An Experiment in the Use of Constructive Criticism

[MegaBeast]

Just a thought re strength and core stability... do you ever ride bareback?

I've been running late a couple of mornings recently (I ride before work and these cold dark mornings are tough) so have hopped on without a saddle. Work without stirrups is no trouble at all... but bareback has really highlighted to me how much tiny little things can actually have a bigger impact. The moment we lose inside bend my weight moves to the outside making me feel very vulnerable and obviously correct it... however with a saddle I don't feel this (and have been assured it's not visible, indeed I can't see it on video) and therefore don't correct it as I'm not aware of it happening. Ie I'm aware of the loss of bend but not of the change in my weight.

And certainly when I get off can feel that my legs/hips/abs have had quite a work out! And it definitely tunes you in to your horses minute movements.

Re the "plug your spine in" on a similar theme someone, can't remember who, said to think of those plastic little horses and people where the horse had a spike on their back and the person would slot on and to imagine yourself doing the same. The comment which I think is good is "plug your seatbones in" as you can feel them so easily and makes you aware of being central.

 

[alwaysbroke]

I'm sure it does but I think I was in denial that this was happening to me, SuperKermit. I'm sure it's nothing a bit of graft, a winter hunting and some dressage training can't fix, and you know I'm not one to balk at a challenge.

Ps. You look fan-bloody-tastic on H, I've not had time to comment on your thread yet but just so you didn't think I was ignoring you.

Certainly not one to balk at a challenge!
Thanks for the comment about H, it means alot

 

[kirstyhen]

Agree with Kerilli, "plug into your horses spine" is brilliant. The Lego idea is excellent and one I shall be nicking

 

[kirstykate]

Ok, so here is Juno's PM, in its entirety, that he agreed to let me post having thoughtfully checked and double-checked that I wanted to hear it first:

Before I start I just want to say that I hope you know how highly I regard your riding. No way would I have invited you to ride Juno if i didn't. I've also watched quite a few BS rounds you've done and when with a pupil told them that you are the perfect example of what they should be striving for.
So its from this basis of knowing what you are capable of that I make this comment.

When I watched your round at Keysoe my first though was WTF has happened to your riding. Now dont get me wrong, for most it would have been a good round but for you it wasn't.
What struck me from that round and from the vid you posted is that Hank appears to be the sort that would rush if allowed to do so. In attempting to prevent this I feel you have started riding defensively and in so doing you are restricting the canter too much, almost to the point of shortening the last 3 strides. You are also leaning forward on the flat at times between fences. Again something I have never seen you do before. I would have expected you to ride more positively, pushing him to the contact whilst also allowing him the freedom to use himself. All the time maintain the integrity of your position.

Now I am probably talking complete *******s so please feel free to ignore me.
However if there is a grain of truth in what I think and you decide to copy this on to the forum I insist you copy the complete response including the first part.

Really hope I haven't spoken out of turn but you did ask.

Before I go into any of the finer detail, I think what hit me about this is that Juno has seen me a few times over the years and he could see a difference. I had a wake-up call when I watched some very old (2000) vid of me on William at Belton; admittedly that was an established horse in an Advanced, but also some of me on Tango in a Novice the same year. I was, frankly, shocked at how badly I'm riding now, by comparison. I talked this through with meardsall_millie and she v kindly said it's riding younger, less experienced horses, but I think it's more than that.

I know the sport has moved on a lot in the last decade or so but I've realised I'm struggling to keep up. Having breast cancer and chemo was never going to improve my riding, admittedly, but I seem to have lost core stability too. I wonder if I lost that when I fractured my pelvis and never quite got it back? I'm just thinking out loud now, but are there any medical folk who might like to have some input? Anyhoo, what I do know is that training is essential and I've prioritised that more now that I so obviously have a problem with my riding. I had my first dressage lesson last week for 2 years probably, and whilst she said there were just little things to work on I pointed out that there are a lot of little things! Oh well, I like a challenge.

Soooo, I'd like suggestions of things to do to help me get my core stability back please. My mental sharpness - never a thing of greatness before chemo - has also suffered, so handy hints on how to improve that would be good too. I promise I'll try anything, within reason, or I will when I've got the ok from my consultant tomorrow night that my fractured fibula is mending ok four weeks after I got trodden on.

Thank you, JunoXV, for pointing out the big thing, my riding. All the Jupiter stuff is being worked on and will improve before next season. I'm sure you'll agree that at 1m it's easy to ride nice, smooth rounds where the fences stay up but at 1.10m you get found out.

