riding log

[quietann]

OMG it was *hot* today. We rode in the indoor arena again, just to keep the horses out of the sun and away from the bugs. It was another lesson with Tina, very similar to last week's in that it was mostly work without stirrups. She's trying very hard to get everyone up to speed on developing an "independent seat." I think I already have mine, basically, but it doesn't hurt to practice more! Except today, it did; for some reason my inner thighs were *really* unhappy about sitting trot with no stirrups.

I have one tiny quibble about Windrush; all their saddles have a "grab strap" at the front. It's a little strap between the two sides of the saddle that passes over the horse's withers. And it's a serious crutch. IMNSHO, a rider shouldn't be doing things where they feel a need to hang onto the grab strap; it makes it harder to steer the horse, and puts one's balance off. I am very lucky in that my instructor from long ago did not outfit her saddles with grab straps, so I just pretend it's not there. The other three women in my class all use the grab strap and are finding it a very difficult habit to break. Marge will yell at people for using it when she doesn't think they need to.

(Jumping straps may be another thing; this is a strap that goes around the horse's neck, about 10 inches in front of the saddle, to hang onto when riding in two-point position, trotting over poles, and jumping. In the very small amount of these things I have done recently, though, I haven't used it; I am more inclined to grab the horse's mane, which I suppose might hurt the horse.)

But anyway... so, after all that work without stirrups, we switched to cantering. A lot. Guiness, though he's very willing, is still a bit "green" and so we worked on sitting trot to canter transitions, which he doesn't like very much. He prefers to go from a walk directly into a canter. He was "getting it" pretty well; the biggest problem is that once he figured out we would be cantering a lot, he didn't want to stay in a trot until I asked him to canter! The boy does like to go. But it was so hot that he wasn't quite as enthusiastic as usual, so sometimes it was hard to keep him cantering.

After the lesson, I sponged him off, and he was doing OK until there were other horses and people crowding him a bit, and then he started shying. Once I led him away from everyone else, he calmed right down. I put him in his paddock and did the hippotherapy lesson (after drinking a LOT of water), and when I passed by his paddock again, he pricked his ears up at me. Did not come over to say hi, but I understand; he was in his run-in shed where it was cooler.

I have my trial lesson at Windkist tomorrow, and while I am looking forward to it, I am going to miss Guiness.

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

grabbing the mane doesn't hurt. even on fairly sensitive horses, you have to be yanking out quite a bit (as in thinning the mane more than an inch or so at a time) to provoke them.

that said, i don't mind grab straps; i recently outfitted my saddle with one. they're useful for tying things to (for example your lead rope, if you are out trail riding and your horse has on a halter and lead as well as the bridle). and it *never* hurts to have something to grab that isn't the horse's mouth. i use mine from time to time on the trail, when i'm riding with one hand "on the buckle" and want to steady myself as stjarni does his best with hilly/rocky/slippery terrain. also, they're nice for carrying your saddle, if it's lightweight enough for that (one of mine is, the other isn't really).

[quietann.livejournal.com]

I can see all the good in having a grab strap, but you're an experienced rider and I assume you won't use it unless you really, really need to. It just seems like if someone gets into the habit of using it early on, they don't stop easily.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

well....i hope i use it *before* i "really need to", as in grabbing it when we are tackling the difficult terrain, rather than *so i don't fall off* or *so i don't grab his mouth*. i'd grab mane habitually, but his all falls to the left down at the base of his neck, and i prefer to hold the reins by the buckle in my left hand for some reason :) i don't remember if i used one as a child, so probably rarely; i think i more typically grabbed mane.

if i saw a student habitually grabbing the strap in the ring, i'd probably put them back on the leadline or lunge and have them work on keeping their hands elsewhere (hips, head) -- i.e. working on balancing from the seat and torso, not the hands. but the same applies to the mane and the front of the saddle and for that matter the reins, and developing an independent seat is a non-trivial process -- i don't necessarily always have one over varied terrain at various gaits myself. so i try to *not* use the grab strap for balance -- but i want to have it rather than the reins in my hand when i'm not sure if i'm going to "grab".

wrt jumping straps, i don't care for them -- i think they teach people to pull on the strap, rather than pushing down on the horse's neck, and i think the latter is to be favored as it leads more naturally to an independent release. but that's another free opinion and worth what you paid.

straps, grab and otherwise

[goddessfarmer.livejournal.com]

I was never taught with any, and don't when I teach. That having been said, I believe there is a place for grab straps: the therapeutic riding school. A properly placed jumping strap can give a student a landmark to aim for with their hands when learning to jump. Mane is my friend - it is there if I need it, but I know that neither it, nor any strap will keep me on in a bad situation. For that we have balance: eyes up (at the sky if necessary) heels down.
This may come as a surprise, but the best way I have found to teach a rider how to balance while jumping is to take away their reins entirely and use the airplane position. It keeps the shoulders back, and prevents them from throwing themselves into the release of the bit. The day that Alice 'found' her jumping balance we were working a bounce with no reins and no stirrups. She could do this with her props, but her body didn't work right; during the exercise everything came together as she felt where the correct balance had to be. I really wish I had before and after pictures.

i am a riding snob

[sarahshevett.livejournal.com]

I'm completely in agreement with you on this topic.
Mane is also my friend.
My instructor had me jumping with my hands really wide apart and that was a really great exercise for me to find that balance point. I have had lessons where I jumped without reins with pretty much the same results.

As was said earlier, if a student is grabbing hold of something, their lessons need to back up so they can learn to ride properly, in balance.
Holding on to something chronically is not riding. Or maybe it is a "pony ride."

This is my opinion of barrel racers holding on to their saddle horn as well.