I really meant to write this post a few days ago, as soon as I had an epiphany, but see, I didn't. Because I was tired. But there's nothing new there.
Anyhow. On Thursday of last week (so that would be... January 5th?) I had a horseback riding lesson. Normally I have them every Tuesday, but see, it was freezing cold on Tuesday, so my instructor pushed it back to later in the week... then I had one on Friday too.
The Thursday lesson went pretty decently, and then on Friday, man, I was like the queen of all Western riders. I felt so flippin' fabulous. It was honestly one of my best lessons ever. I got the lope right away and was at the top of my game. The other ladies in the arena had ridden with me just a few weeks back during another of my make-up lessons, and they are so kind and supportive and congratulatory on the progress I've made, especially on the lope. I'm sorry if I sound like a dork for repeating this over and over... but I was so proud of myself.
And as I was circling the arena on Hollywood, a tall palomino gelding, I realized that I was happy. Like, really, truly happy in that moment. Which was surprising because (this was on Thursday) I still had a bunch of homework to tackle that would presumably take all night (which it did. And then half of it ended up not being due until THIS week. -____- )
But then Friday I felt it again. And this was a welcome feeling, because earlier that very week I had been having issues with hating school (it's still not my favorite... my attitude towards that hasn't actually changed all that much....) and talking about how I couldn't wait until I was free and could get a job doing what I *really* want to do and begin to establish myself as an individual in the writing & film production world. (Granted, going to college & studying film would help with this, and that's my plan, but I can't help but look forward to when I'm done with school.)
When I was riding though, I stopped thinking about how I wished everything would just hurry up and make sense and let me do what I want. Instead I began thinking about how I have my whole life ahead of me. I'll get to do what I love, I'll work towards it, and I'll find out more about myself in the process, and probably meet some awesome new people along the way. Because really life is unpredictable.
Also, the way I see it, I really only have a few options if I want to work in film as to where to live (at least in the US)- California, New York, maybe Florida.
And of course it's another dream to own property in Australia....
This post was mainly random junk that had been clogging up my brain, but I hope it made at least some sort of sense and you could sense what I was trying to get across.
Maybe I can sum it up with two different song quotes, one from Fleetwood Mac and one from... okay, I'm not sure, but I heard it somewhere...
"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow, don't stop, it'll soon be here. It'll be better than before, yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone," meaning look to the future.
But also, "Hold onto sixteen for as long as you can," meaning live in the moment.
<3
Showing posts with label horseback riding lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horseback riding lessons. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Storms, Riding, and Helmets!
It all started with an earthquake.
Well, that's what I'm going to blame it on at least.
But to catch you up-
I'm sure you all know that the weather has been crazy this last month or so. First a 5.9 magnitude earthquake rattled (no pun intended) (okay, maybe a small one) the East Coast. Then Hurricane Irene came sweeping through. And now, Hurricane Lee is breezing all over the place. We've had significant rainfall here for the past few days, causing flooding and car accidents and other rain-induced issues. And we're still having aftershocks.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm blaming the earthquake. I'm not blaming it for the weather that followed. Or for the possibly impending end of the world. (I still think the Mayans just ran out of paper...) Nope, I'm going to shift the blame on the earthquake (see what I did there?) for something that is probably totally irrelevant. But I'm going to pretend it's not.
The earthquake happened on August 23rd. I know because the opening of school the next day was postponed (something good DID come out of it!) and because it was a Wednesday and I had a horseback riding lesson.
When the earth started quaking, I was home alone and freaking out in all kinds of ways. First I thought it might be our washer being a little overzealous, or a big truck passing down the street. But then I saw that the windows were shaking. And so was the chandelier. And I heard a few thumps and crashes as I clung to the door I was standing by. My mom called me just before the phone lines went out to check on me, and I wandered around the house noticing broken Easter bunnies and photos laying on the ground and crooked paintings on the walls. The big thump I had heard was my television falling off my shelf and severing the cords to the DVD player.
I walked into the kitchen and... my dog was sleeping. Naturally. After a few moments I saw her eyes open, she stood, stretched, and settled back into bed.