Now if you were a horse how much money would you have spent now on getting it fixed?? We seem to spend so much money on chiroprators, massages etc on our horses, but what do we do for our selves Think we need to start taking better care of our selves, can you imagine how ours nags feel

 

[Lanky Loll]

Hi Baydale, no crit from me - can't watch the vids!
But another one to definitely say Pilates for your core strength - and get an instructor that comes and shouts at you! Mine used to come over and poke my gut to make me work harder but it did the trick (also helped that she'd had 3 kids but looked about 19 and seriously toned so something to aim for ) we had another one that used to just say *breathy voice* "and in your own time if you'd like to begin" and just pansy about - not so good!
Alternatively - find a way to have a go on a sulky, through the summer holding myself upright on a small seat with legs akimbo round a bouncy field for 40 mins a time does wonders for mine

 

[Rosiefan]

No CC from me (obviously, I don't even ride ) but I do think you shouldn't underestimate the effect what you've been through has had on your riding and your body in general. For what it's worth, I also think that the fact that you've decided to do something about it is very positive.

Rosie spent about 18 months convinced that all she had to do was carry on as usual and she'd soon be back to riding like she used to but for the past year she's accepted she needs expert help and has been having as many lessons as she can afford - flatwork in particular. She's also accepted that her core strength ain't what it used to be. I don't know if she's doing anything about it yet but she knows she needs to.

After we saw you (at Keysoe I think) my daughter said to me that she wasn't sure that carrying on as usual was the best way to get through recovering from chemo/breast cancer but, having watched Rosie over the last couple of years, she felt she understood why you were doing it.

Doubt this is very helpful (and possibly confusing) but I'm certain there's life in the old dog yet. There, I've been rude .

 

[Gamebird]

I've just read this entire thread - it made for a very extended lunch break indeed!

I think that any CC I'd have the temerity to make have already been covered, mostly by people vastly more qualified than me to do so. The thing about getting slightly too holding in front of the fence is something I do too (to a much worse extent than you). I got roundly b*ll*cked for it by KC the other week who basically said 'you've got a very talented horse but you're sitting there killing the canter every time'. Luckily the motivational chat was captured on video so I can go back to it every time I need my bottom kicking.

Pilates is something I'm meaning to do (physio was horrified by my lack of core muscles and I haven't even had anything wrong with me to blame it on ), but make sure you get your head sorted out too. This post may have been made with that intention but a few sessions with a sports psychologist would be worth the money I think.

ps. I knew Juno was male . I feel like I've passed some sort of test!

 

[icestationzebra]

Your quick conclusion may be right, ISZ, but I'll await your learned opinion once you've watched the vids and hope it's more than just "very shiny pony" and "green really suits you".

Apart from green really suiting you and your shiny pony - I still can't quite compute that this is the opinionated slightly fuzzy 3 year old I first met all those years ago - he looks very smart, and I can see that his balance has improved over the last 6 months alone.

I thought he did a neat little test - perhaps seeming to get on his head a little when he loses balance, but as I said before I see real improvement in his self carriage and he looks far more established that I've seen him look previously. For better marks I think they would look for a little more 'swagger' in the trot work and a little more jump in the canter. At times he looks a little contained but riding a test on grass when there are exciting things going on all around is very different to riding a test in an indoor on a good surface with little or no distractions so sometimes it is best to go for safe to secure the good mark, than to throw caution to the wind, throw him off balance and lose marks in pursuit of a bit of flashiness. It might be something to consider playing with over the winter in some tests to see if you can get some different comments from judges. We are only talking some slight tweaks here and there - you can see the foundations are good and his rhythm is lovely. I also didn't see any evidence of the teenager - you know those flashes of opinion that he sometimes threw in for a bit of variety - he looks sweetness and light

Showjumping - I am not qualified to comment

XC - he looks keen and buzzy enough to react but not get silly and I didn't see anything wrong with your riding particularly. You've commented on core stability which let's face it we could all work on to one degree or another, but you were forward and positive to the fences and not getting in his way. You looked safe and so did he.

Friend of mine (rider) has just started pilates (down south) and keeps telling me how hard it is. She has discovered that she is completely inflexible and goes home aching - she is however really seeing the difference. Carrie Adams used to run the Pilates for riders at Collingham...... there is also a lot you can do on a swiss ball at home. I've got a couple of books at home - happy to copy you a few exercises if you like?

 

[SW66]

WOW, what a thread. Some really good advice that I think we can all take on board & some really lovely comments.

