LouiseM lesson reports Mon and Tues.

All sounds fascinating from a total armchair rider over here! Especially the thing about feet and coronet bands.

Tarrsteps - raised poles on a fan, what's the ultimate aim of it? Bar making riders lie down with a stiff drink ;)
 
yes, the fan of poles is not easy... the middles today were on, i'd say, 12m-15m circle i should think (Gamebird, does that sound about right, you helped put them out in the morning i think?) so, pretty curved, you had to turn fairly tightly over every one, it'd be a lot easier on a 20m circle obv!
 
Glad it was productive and that you saw an improvement :) Fingers crossed she keeps it up.

I think Louise is going to have her work cut out with me and buds!
 
teapot said:
All sounds fascinating from a total armchair rider over here! Especially the thing about feet and coronet bands.
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Indeed. You just know that half of HHO will be standing on their horses' feet next time they see them, don't you!
 
teapot said:
All sounds fascinating from a total armchair rider over here! Especially the thing about feet and coronet bands.

Tarrsteps - raised poles on a fan, what's the ultimate aim of it? Bar making riders lie down with a stiff drink ;)
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Improving the "jump" of the canter, really makes them work very hard behind. We use it a lot with T's pony who has a horrid natural canter - I lunge him over them, and we ride him over them too. Poor Noffy ;) :)
 
teapot said:
Tarrsteps - raised poles on a fan, what's the ultimate aim of it? Bar making riders lie down with a stiff drink ;)
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In the MT clinic it was the horse that wanted to lie down - I thought my legs were going to drop off!

Wow, TD, there is probably a special pony-dictated hell for people like you! :D ;) It's a brilliant exercise but Noffy may not agree.


I'd say maybe this is the lesson to take away from all this, how much hard work and attention to detail it takes to get horses (and riders) really jumping well. It doesn't mean you have to do it but you can't bemoan the results (and someone else getting better ones) if you don't do it. We talked a lot about expectations, and expanding your horizons, and understanding that improvement/capability isn't something that just magically happens to some people, but it's something that's within EVERYONE'S grasp if they do the right work correctly.
 
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Hopefully this will please everyone enough that I can quietly forget to do a report, not sure I can remember a thing after the day I've had ;)

Wish I could have stuck around to watch everyone else's. Sounds like we are both having to adjust to the total opposite of what we are used to, rode my Boss' horse this morning, he is much more my 'normal' kind of horse (although I wouldn't swap Mal now!)

Was lovely to see you and Flo, if fleetingly, she is a gorgeous mare.
 
JFTD said:
Indeed. You just know that half of HHO will be standing on their horses' feet next time they see them, don't you!
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Indeed. Good job it wasn't posted in new lounge ;)

TableDancer said:
Improving the "jump" of the canter, really makes them work very hard behind. We use it a lot with T's pony who has a horrid natural canter - I lunge him over them, and we ride him over them too. Poor Noffy ;) :)
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TarrSteps said:
In the MT clinic it was the horse that wanted to lie down - I thought my legs were going to drop off!
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Ah ok, thank you :D
 
TarrSteps said:
We talked a lot about expectations, and expanding your horizons, and understanding that improvement/capability isn't something that just magically happens to some people, but it's something that's within EVERYONE'S grasp if they do the right work correctly.
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Even those of us who pony squish totally inappropriate non-sporty ponies?

Serious question, if deeply off topic - I often wonder what serious trainers make of people who choose not to ride proper horses.
 
We don't care. We take your money and, if we're decent people, we try to help you reach your goals.

Then, if we're even nicer people and know a bit, we try to help you surpass them.

:)


No joke, I do what I do because I love horses. Some of my favourites are "non traditional". And quite often nice surprises come in unexpected packages. I know some VERY good jumping horses that wouldn't stand out in a line up. And sometimes all that's holding them back is their people don't KNOW they're good jumping horses.
 
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Great report - really looking forward to my lesson now!!
Kirstyhen.... No chance, we don't forget!!
Re trainers and 'not proper horses', my horse of the last 8 years is a 14.2hh Arab. I've found a real spread of opinion/open mindedness over those years taking him to different trainers. Some are brilliant (current sj trainer is used to seeing me on the 16.3 youngster but once picked himself up off the floor having passed out in shocked when he realised it was me, was very complimentary and helpful with J, other trainers have insisted on trying to make J move like a 16.2 sports horse. He can't. His legs aren't long enough!)
I think a genuinely good trainer will do their best to help whoever is in front if them, whatever style/shape/type of horse or pony they are on!
 
Eta, there is a pony in our RC who comes to lessons with same trainer as me. He's a 13.2hh m&m working hunter pony. He absolutely flies over the same fences all the big horses are jumping. He's fab!
 
Leg_end said:
Glad it was productive and that you saw an improvement :) Fingers crossed she keeps it up.

I think Louise is going to have her work cut out with me and buds!
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Oh don't worry L_e, you won't be alone. R has the youngster in your group, who has coped surprisingly well with jumping on a curve to a skinny with RW, but canter fans :eek::D. Pig who is scopey enough for the exercises probably won't manage, as she'll be cocksure and trying to take a stride out everywhere. Poor R, she'll sleep well. :D:rolleyes:
 
Thanks for the answer, Tarrsteps. Logically I know that's how it should be, I just wonder sometimes. I tend to presume trainers would wonder why people don't just go out and buy a "traditional" horse if they want to jump/event/etc, rather than try to get the best out of a non-natural/non-traditional type.