My cat was another story. She was a nutcase, hiding under the bed and refusing to come out until I bribed her with her favorite treats. Even then she crawled right back under. Not that I could blame her, I was still shaken up (no pun, really!) too.
So I didn't know if I would still have my riding lesson that night. What if the horses had reacted like my cat? What if there was damage to the barn? But with no call from my instructor canceling, my dad and I headed to the barn just like normal.
The lesson went on as usual. The only difference was I was riding a different saddle than I was used to. And here's why I think that was important.
Well, that's what I'm going to blame it on at least.
But to catch you up-
I'm sure you all know that the weather has been crazy this last month or so. First a 5.9 magnitude earthquake rattled (no pun intended) (okay, maybe a small one) the East Coast. Then Hurricane Irene came sweeping through. And now, Hurricane Lee is breezing all over the place. We've had significant rainfall here for the past few days, causing flooding and car accidents and other rain-induced issues. And we're still having aftershocks.
Now, you might be wondering why I'm blaming the earthquake. I'm not blaming it for the weather that followed. Or for the possibly impending end of the world. (I still think the Mayans just ran out of paper...) Nope, I'm going to shift the blame on the earthquake (see what I did there?) for something that is probably totally irrelevant. But I'm going to pretend it's not.
The earthquake happened on August 23rd. I know because the opening of school the next day was postponed (something good DID come out of it!) and because it was a Wednesday and I had a horseback riding lesson.
When the earth started quaking, I was home alone and freaking out in all kinds of ways. First I thought it might be our washer being a little overzealous, or a big truck passing down the street. But then I saw that the windows were shaking. And so was the chandelier. And I heard a few thumps and crashes as I clung to the door I was standing by. My mom called me just before the phone lines went out to check on me, and I wandered around the house noticing broken Easter bunnies and photos laying on the ground and crooked paintings on the walls. The big thump I had heard was my television falling off my shelf and severing the cords to the DVD player.
I walked into the kitchen and... my dog was sleeping. Naturally. After a few moments I saw her eyes open, she stood, stretched, and settled back into bed.
My cat was another story. She was a nutcase, hiding under the bed and refusing to come out until I bribed her with her favorite treats. Even then she crawled right back under. Not that I could blame her, I was still shaken up (no pun, really!) too.
So I didn't know if I would still have my riding lesson that night. What if the horses had reacted like my cat? What if there was damage to the barn? But with no call from my instructor canceling, my dad and I headed to the barn just like normal.
The lesson went on as usual. The only difference was I was riding a different saddle than I was used to. And here's why I think that was important.
These are like the stirrups on the saddle I was riding that night.
This is closer to the type of stirrup I'm used to on my favorite saddle.
The first stirrups are deeper, and I couldn't get my feet to stay in them. This might have been totally my fault, but I'm going to pretend it was the saddle's. Or the earthquake's. Plus the stirrup leathers on the new saddle were too long for me, even on the shortest setting. What can I say, I'm not that tall.
Anyhow, the lesson was going decently, besides the fact that my right ankle was seizing up like it tends to when I ride, until we started to lope. That's when it went downhill. Grace, the horse, was moving pretty well, but I just could not stay in the saddle. First my left foot came out of the stirrup. I grabbed at the saddle horn and tried to jab it back in, and I did for a moment, but then it came flying out again, and my right foot followed. As we rounded a corner of the arena next to the metal fence, I slipped out of the saddle and thumped on the ground, the back of my head whacking into the bottom rung of the fence.
And this, kids, is why we wear helmets.
My head was slightly tingly and my backside was rather sore, but my instructor helped me get back on Grace and and walk, jog, and lope once more. For about 3 strides. Then I was done.
By the time I got home, my head was ringing. It was the worst headache I've ever had. I sat in the relative darkness of the family room and covered my eyes with a cool towel, the television on low. I can't stand total silence, but any noise too loud sent shooting pain through my noggin. I also had some homework I had to finish, but the computer was far too bright for me to use at the moment. I finally went to bed and when I woke up, I'm happy to say, my headache was gone. But my shoulders were killing me.
