone out the window... well, kinda. D’Alonzo stopped very suddenly a lot. Everytime I was ready to practice whatever Mazlan taught me, he stops. Everytime I’m ready to stop, he doesn’t stop. And then there was the problem with the trainers. The trainer I was scheduled with today, wasn’t feeling well. So I had to wait an entire half an hour after my session was supposed to start, for another trainer to take over. Everything went okay-ish... until he shifted me to the main arena ring. There was another trainer there with 2 riders. Mother and daughter, I presume. He shouted over to my trainer and all of a sudden, I was made to join the 2 riders. My ride went downhill. Not only could I not do much, because all D’Alonzo had to do was follow the other two horses, but the trainer spent most of the session observing. All we did was rising trot and a tiny bit of sitting trot. My progress suddenly depends on the other two riders. If they couldn’t keep up, I’m forced to stop. If I couldn’t keep up (due to a slower and stubborn horse)... well, I fall behind. I definitely do NOT like group lessons. Nothing went right today. It was not a good day at all.
Good news though, I managed to mount from ground up again :D This time, trainer taught me to stand next to the horse shoulder and twist the stirrup around. I guess D’Alonzo is also a smaller horse. I learned a tiny bit more about control today. D’Alonzo doesn’t seem to have common sense o.o He went off the track quite a lot. Mamat followed the ring well enough, but D’Alonzo acted as if he would slam into the fences if I didn’t direct him away. I think I’m doing quite nicely in turning a horse around too. I find that tiny gentle pulls on the reins is perfect when doing slight turns. Longer gentle pulls when making a sharper turn. I also understand what the trainers mean by looking up and forward. It takes a few seconds for a horse to actually make a correction when following a path. So looking down at the immediate track isn’t exactly going to help. The trainers didn’t make much comment on my posture when doing the rising trot, so I guess I’ve managed to improve there. I’m pulling my shoulders back and putting my heels down a lot more, since I wasn’t gonna be getting reminders, what with 2 other riders to care for *rolleyes*
I can feel myself softening when doing the sitting trot, but I can’t seem to keep my hands still o.o They jumped up and down along with me! >.< Meh, I want to ride Mamat again, with Mazlan teaching me. :( There were so much bumping on D’Alonzo that my thighs are sore and bruised now. *sigh*
Oh, and I got more pics :) I’m working on creating profiles for the horses so that I can recognise them. Right now, I can’t tell which is Ruby and which is Royal ._. Both are dark and both don’t have distinctive markings. Siti Mas has some very very VERY light brown patches on her neck and body. Other than that... complete brown horse. Oh dear =/ They also repainted the stalls, so the names were removed. I’m gonna have to wait till the names are put back up to get more pics.
Oh yeah! Was a bad day for the parents too, imagine that XD Dad has been happy to go to the club for one thing, and one thing only. Nasi Lemak LOL! It’s a Malaysian dish, google if you’re interested. Unfortunately, they only sell Nasi Lemak on Saturdays haha! And for mum, she was looking forward to eating Maggi Goreng (Fried Noodles), Indonesian style. They cooked her dish... and sent it to the wrong family... That family was so stupid as to eat the extra dish anyway. And the cook finds out that he was out of noodles and mum couldn’t eat! Hehehe, there was no breakfast for the parents today xD
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Fifth Lesson!
Apparently, the best and fastest way to teach me is to:
1. Teach in fluent English
2. No lunge ropes
Today, my trainer took me to a ring where using a lunge rope is not possible. It wasn't a round ring, but a sort of rectangular ring with curved ends. The middle is another rectangular ring with curved ends, but filled with grass and a couple of trees. A small grazing area xD
I learned faster than any of my previous lessons today. Rode Mamat again. He's so pampered. <3
Anyway, since Mamat wasn't on the lunge rope, I had to act fast and at the snap of the finger in order to ride him. There was no trainer standing next to me and controlling the horse with the lunge rope. Trainer stood at one corner of the ring and stayed there, shouting reminders and guidance at me. I have learned to use the reins well. Still need practice, but I can now turn the horse around, guide the horse to where I need to go, slow the horse down and of course, stop the horse. I tried being gentle and not jerking the reins, but I don't think it can be helped sometimes =/ Mamat is very stubborn, I had to be really firm with him. It took real effort to make him slow down, and many times, I had to pull the reins so hard that he stopped completely... *sigh* Silly Mamat.