Perhaps its because I wonder that myself sometimes, and can't ever really answer it, other than that I don't want a different horse :o

apologies, this is really off topic.
 
This is what we finished on y'day for comparison, with the 3-strided treble and the line of three uprights - one stride, then four, all short. I think Tarrsteps and Kerilli had both gone by this point.

[youtube]4m_dnmjAbR0[/youtube]
 
NR99 said:
Oh don't worry L_e, you won't be alone. R has the youngster in your group, who has coped surprisingly well with jumping on a curve to a skinny with RW, but canter fans :eek::D. Pig who is scopey enough for the exercises probably won't manage, as she'll be cocksure and trying to take a stride out everywhere. Poor R, she'll sleep well. :D:rolleyes:
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I've never done anything like that with B and at the mo he's being a spastic about left canter so who knows what's going to happen! Im going to be a nervous wreck!
 
Well if Louisem can successfully improve my confidence we are going to insist on her emigrating to the UK!
 
just to say - re the whole 'foot standing' scenario........... my horse stood on my foot yesterday, and i certainly moved mine!!!!!! :) :)

p.s. i still cannot access the smileys etc which are apparently at the side of the screen ? there are just adverts at the side of mine?
 
JFTD said:
Even those of us who pony squish totally inappropriate non-sporty ponies?

Serious question, if deeply off topic - I often wonder what serious trainers make of people who choose not to ride proper horses.
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We shall find out on saturday :eek::o. Ha oh dear I can just see my self surrounded by all these big proper eventers and sjers although the tight distances wont be an issue :cool:.

Very intresting about her lack of feeling kerilli dont suppose she looked a bit like this over it
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee392/dafthoss/xcpro2.jpg
I dont think he has issues feeling his legs quite the opposite infact just v green at this point.
 
JFTD said:
Thanks for the answer, Tarrsteps. Logically I know that's how it should be, I just wonder sometimes. I tend to presume trainers would wonder why people don't just go out and buy a "traditional" horse if they want to jump/event/etc, rather than try to get the best out of a non-natural/non-traditional type.

Perhaps its because I wonder that myself sometimes, and can't ever really answer it, other than that I don't want a different horse :o

apologies, this is really off topic.
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I know Al's instructor says not everyone can either afford to or wants to go out and buy a 'proper' horse, and so the instructor needs to teach exactly what's in front of them without judgement. She said this after a clinic where Al was told Reg was unsuitable and she was saying that suitability is neither here nor there unless it really isn't capable of the rider's goals...

TarrSteps said:
I'd say maybe this is the lesson to take away from all this, how much hard work and attention to detail it takes to get horses (and riders) really jumping well. It doesn't mean you have to do it but you can't bemoan the results (and someone else getting better ones) if you don't do it. We talked a lot about expectations, and expanding your horizons, and understanding that improvement/capability isn't something that just magically happens to some people, but it's something that's within EVERYONE'S grasp if they do the right work correctly.
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I want to quote this so if I search my posts I can find it because I agree so much- it's something I used to be very guilty of until my mum told me off because I couldn't bemoan Al's improvement compared to mine as I simply wasn't pushing myself in the same way she was... This was when we were 9 and 12!
 
OK the other side of the coin, I feel I have the 'proper' horse, I am not a 'proper' rider. Louise sat on my boy yesterday and wow in a few mins what a difference, I looked at my boy in a completely different light. Louise understood how I felt, 'ladies of a certain age' and not wanting to push the boundaries, but I have come away with a different mindset, I now want to do my boy justice, we will never be world beaters but I now have a renewed confidence in what we may be able to do. Louise is very inspiring look forward to your clinic, I would love to have her as a regular trainer.
 
kirstyhen said:
She is all about pushing your goals that step further every time, although I did wonder if she'd been discussing 'the bet' with tigers_eye, as Intermediate was mention when I was talking to her at the end... :eek:
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Go for it girl:D I will be happy with 90, although I will offer the ride on H to any interested parties if they think he can go further:D
 
alwaysbroke said:
OK the other side of the coin, I feel I have the 'proper' horse, I am not a 'proper' rider.
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:D at least I match my non-proper pony, since I am completely a non-proper rider :D

Lolo said:
I know Al's instructor says not everyone can either afford to or wants to go out and buy a 'proper' horse, and so the instructor needs to teach exactly what's in front of them without judgement. She said this after a clinic where Al was told Reg was unsuitable and she was saying that suitability is neither here nor there unless it really isn't capable of the rider's goals...
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Sensible... I'm so defeatist about this sort of thing - I just presume everyone else does things well naturally and I'm just innately useless and uncoordinated (which is, tbf true :p) and will never be able to do it properly, so I just don't try!

dafthoss said:
We shall find out on saturday :eek::o. Ha oh dear I can just see my self surrounded by all these big proper eventers and sjers although the tight distances wont be an issue :cool:.
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haha I'm looking forward to it, because I don't have any of the stress of actually participating :p it will be a successful me if I remember all the cameras, memory cards and batteries! :D
 
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