Not that you want to hear about all my pain. Let's just say it took a few days for my head to stop pounding whenever I saw a bright light or a loud sound. And my shoulders to stop aching. And my back. And then I started thinking that I maybe want to buy a new helmet, because I don't know how damaged the inside of mine is. I've only fallen twice, but better safe than sorry. Plus, that last one felt like a doozy. If my head hurt that bad, I wonder what my helmet looks like inside.
This is the kind of helmet I have now. A Tipperary Sportage.
But I would kind of like one from Troxel, either the Sierra ($119.95) or the Spirit. ($44.95- 54.95)
Which one do you like better?
Which one do you like better?
This is the Troxel Sierra. (Above)
And that's the Troxel Spirit. :)
Let me know what you think!
Let me know what you think!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Western Riding & English Writing
It's been a long time since I've last posted. Hello, blogosphere and you so very few readers and thanks for coming back. :)
To catch you up- a few months ago I quit taking lessons at that terrific stable I started at (which I still very much like) and started taking them at a new place! This new stable teaches Western riding, however, where before I was doing English.
What's the difference, you ask?
Well...
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To catch you up- a few months ago I quit taking lessons at that terrific stable I started at (which I still very much like) and started taking them at a new place! This new stable teaches Western riding, however, where before I was doing English.
What's the difference, you ask?
Well...
This in English riding! :)
Notice theeee-
- Joined reins (the reins are the things the rider is holding to control the horse.) In English, the reins are connected.
- The relatively short stirrup length (the stirrups are the metal ring-type things the rider's feet are in.) In English, they are usually closer to the rider's torso than in Western.
- The small saddle (the object the rider is sitting on [not the horse, the thing between the horse and rider :) ] )
- The many many straps on the bridle. (There are just more straps on the thing on the horses head.) In English you have such pieces as the crownpiece, cheekstrap, noseband, and such.
This is Western! :)
Compare it to the English above and notice theeee...
- Longer and unconnected reins, also sometimes held in a single hand.
- Simpler looking bridle
- Bigger saddle, complete with a saddle horn in front of the rider, originally used to hold a lasso loop, and the higher cantle (the back part of the saddle).
- Relatively longer stirrups.
And so, let me say, that the switch was not amazingly simple, nor was it amazingly hard. I do like that at my current Western stable, there is no pressure to show and we work on new things just about every week. I recently started loping (the Western term for canter- trot is jog, as well) and am still trying to get my footing with this new gait in the Western style. Tonight, my instructor even had me and my classmate try barrel racing- though at a jog.
Barrel racing at a gallop! :O
I'm having fun with my new lessons and can't wait to see what happens next. I might even join the local 4H club! :D
Meanwhile, since summer is now upon us, I have been trying to write more. Only thing is, I feel like everything I'm trying has already been done. I'm not completely awesome at being original.
I really want to try writing a boarding school type thing, because I'm not too great at writing adult characters, and a boarding school would be more focused around teenagers. But I can't think of any spectacular plot or anything. I mean, a boarding school with a horseback riding focus would be cool, but that has already been done by quite a few people. So I continue to struggle with finding new and interesting plots and trying to make dialogue sound as if it hasn't been forced out of a character's mouth against their will.
I hope summer's longer than it looks. This could take a while.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Guess what? Betcha can't!!
Am I right? Am I?
Well, I'm sure I am, 'cause truth is, I have no big, huge, "OMIGOSH MEG, NO WAY!!!" announcements for today.
Other than the fact that, uh... I might start writing a new story? Yay!
But not right now. Probably not for a few days.