No CC from me as you are a fair better rider than I can ever hope to be but I would just like to say that I too have really missed your reports. I don't think I have ever read one where you haven't had some kind of advantage & they always make me laugh.

I really hope you get back to where you want to be riding wise, though I would be very happy with myself if I was where you are now. I beleive you will achieve it as your attitude to life is fantastic, so the very best of luck.

 

[Baydale]

im not really able to comment too much as i only know what ive gleaned from this thread youve obviously dealt with a lot and seem the kind of person that keeps on going no matter what maybe youre getting to the point you actually need to stop chemotherapy does a lot to the body other than what you can physically feel and whilst chugging on is amazingly brave maybe its done more harm than good and it would hurt just to stop ive thankfully never been in your position and you seem a very brave lady

The drugs I'm having at the moment, every 3 weeks, are what they call Targeted Therapy, so only go to the cancer cells, hence less offensive side effects that the nasty stuff I had in the winter. Stopping was never really an option as I know how much of my mental health is tied up with being out and about and doing stuff with the horses; I have slowed down when I felt bad though, honestly I have.

 

[kirstykate]

The drugs I'm having at the moment, every 3 weeks, are what they call Targeted Therapy, so only go to the cancer cells, hence less offensive side effects that the nasty stuff I had in the winter. Stopping was never really an option as I know how much of my mental health is tied up with being out and about and doing stuff with the horses; I have slowed down when I felt bad though, honestly I have.

Big hugs xx

 

[tiggs]

Me, my horse started stopping, badly, as a result. I have found a very good book, called In Pursuit of Excellence by Terry Orlick, which really helped me get back to where I am now (which is no-where near as good as you) but really helped me get back on track, mentally. I also I just wanted to say that your story, and the problems you have had to deal with, and the way you have taken life and all its cr@p on, is inspirational. Please keep posting, and please keep recovering. Hugs x

I have got a copy of this book if you want it but it is quite old. I bought it when I was working in Canada 15 years ago so I don't know if there is an updated edition. If you want it pm me your address and I will pop it in the post tomorrow.

 

[Baydale]

Lovely to see a report from you x

Why not take him hunting over the winter and completely ruin all your hard work to the extent that you will be grateful for anything he has to offer you in the way of flatwork

Thanks, LJR. Funny you should say that about hunting, as I did promise him and his big-eared friend that they could have a few jollies if they'd been good boys. Maybe I should check my leg is mended first before I tempt fate further.

 

[Baydale]

Big hugs xx

Sod the big hugs, kirstykate, gimme the uppers - the drugs that make me hyper - I got so much done when I was on those.

 

[Baydale]

Sorry I haven't read the entire thread so I might be repeating what others have said...

There is no way I can say anything helpful about the jumping, it all looks scary to me, so well done you! The dressage test was really nice, hope you got a good mark for it. He is a lovely horse, very rhythmical and settled in his work. As for points to work on I think he might benefit from practicing the counter-canter a bit more. I was once told that in c-counter the rider should still be able to flex the neck which ever way she wanted and the horse should remain supple and I always found that very helpful. It might also be helpful to try some shoulder-in down the long side in canter to make sure you have control of the quarters. On the whole he is working really nicely for his age and I would imagine the next step for him now is to activate the hind leg a bit more and come up a little bit more in front and he will be a superstar by next spring!

I'll forgive you for not having read all of the thread, trust me, you don't want to lose that much of your life that you'd never get back.

Thanks for the stressage help, I got 68.5% and was equal first after that phase. At home I can move him about in the counter canter but when he's a bit sharper and looking for stuff the danger is that he tightens and changes. I need to get him out and about more to learn what I need to do to ride through those moments. Good one about shoulder fore/shoulder in in canter, I know how hard they find that but I can do a little and build up to more. We'll see about his superstardom, I think his inner cheeky monkey needs replacing with inner dressage diva first!

 

[Baydale]

I'm mostly a happy hacker, but have a part-CB and love your posts! You really are an inspiration

I don't often venture in here, or post much these days, but have problems with a weak core (after my stomach muscles separated during pregnancy 3 years ago) and a weak left side (after repeatedly being bucked off onto the left shoulder!), so thought I'd contribute.

I've done yoga for years, and although it's stopped me getting worse, it hasn't helped me improve. I recently had some fab physio and she spent a lot of time working on my core. It's a bit hard to explain without pictures, but I'll give it a go

First exercise is finding your core muscles and activating them: Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet on the floor. You can feel the trans-abs just below your hip bones, and work on 'tensing' them for up to 30 secs at a time - you should be relaxed in the diaphram (sp?) and be able to talk whilst you're doing it. Build up to being able to activate them standing up for longer periods.

