Got my saddle legs back!

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Annual Trail Rides: 57/200

It was a bit of a journey, an unexpected one, but one Im glad to have conquered (for today). After being mostly off trail for the last month, and occasionally squeezing in a little walk when the ice wasn't too bad, it seems that my riding anxiety peaked when I finally found myself back out on trail alone and facing a lovely canter track.

A few things compounded the problem, as is usually the case:

  • Spring ... yes Q has the spring sillies, and his "sleeping dragon" routine did not fool me one bit. Of course Q is less prone to spring sillies than my previous youngster who gave me quite the long list of accidents and injuries, and I probably anticipate these things more than Q deserves.
  • Not enough riding at speed ... a body at rest, stays at rest ... my confidence with speed on trail with all the distractions and diversions of the real world (deer, dog, biker, maintenance crew, fallen tree) fades to black if I do not push myself to ride at speed. Im talking cantering and galloping on long flat stretches, as I have absolutely no problem trotting anywhere or even cantering/galloping up hills.
  • Fading buttons ... this is a double-edged sword. Q is not professionally trained, and I do not spend enough time in the arena working on and improving those buttons. I also fall into the trap of Q, the Benevolent King. Because he is so tuned in and generous, he gives me what I want at the slightest suggestion. But as soon as he wants something else, he tunes me out. Last week on an icy trail I needed him to walk in a specific part of the path and he wanted to walk on a different (but icier and sloped) part. I picked up the reins and applied leg to move him, and he ignored me.  We went back to the ring the next few rides to work on corner turns, side pass, shoulder in, and the button was there. The flip side of this is that when we want the same thing, it is effortless.
  • Baby Stud ... we have become Baby Stud's babysitter for the last two months as he gets his baby trail legs. It's been great fun, and it's absolutely wonderful to ride with the BO again. BUT ... Q and Baby Stud are BFFs and spend 4 hours fooling around in the paddock every single day. They are an absolute delight to watch. Baby Stud is the pest, poking at big brother Q ... and then Q chases him and bosses him around. So when we go on trail, its like the two horses are carrying on their own conversation and we are just the passengers. Last week baby stud spooked at an oncoming truck, and Q lunged at him biting him in the neck while I was sitting in the saddle. I was shocked, and it happened so fast. Q has been pinning his ears, trying to goose him from behind, and tossing his head at him when baby stud "does not behave". And Q tunes me out.
  • Not enough riding alone ... I realized last week that I had not ridden alone in over a month. That is not good for my confidence, as the horse is different alone. No surprise, as there is a lot of self preservation in the horse. But spooks and sensitivity to the environment are heightened and that makes me want to ride more conservatively ... which then leads back to issue #2 (not riding fast enough) and so we have a negative loop.
So with this in mind, I dragged the BO and Baby Stud down to the dry sandy trails in Sector #2 and I told her that I needed to school Q on trail. We would trot side by side, and I would work on transitions or gymnastics if he tuned me out, or started aggressing Baby Stud. I was able to "catch him" in the act 6 times, although the last times were minimal and spread out. Every "catch", Q changed his expression almost immediately with ears forward and happily trotting forward. We also tackled lots of cantering towards the end and I was able to rate Q even though he was behind. And we trotted side by side, where I would rate him, slow down to be behind Baby Study, and then accelerate to be in front. Baby Stud got a little anxious when Q passed him and led, but it was all good and Baby Stud needs a few lessons on that too.

All in all, it was a 90 minute fast ride with lots of hill work, ravines, water crossings, trots and canters and I feel that I got my saddle legs back.

It was a good reminder of how precarious confidence can be, especially in the amateur rider.






Comments

  1. DomApril 15, 2021 at 12:01 PM

    Confidence definitely comes and goes, especially with so many factors in play. Glad you had a good ride to boost you back up. Coming out of winter always presents challenges,even if you've been riding in the snow and ice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nat DApril 15, 2021 at 1:44 PM

      SO true! Add a new person in the mix, with a new horse, and untested control, and my confidence at speed fades again. I am quite reluctant to canter with just anybody and I really like to see how they handle themselves at a fast trot first.

      Delete

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