The October lesson was supposed to be the “Big” lesson. The lesson where I finally, after decades of hard work and heartache, learn how to do a &^%$#@! flying lead change.
My truck broke.
In a desperate attempt to not throw away $60 for nothing, I raced to the barn and asked if I could borrow a horse for the lesson.
Luckily, they had one I could use. A lovely Second Level mare.
Even with the horse snafu, it was a good lesson. The mare highlighted every bad habit, incorrect riding habit, I had.
Actuallly, the mare tattled on me like mad. It was embarrassing.
In my defense, the saddle was too big, the stirrups too long, the mare unknown. But the fact remains, I have some really illogical, unhelpful, habits that are holding me back. *sigh*
Like, why does my right hand have to pull back when my right leg goes on? I’m going to duct tape my hand to the pommel. Grrr
We had some good moments, but no matter how positive a spin my trainer put on the lesson, I felt like a bright light had been shined on my deficiencies… and suddenly I realized HOW MANY of them there were.
I left feeling… sub-standard.
Leave it to dressage people to say a lesson was good because all our flaws were exposed. God, we’re a sadistic bunch, aren’t we?
Welcome to my world!
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What you had in this lesson is a horse who is a good teacher. The ones that show you the error of your ways are the ones who let you know what you have to do to fix them. That’s one of the reasons I really appreciate Charm, even though she can be a little sh%#t-box sometimes!
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