Get a gym ball, and one that's big enough (I'm 5'9" and have a 75cm one). Sit on it. A lot. Bounce on it. Sit in 'neutral' i.e. on your seat bones, and rolll forwards and backwards.
Lie backwards so that your shoulders are on the ball and you make a bridge with knees bent, feet on the floor. Lift one leg and hold. Then the other. To activate the left side you want to hold the right leg off the ground. I found it easy on one leg, terrible on the other.

Mary Wanless has some good rider-based exercises on her website:
http://www.marywanless.net/

Other ideas - find a mechanical horse and have a lesson. Just being able to concentrate entirely on yourself, surrounded by mirrors, makes you really focus.

I'm only just getting back into sitting trot without stirrups, and had a horrible wake-up call last week when i attempted to ride bareback round the field. My lovely mare refused to canter because I am still so unbalanced, and clearly rely far too much on the saddle. I won't be trying that again in a hurry!

Ah, a fellow CB-lover, they're very special, aren't they?

Eek, at your stomach muscles separating. I'll have a go at finding those muscles when I can get my lazy, slumped butt off the sofa (replying to all you lovely people ), then go pump some air into my rather flat gym ball and try the exercises. Watch this space.

Good idea about a mechanical horse, the one I had a go on at Newmarket was very interesting to use. I'll see if there's one more local than that.

Thanks for your contribution, fairhill, there are some fab ideas coming from this thread.

 

[martlin]

Good idea about a mechanical horse, the one I had a go on at Newmarket was very interesting to use. I'll see if there's one more local than that.

I'm not stalking you, honest
There is one at Castledyke Equestrian Centre in Boston, any good? I can find you the number if you are really nice to me, then again, you could just Google

 

[Baydale]

Out of curiosity, if one of your horses has had a tough time physically, do you just expect it to return to function, no harm, no foul?

(Keeping in mind this is a rhetorical question. )

No one is saying you should have lain down in the middle of the road and said, "Cancer, take me now!" or should have moaned for the world to hear. It's more practical - this is broken, this is what needs to be done to make it better, this is the time it will take and there's not much I can do about it. Imminently practical. Ask Fraser and GSCH. I understand the macho horsey ethic (one might say better than most . . .) but I have belatedly come to see that things take what they take and just because it's ME the universe doesn't make special rules.

Anyway, on to the fun thing. Yes, have some fun. Jump some ditches. Take a few mental health pub lunches. I know it's a cliche but we were all happy once just to be on a horse and I think there's something to be said for trying to get back to that place a bit. Ambition is fine and very necessary, but so is joy. Find the joy in it and don't feel guilty for doing the things that make you feel good, not just working on the things that you want to do better.

I definitely still have those moments when I just love being on a horse, trust me, that's why I love doing the work at home and am not just driven by competitions. Please don't think this is an anxious "I must get on, I'm being left behind" whinge, more that I like to feel I'm moving forward with my own personal development in riding and training and therefore this has been a frustrating year. I shall go shopping more, and have pub lunches - anyone care to join me?

 

[tigers_eye]

I reiterate the need for you to come here! After going for a gallop round the forest (and/or racecourse), it's a 20 minute drive into the centre of Brussels to be a lady who lunches! Very good for the mental health.

 

[Gamebird]

I shall go shopping more, and have pub lunches - anyone care to join me?

I recently ditched a planned dressage outing for a trip (avec horses) to the beach involving hip-flasks, highly-irresponsible and slightly-out-of control flat out galloping and paddling in far too deep and shrieking when the waves got us. This was followed by a proper pub lunch (dripping all over the pub in our breeches and socks) on the way home. Much less productive than the dressage outing but very liberating and good for the soul .

You could of course go hunting instead. Much the same thing .

 

[Baydale]

Baydale - I don't post very often in CR but I just wanted to say what a truly inspirational person you are with a fantastic attitude towards life and people in general.

I look forward to future reports!

Why thank you, 3Beasties. I'll get back onto doing reports when I've got something to tell you all about.

 

[Baydale]

I reiterate the need for you to come here! After going for a gallop round the forest (and/or racecourse), it's a 20 minute drive into the centre of Brussels to be a lady who lunches! Very good for the mental health.

