last friday marked my 30th lesson in horse riding and sad to say, i'm still in the red level, which is the beginner level. actually my coach said that normally, they will recommend the students to take their test to advance to the next level (yellow) after 25 lessons and actually he did mention to me about my test, but then it's either he's forgotten about it or he felt that i'm not ready to advance yet.
actually, i don't really care about doing the test also lar. i was asking the coach if i can advance to yellow without taking the test, like what N and i used to do in our ice-skating classes, but he said no. also, i wanna take things slowly and take the test when i'm truly ready. my coach said my posture and control is good, just sometimes i'm too soft with the horses (coz i refused to whip them hard!), which made them stubborn and refused to do what i asked them to do.
so far, i've mastered the posting trot, sitting trot, jump position and am learning the canter. some days i can do the canter quite beautifully, but some days i suck at it. it all depends on the horse i get for that day.
anyway, i'm loving my lessons and am so glad that i took it up. the horses are amazing! they've very intuitive in a lot of aspects. i guess they all know that i'm soft-hearted and a little afraid of them, so they tend to be quite stubborn and know they can bully me! :(
the horses know their own name, even though they don't live like pets and are always surrounded by so many other horses. i found this out one day after my lesson when i went to give the horse i rode a carrot treat, something i've taken a habit of doing. they were all tied up in a row and i can't recognize any of them (they all look the same, ok?). so i asked the groom there, "which is denver?" but before the groom gave his answer, one horse raised his head and looked up at me, and i knew that's him! :)
most horses who've been in the riding school also know the commands already, so sometimes, they react more to the instructions of the coach than to the riders. when we ride, the coach will be standing in the middle and give us riders instructions. start trotting, trot faster, change direction, canter, walk etc... sometimes, when the coach said these things, even before we have time to react, the horses are already doing them! hahaha... but most horses who've been in a riding school for a long time will develop attitude problems. i guess it's from always being ridden by beginners, who don't know how to handle and control them.
that's one reason why i like to ride brownie/randalf so much. he's still new at the school, so he's very responsive. i just need to give a small pull on the reins to make him stop, go to the left or right, a little kick to make him go faster or to start canter etc. some of the other horses can get really stubborn and then we'll need to use the whip on them, which i really hate!
i think when the horses talk to each other, they'd probably refer to me as "carrot girl". coz after a few times of bringing carrots to the horses, they seem to know my routine. so now every time i appear at the back, all of them will look up at me expectantly! some would even nicker at me! i have to hide the carrot behind me or in my jacket when i walk past them to the horse i wanted to feed and say, "no, not for you today!"
actually, i don't really care about doing the test also lar. i was asking the coach if i can advance to yellow without taking the test, like what N and i used to do in our ice-skating classes, but he said no. also, i wanna take things slowly and take the test when i'm truly ready. my coach said my posture and control is good, just sometimes i'm too soft with the horses (coz i refused to whip them hard!), which made them stubborn and refused to do what i asked them to do.
so far, i've mastered the posting trot, sitting trot, jump position and am learning the canter. some days i can do the canter quite beautifully, but some days i suck at it. it all depends on the horse i get for that day.
anyway, i'm loving my lessons and am so glad that i took it up. the horses are amazing! they've very intuitive in a lot of aspects. i guess they all know that i'm soft-hearted and a little afraid of them, so they tend to be quite stubborn and know they can bully me! :(
on one of my favourite horses (i have a few fav, actually), brownie/randolf. i'm still unsure about his name coz he's new at the school and the grooms are confused with his name. one groom is telling me this is brownie, but my coach said randolf! =_='''
the horses know their own name, even though they don't live like pets and are always surrounded by so many other horses. i found this out one day after my lesson when i went to give the horse i rode a carrot treat, something i've taken a habit of doing. they were all tied up in a row and i can't recognize any of them (they all look the same, ok?). so i asked the groom there, "which is denver?" but before the groom gave his answer, one horse raised his head and looked up at me, and i knew that's him! :)
most horses who've been in the riding school also know the commands already, so sometimes, they react more to the instructions of the coach than to the riders. when we ride, the coach will be standing in the middle and give us riders instructions. start trotting, trot faster, change direction, canter, walk etc... sometimes, when the coach said these things, even before we have time to react, the horses are already doing them! hahaha... but most horses who've been in a riding school for a long time will develop attitude problems. i guess it's from always being ridden by beginners, who don't know how to handle and control them.
that's one reason why i like to ride brownie/randalf so much. he's still new at the school, so he's very responsive. i just need to give a small pull on the reins to make him stop, go to the left or right, a little kick to make him go faster or to start canter etc. some of the other horses can get really stubborn and then we'll need to use the whip on them, which i really hate!
who wants a carrot? this is safaj, by the way...
i think when the horses talk to each other, they'd probably refer to me as "carrot girl". coz after a few times of bringing carrots to the horses, they seem to know my routine. so now every time i appear at the back, all of them will look up at me expectantly! some would even nicker at me! i have to hide the carrot behind me or in my jacket when i walk past them to the horse i wanted to feed and say, "no, not for you today!"
i finally got a pic of me taken while on a horse!
yeah, the weather in dubai is getting colder. and as i always go for my lessons at night, the night air can get really chilly, sometimes going as low as 14-16 deg C! that's why i was dressed the way i am in the photo above. but the thing is, after the lesson start, i will start getting hot and sweaty! so it's a dilemma: to wear a jacket or not?
maybe a waistcoat over a thin long-sleeved t-shirt would be better?
but i still feel cold before the lesson, and hot and sweaty during lesson! maybe it's time to go get proper riding attire for the cold weather? anyway, i wear the shorts over my breaches during the journey to and from the school coz wearing just the tight-fitting breaches on public transport is just too weird, not to mention all those mata keranjang men of certain nationalities!
7 comments:
Like this, I think all the horses are in love with you lah. Haha.
anyway, can't you stick to training with one horse? Cannot book one kah? Brownie/randolf sounds angelic.
can't stick to one horse, coz #1, they rotate the horses to make sure all get the required exercises in a day. #2, it's good to ride different horses, coz every horse has their own style and attitude. so we need to get used to riding different horses.
we can change coaches too, but i like to stick to one, coz he knows my level and progress...
so now i know, those k-drama actors in historical (sageuk) drama must have trained hard in horse riding lessons before shooting those drama.. not easy..
take your time in your lessons.. seems that these days, everything also must test.. my children swimming also need to undergo test, which i refuse to let them take.. swimming is for recreation/leisure.
do you still have bruises?
ya lor, sien abt tests...
bruises, sometimes lar... but very minimal and just light ones. but now i'm learning to canter, a lot of hard bouncing around coz i'm still trying to find my balance. so sometimes i get bad body ache at below the neck and my back :(
Hehehe....at least now you can say yes if you bump into Prince Harry and he asked you to go fox hunting :P
p/s: I'm sure you won't shoot small hairy animals, and neither will the Security Services allow you to hold the gun next to their Prince :)
first of all, i dun think he'll suddenly invite me to go fox hunting lor... secondly, what makes u think i'll agree to go? *flicks hair* :P
Attagirl! An attitude! Catherine Middleton would have been proud :P
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