Anyways, other than that (get excited now, because this is the most amazing story you're going to hear today- so I guess I lied, maybe I do have an "OMIGOSH MEG, NO WAY!!!" story after all!! :)
Today at my horseback riding lesson, after we warmed up circling the ring at a walk and posting trot, my instructor told me to canter. So I did. Cantering, like I said before, is raaaaad. Really, really awesome. But apparently I wasn't steering very well, because we were headed straight toward the corner of the ring that has a board broken off the very top, so it's a little lower than the rest, and I (*facepalm*) wasn't paying enough attention, as one of my feet had come out of my stirrup. So, the horse feeling wild and wonderful by now, (and no, I don't think he's from West Virginia) must've thought "Hey, ya know, I haven't jumped in a while, I think now might be a good time. Any takers?" I was grabbing his mane (don't worry- they don't have nerves there) so I wouldn't slip right off the saddle while trying to jam my foot back in the stirrup iron, which ended up being a good thing (me holding his mane) because before I knew it, the gelding, who normally needs pretty strong urging just to get him to trot, springs up and over the corner fence. I would've slid right off the back of that saddle if I hadn't been holding on to his mane and leaning pretty well forward. And, suprise suprise, we even landed pretty well, all balanced and in nice form (except for my foot which was still hanging out of the stirrup). The instructor was pretty amazed, me being a fairly new rider and having just landed that unexpected jump so well. Although she did start reprimanding me when she realized that I could've stopped the whole thing if I had been paying attention.
So.
Wasn't that a good story?
You're welcome. It took all my imagnation to come up with that one.
Because it never happened.
If you fell for it, I'm truly sorry (not really). :) It was all in good fun.
What REALLY happened at my lessons is this-
It went about the same as usual, except at the end the instructor let me and the gelding (that part was true) walk around the outside of the ring by the edge of the woods like a mini-trail ride. And then she said that soon I might be put in a semi-private class so we can go on real trail rides!! YAY!!!
That's what I've been hoping for!
Along with a canter.
TADA!!!
That got me in a good writing mood.... hmmm.....
Well, I'm sure I am, 'cause truth is, I have no big, huge, "OMIGOSH MEG, NO WAY!!!" announcements for today.
Other than the fact that, uh... I might start writing a new story? Yay!
But not right now. Probably not for a few days.
Anyways, other than that (get excited now, because this is the most amazing story you're going to hear today- so I guess I lied, maybe I do have an "OMIGOSH MEG, NO WAY!!!" story after all!! :)
Today at my horseback riding lesson, after we warmed up circling the ring at a walk and posting trot, my instructor told me to canter. So I did. Cantering, like I said before, is raaaaad. Really, really awesome. But apparently I wasn't steering very well, because we were headed straight toward the corner of the ring that has a board broken off the very top, so it's a little lower than the rest, and I (*facepalm*) wasn't paying enough attention, as one of my feet had come out of my stirrup. So, the horse feeling wild and wonderful by now, (and no, I don't think he's from West Virginia) must've thought "Hey, ya know, I haven't jumped in a while, I think now might be a good time. Any takers?" I was grabbing his mane (don't worry- they don't have nerves there) so I wouldn't slip right off the saddle while trying to jam my foot back in the stirrup iron, which ended up being a good thing (me holding his mane) because before I knew it, the gelding, who normally needs pretty strong urging just to get him to trot, springs up and over the corner fence. I would've slid right off the back of that saddle if I hadn't been holding on to his mane and leaning pretty well forward. And, suprise suprise, we even landed pretty well, all balanced and in nice form (except for my foot which was still hanging out of the stirrup). The instructor was pretty amazed, me being a fairly new rider and having just landed that unexpected jump so well. Although she did start reprimanding me when she realized that I could've stopped the whole thing if I had been paying attention.
So.
Wasn't that a good story?
You're welcome. It took all my imagnation to come up with that one.
Because it never happened.
If you fell for it, I'm truly sorry (not really). :) It was all in good fun.
What REALLY happened at my lessons is this-
It went about the same as usual, except at the end the instructor let me and the gelding (that part was true) walk around the outside of the ring by the edge of the woods like a mini-trail ride. And then she said that soon I might be put in a semi-private class so we can go on real trail rides!! YAY!!!
That's what I've been hoping for!
Along with a canter.
TADA!!!
That got me in a good writing mood.... hmmm.....
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Whoopsies!
Oops. I haven't posted in a while, have I? Answer: no. My bad, my bad. It's been a busy summer since I last blogged (isn't that a great verb? Yes, I think so :) I've been doing homework (kind of. That's not saying I'm done. But only one thing left if you don't count memorizing a bunch of countries and geographical stuff) and writing a story with one of my best buds and taking... wait for it... horseback riding lessons!!!
