LadyGascoyne
Well-Known Member
Mim and I had a lesson with Dianne Thurman Baker today. Our first ever dressage lesson together and my first dressage lesson in over ten years!
I was unbelievably nervous - not of Mimosa but of riding like a complete twit in front of Dianne. Being a calm, composed, professional woman who is used to operating under extreme pressure, naturally my nerves manifested in uncontrollable tears for the first fifteen minutes of riding. Not exactly crying but I just couldn’t get my eyes to stop streaming. How utterly mortifying!
After fifteen minutes of some lovely trot work from Mimosa, and floods from me, we started on some leg yields. These are challenging because I have been so skew since a rotational fall from my eventer 15 years ago that I basically have to ride a leg yield to stay straight in the first place. But we nailed it! On the left rein. And then kind of drifted arbitrarily across the arena on the right hand side.
We did improve the leg yield in the lesson, and we also improved the straight so I feel hugely proud of us both for at least demonstrating to Dianne that we are not unteachable.
We then finished up with really successful travers on the left rein and a sideways waddle at the wall on the right. Dianne did manage to help me straighten by thinking about a half halt approach with my weaker right leg and stronger left hand rein, where I was previously trying to keep a more constant pressure with my leg (and then it was falling apart because I just don’t have the strength). Mimosa is so generous, she just went with that and we actually didn’t look too bad by the end.
I came away from it absolutely elated. Mimosa is so forgiving and I know what I need to work on. Dianne was quiet, reassuring and kind. She really managed to find the positive in everything, and she made me feel confident enough to try things differently and not to feel self conscious when things weren’t going to plan.
So despite our mutual conformational challenges, we had a great morning and we actually looked quite smart at points. I felt so worried booking it - concerned about my lack of fitness and skill, and my tiny Araby pony and I honestly wish I’d done it sooner.
Sadly no photos of our waddling, drifting or crying but here’s Mim, having been a very good girl.
I was unbelievably nervous - not of Mimosa but of riding like a complete twit in front of Dianne. Being a calm, composed, professional woman who is used to operating under extreme pressure, naturally my nerves manifested in uncontrollable tears for the first fifteen minutes of riding. Not exactly crying but I just couldn’t get my eyes to stop streaming. How utterly mortifying!
After fifteen minutes of some lovely trot work from Mimosa, and floods from me, we started on some leg yields. These are challenging because I have been so skew since a rotational fall from my eventer 15 years ago that I basically have to ride a leg yield to stay straight in the first place. But we nailed it! On the left rein. And then kind of drifted arbitrarily across the arena on the right hand side.
We did improve the leg yield in the lesson, and we also improved the straight so I feel hugely proud of us both for at least demonstrating to Dianne that we are not unteachable.
We then finished up with really successful travers on the left rein and a sideways waddle at the wall on the right. Dianne did manage to help me straighten by thinking about a half halt approach with my weaker right leg and stronger left hand rein, where I was previously trying to keep a more constant pressure with my leg (and then it was falling apart because I just don’t have the strength). Mimosa is so generous, she just went with that and we actually didn’t look too bad by the end.
I came away from it absolutely elated. Mimosa is so forgiving and I know what I need to work on. Dianne was quiet, reassuring and kind. She really managed to find the positive in everything, and she made me feel confident enough to try things differently and not to feel self conscious when things weren’t going to plan.
So despite our mutual conformational challenges, we had a great morning and we actually looked quite smart at points. I felt so worried booking it - concerned about my lack of fitness and skill, and my tiny Araby pony and I honestly wish I’d done it sooner.
Sadly no photos of our waddling, drifting or crying but here’s Mim, having been a very good girl.
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