I was also given a whip to hold today. Damn, those things are hard to hold with the reins and everything >.< Don't worry, I never whipped Mamat. I find that I don't need to, just wave it around where he can see it and he speeds up XD I must say, much easier than kicking his sides. I'm still having trouble with the stirrups and keeping my heels down =/ I keep tiptoeing... And everytime I kick a horse into moving, my boots goes right through the iron! Thank goodness for my heels! -.-
More good news though! My rising trot improved a helluva lot! I didn't even think of my butt and knees today. I landed softly everytime, rose nicely everytime. My back was straight. Only thing I concentrated on today was my shoulders and my heels. Rising on the trot is starting to become natural! :D
Walking is improving too. Really need to get it into my head that my shoulders need to be back, chest proud and heels down D:<
Still have a lot to improve with the sitting trot. Apparently, once the trot starts, my torso stiffens like a branch and I start bouncing hard, which causes me to lose balance. I gotta let go and relax the way I managed to do in walking. Trainer says I'm definitely softening and I could feel sitting trot getting easier, but I have quite a while to go yet.
I really like today's trainer. His English is fluent enough for me to understand without needing to think and he gave me a whole lot of tips that the other trainers didn't bother giving me. Like the softening of my torso, the other trainers would just say "Relax"... Who doesn't know that! >.>
He also speaks in a REALLY loud voice :D Which is good! Mumbling can't be heard when you're on a horse, guys! I definitely had fun today. It was an excellent ride. For me that is. Two girls fell off their horses today :( Ouchie! Luckily, no serious injuries. Also, I have pics!
Hmm. My toes stuck out quite a bit here. Was concentrating real hard on heels lol.
1. Teach in fluent English
2. No lunge ropes
Today, my trainer took me to a ring where using a lunge rope is not possible. It wasn't a round ring, but a sort of rectangular ring with curved ends. The middle is another rectangular ring with curved ends, but filled with grass and a couple of trees. A small grazing area xD
I learned faster than any of my previous lessons today. Rode Mamat again. He's so pampered. <3
Anyway, since Mamat wasn't on the lunge rope, I had to act fast and at the snap of the finger in order to ride him. There was no trainer standing next to me and controlling the horse with the lunge rope. Trainer stood at one corner of the ring and stayed there, shouting reminders and guidance at me. I have learned to use the reins well. Still need practice, but I can now turn the horse around, guide the horse to where I need to go, slow the horse down and of course, stop the horse. I tried being gentle and not jerking the reins, but I don't think it can be helped sometimes =/ Mamat is very stubborn, I had to be really firm with him. It took real effort to make him slow down, and many times, I had to pull the reins so hard that he stopped completely... *sigh* Silly Mamat.
I was also given a whip to hold today. Damn, those things are hard to hold with the reins and everything >.< Don't worry, I never whipped Mamat. I find that I don't need to, just wave it around where he can see it and he speeds up XD I must say, much easier than kicking his sides. I'm still having trouble with the stirrups and keeping my heels down =/ I keep tiptoeing... And everytime I kick a horse into moving, my boots goes right through the iron! Thank goodness for my heels! -.-
More good news though! My rising trot improved a helluva lot! I didn't even think of my butt and knees today. I landed softly everytime, rose nicely everytime. My back was straight. Only thing I concentrated on today was my shoulders and my heels. Rising on the trot is starting to become natural! :D
Walking is improving too. Really need to get it into my head that my shoulders need to be back, chest proud and heels down D:<
Still have a lot to improve with the sitting trot. Apparently, once the trot starts, my torso stiffens like a branch and I start bouncing hard, which causes me to lose balance. I gotta let go and relax the way I managed to do in walking. Trainer says I'm definitely softening and I could feel sitting trot getting easier, but I have quite a while to go yet.
I really like today's trainer. His English is fluent enough for me to understand without needing to think and he gave me a whole lot of tips that the other trainers didn't bother giving me. Like the softening of my torso, the other trainers would just say "Relax"... Who doesn't know that! >.>
He also speaks in a REALLY loud voice :D Which is good! Mumbling can't be heard when you're on a horse, guys! I definitely had fun today. It was an excellent ride. For me that is. Two girls fell off their horses today :( Ouchie! Luckily, no serious injuries. Also, I have pics!
Hmm. My toes stuck out quite a bit here. Was concentrating real hard on heels lol.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
No Pain, And Definitely Gaining!
So it's been 2 days since my ride on Christmas. I felt a bit sore on my thighs from the saddle an hour after finishing my ride. But guess what? The soreness went away about 8-12 hours later and until now, I still don't feel sore anymore! Woot!
Now I really can't wait for the next ride on Saturday! I'm finally getting fitter, yay! :D *celebrates*
Now I really can't wait for the next ride on Saturday! I'm finally getting fitter, yay! :D *celebrates*
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Fourth Lesson!