I've mentioned it before, earlier this summer, I know. But it's getting much better. Because. On. Saturday. Past. For. The. First. Time. I. CANTERED!!!!!!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go ahead, clap for me. I know you want to. And it's okay, I would clap for me too.
If I wasn't me. But, alas, lucky me, I am! :D
So lessons are getting better and better and I'm loving it. I've cantered in two lessons now and next we're going to try to get 3 quarters around the ring instead of just cantering one stretch at a time.
But lemme tell you if you don't know.
Cantering feels (wait, let me get a quote from my buddy....) AH-MAZING!!!!!
It's so smooth (at least on the horses I've ridden so far, which is two at a canter) and fast and, well.... it makes you want to smile and yell "WEEEE!!!!!" because it's just so wonderful!!!
*Sigh* I love it. And I am definitely planning on taking lessons during the school year. Sadly I have to go down to one a week until I get used to the schedule of school and schoolwork and all that wonderful stuff. Yaaay for school right? Right, kay.
Other than riding, like I said, I've been working on a story with my friend. We have about 13 chapters all planned out, more or less, and somewhat detailed 'cause we are just that good. I've been having issues writing in a way that makes sense and sounds good to me after I reread it a couple times. It might be normal writer things, I guess, but I don't really like it. Not that I guess any writers really do. Let's take a survey. Raise your hand if you like not liking your own writing.
Anybody?
Helllooooooo??
Yeah, I thought not.
But I do love to write a lot, so I'll keep working on it. Aren't you proud of me? Sure you are. :)
And last is homework, but seriously, you don't want to hear about that, I know. You don't even have to pretend for the sake of my survival, it's okay.
Thanks anyway.
I'll try to keep posting now, really!!
For all you faithful readers!
Which is... who??
Ah well. :)
I've mentioned it before, earlier this summer, I know. But it's getting much better. Because. On. Saturday. Past. For. The. First. Time. I. CANTERED!!!!!!!!!!!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go ahead, clap for me. I know you want to. And it's okay, I would clap for me too.
If I wasn't me. But, alas, lucky me, I am! :D
So lessons are getting better and better and I'm loving it. I've cantered in two lessons now and next we're going to try to get 3 quarters around the ring instead of just cantering one stretch at a time.
But lemme tell you if you don't know.
Cantering feels (wait, let me get a quote from my buddy....) AH-MAZING!!!!!
It's so smooth (at least on the horses I've ridden so far, which is two at a canter) and fast and, well.... it makes you want to smile and yell "WEEEE!!!!!" because it's just so wonderful!!!
*Sigh* I love it. And I am definitely planning on taking lessons during the school year. Sadly I have to go down to one a week until I get used to the schedule of school and schoolwork and all that wonderful stuff. Yaaay for school right? Right, kay.
Other than riding, like I said, I've been working on a story with my friend. We have about 13 chapters all planned out, more or less, and somewhat detailed 'cause we are just that good. I've been having issues writing in a way that makes sense and sounds good to me after I reread it a couple times. It might be normal writer things, I guess, but I don't really like it. Not that I guess any writers really do. Let's take a survey. Raise your hand if you like not liking your own writing.
Anybody?
Helllooooooo??
Yeah, I thought not.
But I do love to write a lot, so I'll keep working on it. Aren't you proud of me? Sure you are. :)
And last is homework, but seriously, you don't want to hear about that, I know. You don't even have to pretend for the sake of my survival, it's okay.
Thanks anyway.
I'll try to keep posting now, really!!
For all you faithful readers!
Which is... who??
Ah well. :)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Second Riding Lesson :-O
I said I'd give riding longer- I mean, how can you decide if you like something when you only give it one chance, right?
So today I woke up early, put on my blue jeans, a t-shirt, my getting-dirtier paddock boots (isn't that awesomely authentic? :) , and grabbed my gloves and helmet. When Kate, my sister, and I pulled up to the stable today, there were a lot more people there. A group of girls was sitting by one ring, talking and watching another girl who was working a horse inside the ring. They all looked to be around my age. But they also looked experienced. Greeeeat. I knew that they'd be watching me, sizing me up, seeing how good (or bad) I was. Yay for me, right?
