Along for the ride:

Friday, November 30, 2012

I'm not "feelin' it"

I have been back to riding regularly for close to two years now.... Take a breath, read the title of my blog and read that sentence again.
Sunday mornings grew into Sundays and Fridays as the days lengthened and the business climate warmed up. Riding from 6-7pm on Fridays was just late enough that the sun was angling down and the trees by the arena stretched their shadows our way and the crepuscular breeze distracted the flies from their task of annoying the horses.
I like the people who run the place. I like the other riders. I like the way the horses are treated and I've really enjoyed feeling at home in the saddle again.Unfortunately, there's no covered arena or lights. This barn is attached to a Country Club, and the residents of the surrounding hills value their peace so we are limited to the daylight nature gives us. We made it into mid-October and had to concede that it was too dark to see what we were doing and we needed flash-lights afterwards to take the horses down to the paddock.
The Sunday classes are signed up through an arrangement with the local college's community class schedule of six to eight week sessions. The last session ended before Thanksgiving and I skipped the Sunday closest to Halloween because I have no interest in dressing up or playing games. I want to ride, strive, learn, improve, be in tune with balance and cadence of the horse, not with the egg on the end of my spoon. Yes, I accept that balance and cadence help keep eggs on spoons, but for what?
The direction of the class has shifted more towards jumping, which is not my preferred focus, but can be part of an interesting whole. The grids and courses of low poles include work on transitions through trot and canter and changes of direction and bend. The Hunter-Jumper approach was initially balance by some alternating lessons including dressage, or schooling flat-work. That has become a rarity. In fact, the last lesson had a course with instructions to trot the first grid of poles and then canter before the next one. Not one person  was corrected for being on the wrong canter lead. There was a downward transition to walk at the end of the arena before continuing in trot over a pole across the diagonal. I feel as though the instructor "dumb-ed us down"  and set up a low expectation, with a built in fix. It's laughable because they call us the advanced group and her background is in dressage. Every one else seems happy, so it's not my place to complain.
This past Thanksgiving weekend, the weather was beautiful but I didn't have any enthusiasm for a potentially disappointing ride on Sunday morning and so I didn't go. I've been feeling disgruntled and dissatisfied with myself and the loss I feel.
I will go back this weekend, even though, or maybe because it's pouring rain. A little wet stuff shouldn't stop an English Rider.



22 comments:

  1. Maybe not a complaint, just a gentle push in the right direction.

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  2. May I suggest something English and popular amongst the horsey set that is not so encumbent to ones other evening activities or oversteps the boundaries where neighbours are involved?

    Gin... also easier on the thighs.

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  3. Our enthusiasm for things generally ebbs and flows. I doubt you'd be happy without horses in your life but maybe a pause would be best for recharging your batteries.

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  4. Wally, everyone else is happy with this. I'm not in charge here. I have ridden with another trainer, at a facility with two covered arenas. I feel like I'm cheating.

    Chef, ahh... the medicinal approach, and most efficacious. (Remember Lilly the Pink?)

    Stephen, it's harder to start up again, if I give in and stop. Other day to day stuff will fill in the gaps and I'll lose myself again. No. The problem lies in seeking the science over the entertainment approach. I'm exploring my options.

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  5. By God I do... now you are putting age on the both of us hen!

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  6. I so understand your wanting to return to the horse world! Since the death of my horse, I've been restless and grumpy. I miss the horses, the riding, and the mad horsey people. But my new horse (not nearly as beautiful, but sturdy and sensible) arrives on Monday, and I shall, I hope be a much nicer person! You hang in their, ER, even if everyone does set off on the wrong leg. Some of us just NEED horses in this life!

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  7. Are there any other places to ride with dressage training and indoor arenas? You might want to spend some energy looking around.

    It is so hard to start up again if you stop for too long. I know. I stopped because of my knees and haven't quite picked up either the momentum or enthusiasm again yet--and I have my horses right here in my back yard, with arena lights!!

    A good thorough search for a new riding facility might be the ticket before the "I'm not in the mood to ride," sydrome kicks in too much.

    Hey, if you don't mind the commute to New Jersey, I have horses.....*VBWG*

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  8. So why has the emphasis changed...you weren't aware of any wish for a change of emphasis?

    Oh, just bring on a pink gin....

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  9. People are often happy in situations where they receive little or no criticism. You may be unusual that way, but I bet there are others who would agree with you that the critiques need to be tougher; they just aren't brave enough to express it.
    Keep riding; it's certainly good for you.

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  10. Frances, I'm so glad to hear you will soon have a new partner. Give yourself time to bond, until you can once again, The world let slip. The following is for you.
    "Let us ride together, Blowing mane and hair, Careless of the weather, Miles ahead of care, Ring of hoof and snaffle, Swing of waist and hip, Trotting down the twisted road With the world let slip". Anonymous riding song.

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  11. Jean, There are other places. I have ridden elsewhere a couple of times. I think part of the problem is that I'm not looking for a dressage school, yet anything here that's not Hunter-jumper seems to call itself dressage. There's a disconnect here between asking a rider to do something and coaching a rider through communicating the same request to her horse. One is riding as entertainment and the other is the art of equestrianism.

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  12. Fly, good question. The emphasis hasn't changed so much as reverted. I don't know if this is by popular demand. I used to watch this group and they did this kind of work all the time. I was happy when they varied it up more to my taste. Now it's all gone the other way. I'll wait a bit to see where we end up next. I'm not without hope.

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  13. Kerry, riding can be so rewarding, especially with constructive commentary from "eyes on the ground". I'm lucky in a way, at least I know what I'm missing.

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  14. I read this with some sadness as it makes me think of how many inquisitive, searching riders out there don't get regular stimulation in form of intelligent, progressive coaching. It's something that this sport needs very badly and yet, this dumbing down situation as you described is so frequent. I hope you'll find some innate motivation to keep going and perhaps at some pount the emphasis will change again...I will email you.

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  15. Wiola,
    Where's the BHS when you need them, huh? So many riders turn to teaching, without having been taught how to teach.

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  16. It's infuriating to have to compromise when doing anything that you love . Good luck with finding a few other stables , which might be more in tune with what you want .

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  17. S&S, thanks. I am trying other options but I'm also hoping this will resolve itself in a positive way.

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  18. I hope you can resolve it too - perhaps if you stick with it, it will resolve itself. I get ups and downs with my riding, it's hard in winter when the dark nights come early and the weather's bad, and it's hard without 'eyes on the ground'. I hope your coach gets their act together and you start 'feeling it' again!

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  19. ok - at the end of the day you are presumably paying something for these sessions, so i think you should consider talking to the trainer about your concerns and seeing if they can adapt the lessons to give you more of what you want

    Having said that it wont do you any harm to move out of your comfort zone for a while

    i often feel quite disheartened with my saxophone lessons now because i feel that progress is slow and have had to accept that there will just be times when it is better to take a small break from practicing rather than keep going to the point that i no longer enjoy it

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  20. Pixie, thanks for your perspective. The problem being that we're so deep in our comfort zone it's making me snore. I'd much prefer the opposite. That's kind of my point.

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  21. Hope you can work things out with them, or find a better place ? I'm sure you'll no be one for settling for not speaking your mind for very long...

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  22. Owen, I tried a diplomatic approach. I show up sometimes on my way home to help put the horses away and I chat with the instructor, who is very nice, and appreciates a hand. I told her how smart I thought she was to put the fail-safe transition in the course and so not have to correct the lead, WHICH EVERYONE GOT WRONG, EVERY TIME! She's no dope. She could probably tell I was gnashing my teeth.

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