Yup I got to go solo for a little while! Just a bit while Sensei helped get a horse off the trailer and settled in. Still I was driving my horse by myself for the first time! AND I get to drive her solo when I want between lessons. Of course this is with a few stipulations, after all I have to use his wagon, as mine is at home, and his harness and all that. Still I am really excited! Of course after he told me this I managed to some how flip the end of one of the line out of the wagon, not a good thing. Luckily I hung on to the part in my hand, but it was still rather funny~ in a scary sort of way. *edited to add that normally I sit on the ends of the line. Never know when you are going to drop and line.*
I have not been blogging as much as I would like for several reasons. I have been actually out doing stuff, like everyone else. Also I have been dealing with some personal issues. Some major ones actually but I am on the right track now. Help is a good thing to ask for. So hopefully I will be on more now. With pictures I don't know, having a few computer problems.
The thing with lessons are they are so insightful for me right now. Many of the problems that I have with Corrie are just a microcosm of issues in my other life. One thing, Sensei tells me, work on one thing at a time. When working on "a" don't worry about "b". We will have to go back and work with "b" but I can't do everything at once. Sometimes if "b" crops up I might have to stop "a" and deal with "b" first. I tend to want to do it all now.
Being consistent, so hard for me. From the moment I put her halter on in the field until I let Corrie go after our time together. Sensei often refers to his training program as boot camp for horses. He also trains all the way up to the gate. Why miss training opportunities.Just being consistent on what I am asking from her. If there is one thing that Sensei is trying so hard to drill into my head, sometimes it is really thick, it is this. If she is not leading well, she is not going to drive or ride well. Issues don't disappear just because I climb on her back or pick up the lines.
Of course this is just a few issues, but I see how they work in my daily life too. Just as Sensei says, doing ground work helps with riding and driving, drive helps with riding, etc. And lessons help with the rest of my life.
Eek! I lost a line! You need to tie those lines together! Stat! At the very least punch holes in the end and put a piece of leather so you can loop the end on your pinkie finger and it wills still break if caught on something. Safety first! Another thing that can happen with single lines instead of joined ones is a line getting wound up in the spokes of the wheel. I had this happen with a lead rope thank god but it was still scary to hear it crash bang boom as it whipped around the spokes a few times before I got stopped and un-tangled it.
ReplyDeleteRemember: Train the horse you have in front of you, not the horse you wish you had. Bad days come and go, sounds like you have a lot more good days ahead of you. I have a driving post coming up hopefully tomorrow with video of Indigo and I at a local farm. It was such an awesome horse day. Otherwise it kind of rotted due to a series of events and my computer exploding. Lost some very important things D:
Sydney~ Good advice, normally I sit on the ends, but I had handed them off to Sensei once and forgot to sit on them again. Oops. After I threw one Sensei took the ends back again. Makes him feel safer. lol
ReplyDeleteSounds like so much to remember with driving. You'll get it all in time.
ReplyDeleteI hope all the personal issues get worked out smoothly for you, too.
Hang in there,
~Lisa
This is really good advice!
ReplyDelete