tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post1626668916561832365..comments2023-12-19T18:47:52.112-08:00Comments on Slow and Steady Wins the Race.: Grumbling: BEWARE!!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13472219069662152722noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-3069150146899294022011-01-05T08:44:46.063-08:002011-01-05T08:44:46.063-08:00Everyone is entitled to a little grumbling ever on...Everyone is entitled to a little grumbling ever once in a while lol. Trust me I do my fair share. :)<br /><br />I hope Steady's hock was just soreness from overdoing or something and that it'll go away. A lot of Thoroughbreds get arthritis and keeping them moving is the best way to deal with that. I'm not a vet though so don't take my suggestions too seriously.<br /><br />It is awful to be told the truth about our positions isn't it? When you're focusing on a young horse though it's very easy to lose yourself in it. Don't feel bad and don't feel like you are holding Steady back. Remember slow and Steady wins the race. :) <br /><br />For your hands using a bucking strap on the front of your saddle can help you figure out where your hands need to be. It helps me so much for learning the feel of "pushing the shopping cart". Having grown up riding western contact was very difficult for me to learn lol. <br /><br />For his fitness level I would thing walking/trotting up hills and using cavaletti would be the best ways to get him stronger, but it depends on what is available to you. I've never heard of using galloping . . . it would help his aerobic fitness . . . I don't know. That's new to me. :)<br /><br />Anyway I don't think your lesson was a bad thing at all. It's like you said, when the lessons go too well you don't learn as much and remember you are paying to learn. Also having someone videotape a lesson is sooooo helpful! Anyway sorry for the novel. Good luck!!Achieve1dreamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15401246064499148344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-3353185233956848162011-01-04T18:30:41.932-08:002011-01-04T18:30:41.932-08:00I know how you feel girl! One thing that really he...I know how you feel girl! One thing that really helps with our riding position is yoga and pilates. I do mine at home with videos, no time for the gym with my kiddos.<br /> It's all about working your core and the most correct postion in the saddle is using that core! Especially for sitting the trot. <br /> One thing my trainer told me when sitting the trot is to not put so much weight in your stirrup because they will just bounce right off and that helped soo much. <br /> As for the leg slipping forward, you probably already know I have dealt with that same problem. Again my trainer wanted to tie my stirrups as well but she finally pinpointed my problem with the posting issue and when I dropped the stirrups and figured out the correct position, my leg magically came back and became much quieter!<br /> In all my reading with Cass' lameness I discovered that deep, fluffy footing is actually bad for the horses. That's why dressage arenas use sand so that it molds to the horse's step and provides more support. I'd keep an eye on how Steady does on different footing, that might be the key.<br /> Don't worry, you'll get it. It all takes time:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-21625700278845337182011-01-04T18:16:59.452-08:002011-01-04T18:16:59.452-08:00I wished we lived a little closer to each other an...I wished we lived a little closer to each other and we could trade lunge lessons!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11609268980526224486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-90818219662908670182011-01-04T17:32:23.617-08:002011-01-04T17:32:23.617-08:00Feels good to get all that off your chest, doesn&#...Feels good to get all that off your chest, doesn't it? ;)<br /><br />First off, I wouldn't call Steady unsound. Just about all competitive horses have hock issues, just like most all riders have knee or lower back issues. Any athlete is going to have arthritis, you just have to manage it. Good, steady, correct work will strengthen his hocks. He will be a little uncomfortable as the muscles build, then suddenly you'll have a whole new horse. Transitions help build strength in the hocks, as does hill work and trot poles (cavaletti).<br /><br />As far as your issues go: You have recognized them, and that is more than half the battle of conquering them. While I highly recommend Yoga and Pilates for rider fitness out of the saddle, I can honestly say that the fitness will also come as you think about riding better. When you make a conscious effort to correct your mistakes, you create new muscle memory, build better muscles and increase your fitness. Pretty soon you won't even remember that you had those problems.<br /><br />You're doing a great job, don't forget that!A Work In Progresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14076863943914879567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-36659099899288681182011-01-04T17:12:23.152-08:002011-01-04T17:12:23.152-08:00Aw, don't be too hard on yourself! It's aw...Aw, don't be too hard on yourself! It's awesome that you know exactly what your problems are; you can fix them, and what better time to do it than during the off season! I have a lot of respect for you riding an OTTB. I like them too :), but I know they can be sort of "noodley" when you ride, making it even more difficult to give all those ques! So what I'm trying to say is...Nice job :), it can be difficult.Mellimaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16673715214541094159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-46766600212217361312011-01-04T16:51:42.245-08:002011-01-04T16:51:42.245-08:00Amy--hang in there. It's actually really good ...Amy--hang in there. It's actually really good news that you can finally work on yourself. Izzy and I hit that point last spring/summer, and while it's discouraging to realize how wrong you are, just remember that you're the one who brought Steady as far as he's come. He's never going to begrudge you for holding him back; he's just happy to be a horse. <br /><br />Good luck with that hock!! The footing in our indoor was super deep for a while, and I wouldn't do any hard work in it. It's just too easy to cause an injury. Still, you have to take what you can get, and Steady sounds like a pretty great guy all around. (Plus, you take great care of him. Pat yourself on the back.)SprinklerBandithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02948487857418394022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4180006151421348693.post-1638991788140239252011-01-04T16:48:28.934-08:002011-01-04T16:48:28.934-08:00Every horseperson who cares about their horse and ...Every horseperson who cares about their horse and how their tack, fitness and posture affect the horse confronts this issues - don't be discouraged, as this is a good thing, I think. On you own fitness/posture issues, try doing less - in fact as little as you can other than light engagement of your core muscles. Bring your chin in, keep your eyes up and stretch up. It'll be interesting to see if you feel a difference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com