After a grueling two month wait due to the hot weather and necessary renovations, I had my first lesson back at Quantum Leap Farm in October, and we've been going strong since. This post will be a complication of everything I have done at Quantum from the beginning of October to now, in December. In the future, I will do weekly updates and stories so everyone can follow my progress in real time.
October 5th, 2019: This was my first lesson back after a long summer break. I got to ride Shane, the black and white paint horse who became my partner after Dee retired (you can read more about these horses here.) Because it had been so long since my last ride, Ashley, my instructor had me do some simple work to get my body re-adjusted to being in the saddle, like doing 20 meter circles and executing turns correctly. The saddle I was in that day was leather as opposed to the synthetic Wintec one I normally use, so I was sliding and frequently needed to stop and reposition myself. Nevertheless, I was so happy with Shane and everything we did that day
October 18th, 2019; This was Shane and I's second lesson together. We worked on refining 20 meter circles more and did several obstacle courses so that he could stretch and I could test my memory. This lesson was one of my favorites because I managed to get Shane to halt square for the first time on my own, and it felt so good! I've nailed many more since that day and we always look so good together. Look at Shane's cute happy face!
November 2nd, 2019: I will never forget this day: my first lesson as an official adult amateur member of the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation)!. The USEF is the national governing body of equestrian sport, They have all the latest news on the sport, and are in charge of planning all major competitions and events within the US. Having the membership will allow me to receive my national paraequestrian classification, which determines what aids I can use what and movements I can perform during competition, and guides my training as a whole. My lesson that day focused on straightness and maintaining momentum through turns, and I fatigued quickly from all the hard work, but Shane and I continued on anyway, because quitters never prosper.
November 9th, 2019: This day, I got to try a new horse! His name is Pep and he is a dark bay quarter horse, and like Shane, he was trained in western riding before becoming a therapy horse. I really enjoyed riding him, as he is very forward and loves to move. Usually I have some trouble getting a horse to walk on, but he just wanted to keep walking! If you want him to woah on time, you have to do little half halts by squeezing the reins before coming to a full stop. Pep is a sweet boy and I'm excited to see where we go together! In this lesson, I was jst lead around some obstacle courses and only rode Pep independently for a short period of time, because it was my first time on him.
November 15th 2019: I rode Shane again, and this lesson was aimed at perfecting my position in the saddle and the way that I look when riding, especially my hand position. Shane was amazing and helped me gain confidence in my ability to sit properly. I started off the lesson being lead around while holding the reins so that I could get used to what it felt like with my hand right near his withers while moving, and then I was let off the lead to try it on my own. While I was riding independently we also worked on maintaining proper hand position during 20 meter circles. Shane and I finished off the lesson with a short trail ride, which was super refreshing! I also helped untack him after the lesson and he was such a good boy for me!
November 23rd, 2019: Pep and I had a super fun lesson where we both learned new things! We tried a pole work exercise for the first time which I had a blast doing! Ashley also taught us how to do a three part serpentine, but I ended up making it 5 parts by mistake because I was trying to learn how it worked exactly. Oh well, at least now I know what I did wrong! My hand position was on point that day too, and Pep did so good with all the new things!
December 7th, 2019: This lesson, both Shane and Pep went lame (injured themselves somehow so they move with a limp), so I had the opportunity to ride Tie, a Morgan horse who came to Quantum after his previous owners weren't happy with his performance on the Morgan show circuit. One thing I learned about Tie is that he is very much a stop and go type of horse, so you have to give him lots of encouragement to keep him going. What I like most about Tie is that he is a very small framed horse, and so it felt like my body was hugging his as I rode, making him very comfortable to sit. We did basic dressage and obstacle courses since it was my first time on him, and we also worked on using my hands correctly to ask for turns and straightness. After the lesson I got to help brush his mane before he went out again. I enjoyed riding Tie more than I thought I would, he is a great horse.
Those are all the updates I have from lessons for now! I hope you enjoyed this post, and I plan on making another blog post as soon as I finish my next lesson, so that you can have a very authentic storytelling experience describing all my feelings and emotions, the conversations I might have with those I work with, and of course details of what I learned that day!
Until next time,
Bry