Riding Into The Wind Didn't Slow Us Down

Well maybe it did just a little.  We went to Evergreen Farm for our training lesson on the horses today and it was so windy it felt as though Tempo, my sorrel appendix QH, was struggling to carry us into the wind.  We were up on the hill in the outdoor arena.  Adam was riding Melody, who goes along nicely on the rail and seems well-broke,  but when you bring her off  the rail to pass another horse or cut across the ring or circle in the center, she loses confidence, wants to take charge of the ride and speeds up.    Trainer Terry Helder said she is somewhat insecure.  She's leaning on the rail too much so he wants us to work her more in the center or stay 20 feet or so off the rail.   Also, he had us work on teardrop reverse turns.  When you're on the rail you circle back the other way, slow to a trot or walk and then push the horse back to the rail.  It gets them listening and if they start to speed up you slow them to a walk or trot.  When you canter across the middle of the ring,--away from the rail--they have to maintain the same speed.  If they start to speed up, you drop to a walk .  The idea is that you don't keep letting them speed up when they feel like it.  They're not the driver, you are.  If they don't do what you ask for, you've got to stop them right away so they understand that you are in charge.   I worked on the same thing with Tempo, which Terry said will bring some variety into his training so he doesn't get bored.        

Haven't You Learned How To Ride YET?

I've been riding for 30 years and people can never understand why I still take lessons.  Every week we trailer to Terry Helder's place in Wrightsville, Pa.   Terry is a trainer, breeder and show judge and he runs Evergreen Farm with his wife, Peg.  They are both wonderful teachers and we have learned so much from them.  During the show season, Terry watches us perform and then tailors our lessons to any problems we had during the show.   When show season is over, he takes a more long-range approach, giving us riding exercises to work on and helping us to train both ourselves and our horses.  When we look back over a year of lessons, we can clearly see how we have progressed from one show season to the next.