Ok, my last post was seriously lame. I was trying to do a good job but had technical difficulties. Lauren said, "Yeah, I like how you summed up your week at camp by saying 'I had a lesson with this person, this person and this person.'"
Now time has gone by and I've lost some of my 'camp high,' but I haven't forgotten the nuggets of wisdom I was given by each UL rider.
Peter Adkins:
Here's a tip when riding in a clinic with Peter. He will ask you a LOT of questions. There is always a correct answer. HIS. Unless you recite it, you are wrong. Make sure you are able to listen to him teach another group before you ride with him so you can know all of the right answers. If you can't, these should be some of the ones he'll ask:
What part of the horse jumps the jump?
Correct answer: The front, so don't load it when she's trying to jump for you thankyouverymuch.
When the horse is landing from a jump where does his back go?
Correct answer: Down due to gravity. If you land in your stirrups with your feet wrapped around the widest part of his girth you can kick it back up in the first stride.
What do women do when they have a disagreement? Do they mend fences quickly?
NO! So don't pick a fight with a mare. The lead mare in a herd LEADS the herd. Do the same when you are riding. Tell the mare how fast you want her to trot by leading her in the tempo with your posting. Then when approaching a downward transition, slow the faster gait. This will aid in a smoother, more balanced transition. Think of floating above them.
Who's trot is that? Yours or the mare's?
Correct answer: Her's, whoops...posting slower now, Peter.
If you have a crap canter what kind of jump will you have?
Correct answer: A crap jump. Create a dressage quality canter when you are jumping.
What is a horses job when we are going cross country?
Correct answer: To keep us safe. So don't screw it up with bad riding! Stand UP in stirrups when jumping and think of pushing your belly button out in front of your chest. If you ride this way you probably won't fall off. (After I was left behind a few times, I finally started landing in my stirrups and in balance with my horse. It felt great. It felt like landing off a drop every time I jumped a fence regardless of height.)
You can see a bit of my dressage lesson with Peter and my stadium lesson with Lauren Kiefer here.
More on Dorothy and Lauren to come....
Now time has gone by and I've lost some of my 'camp high,' but I haven't forgotten the nuggets of wisdom I was given by each UL rider.
Peter Adkins:
Here's a tip when riding in a clinic with Peter. He will ask you a LOT of questions. There is always a correct answer. HIS. Unless you recite it, you are wrong. Make sure you are able to listen to him teach another group before you ride with him so you can know all of the right answers. If you can't, these should be some of the ones he'll ask:
What part of the horse jumps the jump?
Correct answer: The front, so don't load it when she's trying to jump for you thankyouverymuch.
When the horse is landing from a jump where does his back go?
Correct answer: Down due to gravity. If you land in your stirrups with your feet wrapped around the widest part of his girth you can kick it back up in the first stride.
What do women do when they have a disagreement? Do they mend fences quickly?
NO! So don't pick a fight with a mare. The lead mare in a herd LEADS the herd. Do the same when you are riding. Tell the mare how fast you want her to trot by leading her in the tempo with your posting. Then when approaching a downward transition, slow the faster gait. This will aid in a smoother, more balanced transition. Think of floating above them.
Who's trot is that? Yours or the mare's?
Correct answer: Her's, whoops...posting slower now, Peter.
If you have a crap canter what kind of jump will you have?
Correct answer: A crap jump. Create a dressage quality canter when you are jumping.
What is a horses job when we are going cross country?
Correct answer: To keep us safe. So don't screw it up with bad riding! Stand UP in stirrups when jumping and think of pushing your belly button out in front of your chest. If you ride this way you probably won't fall off. (After I was left behind a few times, I finally started landing in my stirrups and in balance with my horse. It felt great. It felt like landing off a drop every time I jumped a fence regardless of height.)
You can see a bit of my dressage lesson with Peter and my stadium lesson with Lauren Kiefer here.
More on Dorothy and Lauren to come....