When the weather's tropical sometimes you have to sport many different types of fashion! Obviously it was raining very hard and I was the only one brave (or stupid) enough to volunteer to close the stall shutters!So I have officially made it over the six month hump. Part of me feels like I have been here much longer and another part of me feels like it hasn't been that long at all. It's sort of a surreal feeling. My life has become completely routine. It took some adjusting and getting used to but now I almost find comfort within the routine. You pretty much know what to expect and what is expected of you. There usually aren't any big surprises and my work is starting to feel like home to me. I enjoy what I do and I love it here! In a lot of ways it has turned out better than I could have hoped. I really did move down here on a whim and it could have turned out much worse. I like working hard and I love being with the horses. I feel very lucky to be under Lars' tutelage and to ride so many high quality horses, I really couldn't ask for anything more!
This week was our first full week of normalcy since their return from their two week road trip. I was excited for their return. I busted my butt to do the best job possible while they were away and it paid off! When Lars rode my first horse he told me that I had done a really good job with the horse and that the it felt much better. He said that he was very happy with the job I had done with all my horses! It really doesn't get any better than that!! Coming from that man, who doesn't give away compliments for anything, really meant a lot to me. It refueled me and felt so good to be rewarded for my hard work and effort! I have been here long enough now that I am learning their style and how they like to have their horses ridden. While they were away I was able to sort of put my spin on it and really felt like I was riding my personal best! I really ran with all the information I have been given.
I am so thankful for the background I have in dressage. It wouldn't be possible for me to be doing as well as I am without my roots and knowing what I knew before I came here. I can't honestly say that I have really learned any "new" concepts. Maybe here there is a different means to the end but there are many roads to Rome. The biggest difference is that I am riding better quality horses with more training. Ultimately, the horses have been my teachers. Feeling their improvement through Lars' riding and having Lars help me with them has given me so many good feels and "ah ha" moments. I know that I have gotten stronger in my seat and clearer in my asking of the horse. Which ultimately means that I have gotten quicker and more clear. I feel like I have gotten better and more courageous at taking the horse to their wall. You can feel it on every horse, where their limit is. Where they're happy to be and where they don't want to go. I have heard from many trainers about taking the horse to their wall and pushing against it a little and then backing off and then pushing against a little again and then taking the pressure off again and so on. Kind of like molding clay. I think that I have gotten better at this because I have gotten stronger and because I am more clear in my feel and in my mind of what I want. I still feel like there's a long way to go because the more I improve the more that I see is possible. :)
Another thing that I am grateful for is all that I gained out of my experience in pony club as a child! It is something that I think I had taken for granted but I was thinking the other day about all that I have learned from this excellent organization! I think some of the key things that I got from pony club was how to bandage properly, an introduction to lunging safely and learning about diseases and lameness. Not to mention the discipline it takes to exercise and execute proper stable management, good horsemanship and team work! Developing these skills at a young age has really molded and shaped the horse person that I am today and it dawned on me just how much I really got out of being a pony clubber!
