Thursday, July 01, 2010

Quiet trail riding

A post in this blog, http://annablakeblog.wordpress.com/ , is about the similarities of trail riding and dressage. I particularly like this part:

"Perhaps there are as many obstacles in an arena as on a trail. If you don’t believe me, you might want to try experiencing the invisible obstacle course disguised as a dressage test. "

I have just started trail riding on a regular basis and I'm trying to be a quieter rider. I'm naturally a fidgety, quick-moving kind of person and get horribly annoyed at the slow-moving, deliberate people of the world. Why not do 2 or 3 things at once?? Why can't they think a few steps ahead?

Of course that is exactly the kind of person who makes a good horse person. A calm, relaxed person makes a calm, relaxed horse. Now my trail riding partner is one such person and her horse is just Miss Laid-Back. With her as an example riding in front of me, I am doing better at just being quieter as a rider and I'm watching my horse to see how he is feeling. Any head coming up makes me take a close look at why.

And my favorite doggie whispering guy - he says picture what you want and make it happen. Don't picture what you are afraid of hppening!

1 comment:

Anna said...

I do like a white horse! I smile reading your post. I am a type A over-thinker by nature. Learning to slow down and be in the moment is the hardest, and most worthwhile thing I have ever learned... in riding and real life. Keep up the good work! It does eventually get easier.