merlin and me
Every single day since I signed that contract I have made time to work with Merlin. Throughout the weekend and the work week, I have headed to Riding Right to lunge, ride, groom, and just spend with him. I bring apples, carrots. I curry the dry dirt out of his mane and coat. We are working out together. If he gets a half hour workout, I go home and run 2 miles. If he ground drives in harness, I lift weights. My dedication to him is also a dedication to me and better self care. Together we will heal, shine, and smile. His patience astounds me. His spunk under saddle, surprises me. And yesterday when we practiced a wee bit of driving, he took to it like a gosling in a creek. Jumped right in.
Tomorrow is our first lesson together. He's had to training sessions with instructors riding, but tomorrow morning I will be the one being put through my paces. A good friend with a great camera might come along, too. If so I'll ask him to send me the photos to share here. For now, you can see the short video Patty took last night of us trotting by.
Tomorrow is our first lesson together. He's had to training sessions with instructors riding, but tomorrow morning I will be the one being put through my paces. A good friend with a great camera might come along, too. If so I'll ask him to send me the photos to share here. For now, you can see the short video Patty took last night of us trotting by.
posted by Jenna at 6:20 AM
18 Comments:
Well done!
Congratulations Jenna, this will make Cold Antler so much more exciting. Enjoy your workout.
Inventive way to get something done, your better self care! I'm so happy for you that you can spend regular time with Merlin. He's probably ecstatic too!
How exciting this is! Looks like you've found someone who helps you take better care of yourself. That's a true friend...
He look so steady! What fun!
I'm so impressed!! I started looking into possible riding lessons around here...
http://blythewoodstables.com/default.aspx
they are in pittsfield!
That is so awesome. I had a dream last night that I bought a draft horse...only to realize later when I went to pick him up that he was the size of my son's play horse! I had a chuckle this morning and glad that I didn't invest in a horse that small. :) Hope you are enjoying merlin and as soon as my computer gets fixed I'll watch the videos. ;)
Good on you, Jenna for such a positive start to your partnership with Merlin.
It's not what we do for horses, it's what they do for us that's so special.
You and Merlin are a great match! He is lucky to have an owner who spends so much time with him :-).
You two look great together!
Love the video.
Finally home and able to watch...wow, he looks smoooooth...like you really have to work to post on him! I bet you could fall asleep to that walk, too. You guys are gonna have some fun--yeah!!
Woohoo! Awesome :)
You look well together! He has that ponyfast trot. You are posting with your lower legs and they are swinging a bit. Try to work on using your seat (aka thighs) and try to let the forward motion of the muscles of his hindquarters and back motivate you forward. Close your eyes and feel the engagement of the hindquarters. Also, practice picking up the correct diagonal with the eyes closed so you get a feel for the muscle movement.
Just a suggestion... I trained tackless, on a lunge line for my first 6 months as a teen riding student, Spanish Riding Academy style (4 years). No stirrups to stand up in then. ;) It looks like the start of something special! You will be great together.
Just don't forget about your "other horse" at home. Haven't seen you mention him much lately.
Just don't forget about your "other horse" at home. Haven't seen you mention him much lately.
Looks like the start of a great partnership. His short pony stride will take some getting used to if you've been riding bigger horses for your earlier lessons. On the lunge, you need to make him engage his back end a bit more as he's not tracking up - his hind legs should come under his tummy more and hooves just touch the back rim of the hoofprints left by the front feet. I expect he's had a lazy time of things recently and is not used to stretching as he should. (Boy, do I know that feeling after a winter of no gardening and not enough walking!!!) It'll come though and it's good to see you both happy together.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home