Well, apparently this made me try harder or something, because today's lesson went somewhat better than Monday's.
Let's see if I can sum up why.
I mounted without trouble again, and started walking the horse. We walked. The instructor, just like last time, instructed me (surprise, surprise right? The instructor, instructing me! Crazy!) to keep my heels down, toes out, hands forward, don't pull on the bit, shoulders back, back arched a bit, and HEELS DOWN!
And I think I'm getting a bit better.
I got the horse to trot today. :D Okay, true, it took a lot of kicking, squeezing, and clucking, but she trotted! She slowed down at almost every turn though, but we're getting somewhere. Especially since this horse has been used a lot lately at the stable's various camps and lessons and leases.
Now trotting while posting and steering is, like I said last time, kind of hard. Only this time, we weren't on a lunge line. We were trotting all around the ring. And I really didn't want her to go to the jumps, because... well, you know what would happen then. :-O
And I could almost (which is a relative term... or is it not? Huh) steer the mare. But there were two orange traffic cones at one end and I was supposed to steer around them. "Supposed" is the key word, by the way. Because half the time, the mare would go around one and cut through the other while I concentrated on the up, down, up, down, up, down beat of the trot, or my posting beat. So that was a slight minus. Oh, and the whole heel down thing, but I'll get that. Apparently my right side has more control (the instructor told me that) and looked to be in better form than the left side, heel and hand-wise. I could see the riders watching me too, trying to see how experienced I was or am. If any of them are reading this, I guess they found out- NOT VERY! :)
Overall though, it was a good day.
But it WAS really really hot. A foreshadowing of later in the day, apparently. Talk about boiling. *PHEW*
You might be happy to know I signed up for more lessons next week. One is at ten in the morning and one is at five o'clock at night. Hope it goes well.
Wish me luck again!! :D
So today I woke up early, put on my blue jeans, a t-shirt, my getting-dirtier paddock boots (isn't that awesomely authentic? :) , and grabbed my gloves and helmet. When Kate, my sister, and I pulled up to the stable today, there were a lot more people there. A group of girls was sitting by one ring, talking and watching another girl who was working a horse inside the ring. They all looked to be around my age. But they also looked experienced. Greeeeat. I knew that they'd be watching me, sizing me up, seeing how good (or bad) I was. Yay for me, right?
Well, apparently this made me try harder or something, because today's lesson went somewhat better than Monday's.
Let's see if I can sum up why.
I mounted without trouble again, and started walking the horse. We walked. The instructor, just like last time, instructed me (surprise, surprise right? The instructor, instructing me! Crazy!) to keep my heels down, toes out, hands forward, don't pull on the bit, shoulders back, back arched a bit, and HEELS DOWN!
And I think I'm getting a bit better.
I got the horse to trot today. :D Okay, true, it took a lot of kicking, squeezing, and clucking, but she trotted! She slowed down at almost every turn though, but we're getting somewhere. Especially since this horse has been used a lot lately at the stable's various camps and lessons and leases.
Now trotting while posting and steering is, like I said last time, kind of hard. Only this time, we weren't on a lunge line. We were trotting all around the ring. And I really didn't want her to go to the jumps, because... well, you know what would happen then. :-O
And I could almost (which is a relative term... or is it not? Huh) steer the mare. But there were two orange traffic cones at one end and I was supposed to steer around them. "Supposed" is the key word, by the way. Because half the time, the mare would go around one and cut through the other while I concentrated on the up, down, up, down, up, down beat of the trot, or my posting beat. So that was a slight minus. Oh, and the whole heel down thing, but I'll get that. Apparently my right side has more control (the instructor told me that) and looked to be in better form than the left side, heel and hand-wise. I could see the riders watching me too, trying to see how experienced I was or am. If any of them are reading this, I guess they found out- NOT VERY! :)
Overall though, it was a good day.
But it WAS really really hot. A foreshadowing of later in the day, apparently. Talk about boiling. *PHEW*
You might be happy to know I signed up for more lessons next week. One is at ten in the morning and one is at five o'clock at night. Hope it goes well.
Wish me luck again!! :D
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