First of all, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! :)
Today was a different trainer. I like him. He speaks English, damnit XD Which is a good thing because I think in English and if the trainer speaks in Malay, I have to pause to translate it in my head... And today's horse was Siti Mas again. I find that she's a bit on the lazy side... or way too gentle for my liking? Then again, I feel like she's grumpy too... Or fussy... lol
So today, I learned more about balance. My rising trot was no longer in sync with the horse as compared to the first 3 lessons, but that's because this trainer didn't help in counting the 1,2 beat for me. (As well as Siti constantly slowing down >.<) Which makes me think: I've become dependant on the trainer to help count my beats, which is bad. But I'm new at riding, so I guess that's normal. I hope I can get it right in time, afterall, this is only my 4th lesson. But I'm certainly improving in my sitting trot and balance. Not perfect, and still a long way to go, but getting there :D
I also learned to do more with the reins than making the horse stop. I tried out what I know about English style of riding and found out that I have to pull pretty hard to make a horse turn O.O I still have a LOT of work to do with the reins. I kept pulling on the reins to keep balance... That might even be why Siti kept slowing down o.O And I can't seem to multitask well enough. Not only do I have to concentrate on my balancing, I have to concentrate on keeping my damn heels down, on leading my horse, on sitting up straight... Oh dear. I might have been having a wrong sense of balance even when standing on the ground. I keep leaning forward and slouching. I thought I got rid of my slouch finally, but I guess I'm also not standing straight up and proud (shoulders back).
My knees were killing me today. For some reason, I've been getting sharp pains in the middle of my knee joints. It started last lesson but was worse today. I felt it at EVERY rise when doing the rising trot. Seriously hurts. Sharper than last lesson too. Trainer says it's cause I'm not used to the constant movement yet. Told my parents that I might have to get knee supports ._.
I also find that I much much prefer breeches to jodhpurs. The jodhpurs wasn't body fitting. Although stretchable material, it was loose... and itchy... Meh.
Overall, today wasn't an excellent day. It wasn't bad (trainer iz aweshum!) but it wasn't excellent. Btw guys, do you think I should start being more firm with the horses? I've been quite gentle with them. Didn't want to make them feel like I'm underestimating them and have them dislike me! D: But it's as if gentleness doesn't have an effect on them, as if I'm one of the flies that lands on them >.>
Well, I hope you had a nice Christmas. My day wasn't the best, but it was waaaaaaaay better than the usual family meetings... which tend to be omgsoboring XD
Today was a different trainer. I like him. He speaks English, damnit XD Which is a good thing because I think in English and if the trainer speaks in Malay, I have to pause to translate it in my head... And today's horse was Siti Mas again. I find that she's a bit on the lazy side... or way too gentle for my liking? Then again, I feel like she's grumpy too... Or fussy... lol
So today, I learned more about balance. My rising trot was no longer in sync with the horse as compared to the first 3 lessons, but that's because this trainer didn't help in counting the 1,2 beat for me. (As well as Siti constantly slowing down >.<) Which makes me think: I've become dependant on the trainer to help count my beats, which is bad. But I'm new at riding, so I guess that's normal. I hope I can get it right in time, afterall, this is only my 4th lesson. But I'm certainly improving in my sitting trot and balance. Not perfect, and still a long way to go, but getting there :D
I also learned to do more with the reins than making the horse stop. I tried out what I know about English style of riding and found out that I have to pull pretty hard to make a horse turn O.O I still have a LOT of work to do with the reins. I kept pulling on the reins to keep balance... That might even be why Siti kept slowing down o.O And I can't seem to multitask well enough. Not only do I have to concentrate on my balancing, I have to concentrate on keeping my damn heels down, on leading my horse, on sitting up straight... Oh dear. I might have been having a wrong sense of balance even when standing on the ground. I keep leaning forward and slouching. I thought I got rid of my slouch finally, but I guess I'm also not standing straight up and proud (shoulders back).
My knees were killing me today. For some reason, I've been getting sharp pains in the middle of my knee joints. It started last lesson but was worse today. I felt it at EVERY rise when doing the rising trot. Seriously hurts. Sharper than last lesson too. Trainer says it's cause I'm not used to the constant movement yet. Told my parents that I might have to get knee supports ._.
I also find that I much much prefer breeches to jodhpurs. The jodhpurs wasn't body fitting. Although stretchable material, it was loose... and itchy... Meh.
Overall, today wasn't an excellent day. It wasn't bad (trainer iz aweshum!) but it wasn't excellent. Btw guys, do you think I should start being more firm with the horses? I've been quite gentle with them. Didn't want to make them feel like I'm underestimating them and have them dislike me! D: But it's as if gentleness doesn't have an effect on them, as if I'm one of the flies that lands on them >.>
Well, I hope you had a nice Christmas. My day wasn't the best, but it was waaaaaaaay better than the usual family meetings... which tend to be omgsoboring XD
