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Getting the measure of Abbey
I thought today's riding lesson was really good, because we all struggled but we all achieved what we were aiming for (more or less) in the end.
I rode Abbey, a gorgeous rangy bay mare, who I thought was going to be like Madison but turned out not to be. Or rather, she was a bit like Madison, but her incredible willingness to try and do as I asked made all the difference between satisfaction and frustration. She's in no way a difficult horse - it was more as if I felt I wasn't doing her justice as a rider. Dominic said it's difficult to "get the measure of her" and he said he thought I did really well, but there's certainly room for improvement. It felt as if I was slightly out of sync with her but that, if I tried that bit harder, everything would fall into place and be wonderful. I also felt as if the school was too small for her and she didn't have enough space to be comfortable. Dominic confirmed this at the end when he suggested I take her out into the woods one time as she moves a lot better outside.
Still, I got two heavenly canters from her, and an extended session of sitting trot which didn't leave me out of breath at all. I think Abbey could teach me a lot and I'd definitely like to ride her again.
I rode Abbey, a gorgeous rangy bay mare, who I thought was going to be like Madison but turned out not to be. Or rather, she was a bit like Madison, but her incredible willingness to try and do as I asked made all the difference between satisfaction and frustration. She's in no way a difficult horse - it was more as if I felt I wasn't doing her justice as a rider. Dominic said it's difficult to "get the measure of her" and he said he thought I did really well, but there's certainly room for improvement. It felt as if I was slightly out of sync with her but that, if I tried that bit harder, everything would fall into place and be wonderful. I also felt as if the school was too small for her and she didn't have enough space to be comfortable. Dominic confirmed this at the end when he suggested I take her out into the woods one time as she moves a lot better outside.
Still, I got two heavenly canters from her, and an extended session of sitting trot which didn't leave me out of breath at all. I think Abbey could teach me a lot and I'd definitely like to ride her again.