Well I had an absolutely awesome first lesson with Rachel on Frasier. Learned a lot even though to some it might not seem that we did a lot but you know what they say sometimes the best most rewarding lessons are the ones where you do very little.
Rachel absolutely loves Frasier. She pegged him right off as a worrier but only when he has someone on his back who isn't exactly sure of the correct way to ask him something. She got on and rode him after watching me for a bit to make sure it wasn't something to do with him that was causing him to react the way he was. Sure enough you get someone on his back who knows what they are doing and who's first concern is that the horse feels safe and he is perfect. She couldn't say enough times what a good boy he was and how smart he was and how willing he was to do it right. I am telling you I almost started crying watching her ride him. It was just so beautiful. She said there is no reason whatsoever that with the proper instruction on my part to break some old bad habits that I have developed; that we shouldn't be able to compete to at least Grand Prix level. Right now she said his only problem is to get comfortable with his new surroundings and get back in shape. She liked him so much that she is going to try and track him down by his tatoo with the Thoroughbred society. I have had no luck in the past in trying to do so.
Now me on the other hand; I cause a lot of his stress because if you can imagine I lean back too far now and my body is behind my leg hence I am squeezing with my thigh and causing him to worry and speed up. So that is what we worked on today; mostly at walk and then at trot. She doesn't want me to do any sitting trot until I have corrected this problem and when Rachel says you better not do something you better listen or suffer the consequences. I have never been on the receiving end of her wrath but from what I have seen I don't want to be either
. So I will just practice my homework of sitting up straight and no sitting trot until next Friday.
Lin the way you told me to dismount last night is the way I have been doing it all along well guess what that is not the way she wants me to do it. She wants both feet out of the stirrups, lean forward and then swing right leg over. She watched me do it and she said it is just going to take practice but I will get it. Rachel is adament that I can still get seriously hurt if I do it the other way and Cat decides to move away while I am doing it. She was quite upset actually to think that no one had ever shown me the proper safe way to dismount let alone made me dismount this way. So like I said above I will practice cause I don't want to suffer her wrath.
I am telling you though I haven't smiled this big or felt this good after a lesson in a long time. Between Rachel and Frasier I think I am finally back.
Hey Lin aren't a few people going to be eating crow when Frasier and I get out there this year (probably late summer) and kick ass.
Anyway I will keep you posted.
Later
J.
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