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glenatronZorro and I had a lesson for today where we got to try some new things, specifically jumping!
My teacher was very impressed with the progress we've made since my last lesson - I tend to have lessons at relatively irregular intervals, spending the time in between really focussing on what I was taught in the previous lesson and trying to get it right. In fact she was so impressed that she thought we could maybe try a little jumping today. I have have never done any jumping whatsoever and from what we could tell Zorro has done a tiny bit but not much.
We started out by getting pony up and moving freely and the work I have been doing on getting precise accurate cues has really come through in terms of asking him to pick up his paces when I ask- as soon as he realised I was prepared to back up my cues he offered everything I asked for, including his enormous brisk "I'm descended from Fresians, honest guv" trot. We know nothing about his history, it's quite possible he is descended from Fresians.
Trotting briskly.
Then we moved on to going over some poles on the ground. Zorro quickly got those figured out- they were stomping poles and he had to make sure he trod on every single one without dropping his pace.
Evidently that was right because next we had to go over a pole on the floor and then a cross-pole. We came around the corner and Zorro immediately locked on to the jump and really went for it:
Whammy! A moment after this was taken we had carefully knocked both poles down and both the blocks they were balanced on. Not only had we cleared the jump, but we had actually cleared it so efficiently that no-one following us would be bothered by it either. A professional career almost certainly beckons...
After our first few awesome failures ( Zorro managed to get a pole between his front legs one time and cleverly didn't trip over it ) we did actually manage to jump over some things and that was pretty cool. I need to work on my cantering though as I've not done it much and Zorro really wants to rampage when he sees jump poles. I don't necessarily want to let him do that, but I would like to feel balanced and stable when he takes the initiative.
Also we saw some wildlife and I took some pictures of it. It was exciting!
A pair of amazingly camouflaged Grayling butterflies out on the common.
A kestrel being pestered by swallows and martins above one of the fields.
And we got to see a baby swallow take it's first flight from the nest in the barn today. It needs a lot of courage to start flying, it transpires, then you have to spend a while fluttering around the place and trying to hover while you work out how to land.
We have worked out that by tightening our belts, emptying our piggy-banks and condemning ourselves to eating Tesco Value baked beans for the rest of the year we think we're going to be able to line things up so![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sleepsy_mouse can take her pony on the Tom Widdicombe clinic I posted about a couple of weeks back. It will make things a bit tight for the rest of the month, when we have a bunch of house stuff going on too, but one-on-one lessons with him are like gold dust and if we get anything like as much from learning from him directly as we have from reading his book it will be entirely worthwhile.
Seeing some of this groundwork that Small Pony andsleepsy_mouse were doing today ( they were changing pace off cues I couldn't see, more or less a shared idea I think) gives an idea of the kind of awesomeness that I expect they'll be finding in their riding and everywhere else over the next few weeks. They really are going to be an amazing team.
My teacher was very impressed with the progress we've made since my last lesson - I tend to have lessons at relatively irregular intervals, spending the time in between really focussing on what I was taught in the previous lesson and trying to get it right. In fact she was so impressed that she thought we could maybe try a little jumping today. I have have never done any jumping whatsoever and from what we could tell Zorro has done a tiny bit but not much.
We started out by getting pony up and moving freely and the work I have been doing on getting precise accurate cues has really come through in terms of asking him to pick up his paces when I ask- as soon as he realised I was prepared to back up my cues he offered everything I asked for, including his enormous brisk "I'm descended from Fresians, honest guv" trot. We know nothing about his history, it's quite possible he is descended from Fresians.
Trotting briskly.
Then we moved on to going over some poles on the ground. Zorro quickly got those figured out- they were stomping poles and he had to make sure he trod on every single one without dropping his pace.
Evidently that was right because next we had to go over a pole on the floor and then a cross-pole. We came around the corner and Zorro immediately locked on to the jump and really went for it:
Whammy! A moment after this was taken we had carefully knocked both poles down and both the blocks they were balanced on. Not only had we cleared the jump, but we had actually cleared it so efficiently that no-one following us would be bothered by it either. A professional career almost certainly beckons...
After our first few awesome failures ( Zorro managed to get a pole between his front legs one time and cleverly didn't trip over it ) we did actually manage to jump over some things and that was pretty cool. I need to work on my cantering though as I've not done it much and Zorro really wants to rampage when he sees jump poles. I don't necessarily want to let him do that, but I would like to feel balanced and stable when he takes the initiative.
Also we saw some wildlife and I took some pictures of it. It was exciting!
A pair of amazingly camouflaged Grayling butterflies out on the common.
A kestrel being pestered by swallows and martins above one of the fields.
And we got to see a baby swallow take it's first flight from the nest in the barn today. It needs a lot of courage to start flying, it transpires, then you have to spend a while fluttering around the place and trying to hover while you work out how to land.
We have worked out that by tightening our belts, emptying our piggy-banks and condemning ourselves to eating Tesco Value baked beans for the rest of the year we think we're going to be able to line things up so
sleepsy_mouse can take her pony on the Tom Widdicombe clinic I posted about a couple of weeks back. It will make things a bit tight for the rest of the month, when we have a bunch of house stuff going on too, but one-on-one lessons with him are like gold dust and if we get anything like as much from learning from him directly as we have from reading his book it will be entirely worthwhile.Seeing some of this groundwork that Small Pony and
sleepsy_mouse were doing today ( they were changing pace off cues I couldn't see, more or less a shared idea I think) gives an idea of the kind of awesomeness that I expect they'll be finding in their riding and everywhere else over the next few weeks. They really are going to be an amazing team.![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 01:49 (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 10:24 (UTC)no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 14:24 (UTC)What kind of cob is that anyway? I've never actually seen a cob irl.
no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 16:04 (UTC)Typically they're good all-rounders, not necessarily competing at the very highest level, but making for great versatile, weight-carrying, horses for the average rider who wants to hack or compete locally, able to turn themselves to riding or driving with equal aplomb.
no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 16:11 (UTC)I often buy cob bridles for my arabian. Anyway, Zorro does look like he could be part troll! He's really adorable.
no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 15:45 (UTC)very exciting about the clinic. there's nothing like paying for petrol in change, and not getting a haircut for months and months, and skimping on groceries...all for the amazing chance to go to a clinic and LEARN!!!
So right there with you, except unfortunately for me, its a vet bill atm and not a clinic. :-) :-)
no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 16:05 (UTC)Learning from someone who knows what they are doing is very valuable indeed. I'm really looking forward to seeing Tom at work.
no subject
Date: 3 Sep 2007 15:45 (UTC)You Bad Man,
- Crumpwright
no subject
Date: 4 Sep 2007 14:17 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Sep 2007 15:30 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 Sep 2007 17:39 (UTC)