Clinic Prep

Riding Journal

Awareness of the outside world. May the Fourth Be With You! Beware the Revenge Of The Fifth!
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Gratuitous shadow photo for visual interest.

Five weeks until the clinic with Stephanie Mosely. [Horizon]

Horse training is about teaching the horse to carry a load.
Riding is about learning to be a better load.

Unrecorded Internet Source

A biomechanic riding clinic is more about the latter than the former. I expect to spend more time on the position of my shoulders rather than on the position of Rodney’s haunches. Obviously, the more we can do, the more we will get out of the clinic. If all we can do is walk and a bit of trotting, we can still benefit.

Even walking and mild trotting has not always been a given with this horse. Recently, we have our basics under control to the extent that I am … reasonably … confident of being able to WTC in a ring that Rodney knows.

We are good to go.

However, my groom made an excellent point.

If I want to do three, hour-long lessons in three days. there needs to be some fitness put on horse and rider. Not trot-sets-to-go-Prelim level of fitness. More, ride for an hour at a time level of fitness.

We did long rides last summer with the Virtual Tevis. Mostly waking, but still long. When we trailer to another barn, we ride for a while, since we’ve gone to the effort of getting there.

At home we tend to walk around the field, do a bit of ring work, declare victory, and go back to the barn. Little and often works well for Rodney. He needs time to come alongside new ideas.

So I need to build up his ability/tolerance to carry my ass for an hour and my ass’s ability/tolerance to sit in the saddle for an hour. Not more work. Not more intensive. Just chronologically longer.

Is it just me, or is that a cosmic cue for five weeks of soggy weather, bad footing, and missing shoes?

Stay safe. Stay sane.
Katherine