Me and T

Dada says that T loves riding with me. That would be cool.

T knows my movements and is good at doing what I want and suggest with the reins and my eyes. She tries to ignore the crazy moves of my body. My gyrations do knock her off rhythm some so it is much better to sit straight, I know. But she is good at knowing to turn right when I turn her head right, even if I lean a little left.

I rode Wednesday with a bigger than usual audience/entourage. No other riders came so I had three sidewalkers. Watching from the side were Mom, Claren and a sidewalker's mom.

We rode straight lines and circles sand did some leg yielding, my new favorite.

I was glad to do the straight line to mimic entering a ring at competition because I know that is one of the most important moves. You are making your first impression on judges. I was pretty good, or should I say T was.

I don't know if Dada is purposely trying to teach me to ride circles based on feel, not the letters on the ring, but that is what is happening ... I hope. She will say 10-meter circle to your left or 20-meter circle to your right. They look about the correct size.

The hardest part about leg yielding is that I feel like the foot that pushes into T's side to start her diagonal is coming out of the stirrup after I finish. Maybe I need rubber bands. It is such a neat feeling to do leg yielding, though. I will have to get someone to video me to see if it looks as cool as I think.

I am also now in charge of finding shows. Maybe that is why I have ridden in many shows. I thought Dada and SPIRIT were looking; I guess they thought I was. Unfortunately, my classification card, like a handicap in golf, is expired and I need a new one to ride. So I am waiting to see what the USEF can do for me. We'll see. There is a show Sept. 19-20.

Cowboying up

We were a crowd today.

Six volunteers, two students, Dada, Mom and a photographer from a local newspaper. Yikes.

I actually tried to cancel early in the day, but Dada said the photographer was coming so I cowboyed up and rode.

It was a good ride, but I am definitely not cut out for a dressage team.

Another rider and I were supposed to be riding in mirror images of each other down the center line. Dada would call out "small circle" and we were supposed to make 10-meter circles and meet up at the center line again. So I would be focused on the circle and then Dada would say, watch the other person. Invariably she would be making a different size circle and we would not match. I am not even sure who was making good circles. I thought mine were good, but I don't know.

I take my cues for size from the letters on the dressage ring, and we haven't had them lately. That's cool, because I need to learn to ride more by feel than by the letters, but I do miss them.

High energy

I think I got a taste of what Dada saw in T at her first dressage show that made Dada a little nervous. But it didn't leave me feeling worried, just awesome.

There was some show going on, with lots of horses and people and jumping and galloping. Ohh, I wish I could do that. It looked so fun.

T responded to the energy in the air by walking faster than Dada could keep up. Part of it was my reins were too loose so she had no one holding her back. Boy, it felt neat. Even when we tightened the reins, she was still walking fast and in a good rhythm. We wore poor Dada out.

We rode circles, reverses, leg yielding, all pretty well.

Everyone was saying how great T and I work together, but let me tell you: I was just along for the ride.

And I do enjoy riding even though almost all the pictures show me with a horrid gnashing of teeth. Just concentrating.

Furious T

I look all right in the picture, although I am not wearing my riding breeches and the dockers are dorky. But how cool does T look with the top of her main all spiked up in the air like that. It was just the breeze but still, that is awesome.

We just did some relaxed walking today, a little leg yielding, too. My right foot never felt sturdy in the stirrup, and I think that is why I slid that way a few times. It also made it harder to get T yielding that way.

I think Dada is a little nervous about me and T still. I am not. T seems to move with my wobbles to keep me as upright as possible. Maybe my confidence is why Dada is nervous. She has good reason, i know.

I have said this before, but I like the smallness of the dressage saddle. It really allows me to work my legs and ankles. Dada assures me that my leg muscles are bigger than when we started.