I think SJ_mummy/louisem originally had that great idea, didn't she (hmmm, I'm thinking along the lines of sitting on a schoolmaster now ), but as you're offering it would be rude not to take you up on the offer. I'll go and check flights now...

 

[Baydale]

Oh, and no offence to anyone, but you're under no obligation to be inspirational. Laugh, cry, scream, swear, throw things, have good days and bad days and people can just like it or lump it. They will, you know.

Oh I do *whispers* but don't tell anyone who thinks I'm inspirational that I'm actually just a very ordinary and slightly unhinged Mad Old Bag.

 

[Baydale]

Um, dude, they're pouring POISON into you. People aren't even allowed to handle that stuff without gloves!

Ah yes, good point. Thankfully my father only suggested that I google "chemotherapy extravasation" a few weeks after I had had it leak out of the vein and into my hand.

 

[Baydale]

i'm addicted to this thread now. you have somehow managed to totally eradicate all the over-reacting, bitch-fest etc etc that HHO has been criticised for. nice one.
i think the mechanical horse is a GREAT idea, and there's one about an hour north of me, so if you fancy a sesh, we could go (with other like-minded sado-masochists) and have lessons on it?
btw.
serious note. ^^^ she's right about the chemo. my understanding is that it kills the cancer cells but it doesn't do other (healthy, necessary) cells a lot of good either, it's unfortunately not a pin-point accurate weapon. that's why your hair falls out, you feel like **** on a stick, etc etc. my father had some of the early experimental chemo. it had to be stopped because it was killing him faster than the cancer was. it's bad stuff, albeit necessary.
perhaps if you can accept that you're riding the way you are at the moment because of what you've been through, and NOT because of any inherent weakness/uselessness etc, that when you feel much better your riding WILL improve again (with or without extraordinary effort from you), that might help?

Cheers, K, it's good, innit?

I might well take you up on the mechanical horse things, Martlin seems to have found us one more local, probably the one you're talking about?

I agree entirely that I need to change my mindset from "I'm cr@p" to "I'm not as good as I was because [insert reason/excuse from the list of cancer-related reasons]" God help me if I've not got my sh** together by May next year when the excuses run out.

 

[Baydale]

Chemotherapy kills all dividing cells. It works because in tumours the malignant cells replicate out of control... but also means that cells of all types will be killed; the faster replicating cells (hair follicles/gut lining) are most affected but everything else is affected to some extent.

Please try to listen to your own body, at least a little bit!

I do listen to it, but I become distrustful when it's always telling me it wants wine and chocolate.

 

[Weezy]

Not offering any CC as what I have to say about the SJ round has already been said, by Juno and Mbequest and others...

What I do have to say is about your pelvis...I used to ride really well, I rode big tracks, lots of horses, horrid horses mostly, but I found it easy. I took a break and had the children and put on weight and suffered from collapsing vertebrae in my back, huge pelvis problems (it split), everything shite that you can. I started riding again and TBH I kidded myself for years that I could still ride how I used to, I cannot, I have now accepted this, the motor skills through my pelvis and my lower back and my core strength will never be the same.

So, what I am trying to say is yes, it may well be because of your pelvis. Invest time, money and expertise into sorting it now, I didn't and it is a huge regret of mine as I am 10 years on from all the trauma I suffered and I let it fester and f up for good

And for the meantime....stop getting paralysis by analysis, start enjoying yourself, go do a load of Am SJ classes over the winter and have fun, refresh the mind and all that. You know you are capable and the over critiquing has to stop as it will only serve to f you up even more x

 

[tigers_eye]

I do agree with Weezy about galloping round show-jumping tracks! I've had so much fun doing gymkhana turns these last two weekends, and I don't think it did W any harm at all!

 

[kerilli]

yep, i was thinking of the one at Castledyke that Martlin mentioned.
it's a dressage one though afaik, not a gallopy one like the Newmarket ones.
there's a new jumping one on the market too, i wonder if we can find someone with that. that would be cooooooool. i wanna jump a virtual puissance wall, with no danger of missing, please...
i think a quick hols to see tigers_eye and sj_mummy would be just what the doctor would order, actually.

 

[LizzieJ]

Thank you, LizzieJ. I find these threads really useful, the sharing of information and constantly learning about horses is fascinating stuff. I'll do an update on the rest of the Baydale gang soon.

I think posts like these really mean the rest of us without the ability of some of you can really learn I've found it really useful to read the comments and either a - be pleased I noticed it too or b- can go back to the vids/pics and see what they mean

I'm very much looking forward to another update when you feel inclined