Video Review: Riding in Your Minds Eye dvd1

How often have we heard that practice makes perfect. It doesn't. If you practice something wrong, you will just learn to do it wrong. No magic there.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

That is the premise of this video. If you practice something perfectly, you will make improvements in your riding. Of course it is easier to do things correctly in our minds. Studies have actually shown that visualizing doing something correctly does actually improve your ability to do something better.

The steps Jane suggests you follow are:
1) Know the mechanics before visualization. Know how the aids should be used to get the horse do the movement.
2) Visualize before you ride, this dvd suggest you watch this dvd. In her books Jane suggest that you just watch good riders. Then as your ride keep those image in your "minds eye."
3) After you are able to watch the horse and rider on the screen, try to imagine it is you and your horse.

Covered in this dvd:
*Position
*Alternating between rising and sitting trot
*Upper transitions
*Downward trasitions
*Circles (its a dressage tape, it has to have circles!)
*Shallow loop
*Change of direction
*Medium walk to free walk

The dvd is laid out so that you learn the mechanics and then have a silent period to put the correct image into your mind's eye.

Of course I love this dvd. This is one that I think I will get. As a dressage rider I love to just analyze the process of riding. The video is perfect for actually analyzing how to ride these seemingly simple movements. Study dressage for long and you will learn two things: nothing is simple and if the horse does it wrong it is all your fault. You can use a good video of the disciple of your choice to get that perfect image for minds eye, but this video has really good footage of each movement.

Another pro is it provides a way to "ride" when you just can not get out to the barn. I really wish I had ordered this one when I was in a cast this winter. Now that I am only riding twice a month, I still think that this is going to be a very beneficial video. I think I will be keeping this video for at least a few weeks.

Now if you are not that into dressage, this video maybe a bit much and too simple at the same time. It tells exactly what aides to use and how to use them to make each of the movements. It is based on classic dressage and although I can not image a rider that would not improve after watching and trying the techniques it is very much an English rider's video.

Another potential con of the video is that is meant to be watched over and over again. If you rent it, such I am, then the benefits are not going to be as long reaching. On that note, if anyone has this video and would like to part with it please let me know.

Now what?! Keep Moving Forward

Trotting was such a big demon for me. I am not even sure why now. Logically there are reasons, but when it came right down to it, I was not even nervous. Now two weeks before I was a little shaky when we got a fast walk. So what happened?

As I mentioned before, on the drive over, I all of a sudden remember that I have trotted a lot. I could feel the trot, the rhythm, and how my body feels at the trot. I knew this feeling, it was home. I also knew that I had control of this horse. R.'s horses are calm, reliable and well trained. In the arena ,on Drew, I really did not have anything to fear.

I think I did figure somethings out. Each new milestone is going to be overcome in a different way. My plan for progression is going to need to be adapted after each new milestone. And of course, "Keep moving forward," That is from Meet the Robinsons.


Yup, I think that keep moving forward pretty much sums it up. What is that next step to take to keep moving forward? I guess I can look at sending Kinsey off as the next step. Really there is nothing to overcome with that step. Once she is evaluated, I am sure there will be steps to take. Either to sell or get her riding.

I need to keep riding Drew, if Drew is sold that is going to be a problem. I need miles. I'll have to start all over with another horse. I wish I had the money to buy Drew, but he is out of my budget so that is basically out of the question. I have things I want to work on just because I feel I rode horribly, but I am rusty. It has been about 4 years since I was really riding so no matter the horse, I need to get myself coordinated again.

Another step is to step it up again with the weight loss and fitness goals. I really need to kick myself in the butt and get going again. I admit I have been slacking. Enough of that.

I thought I had it all figured out when I got on Bill. Visualization was the key. Well, it was the key for getting on Bill. I am seeing that each new milestone will be unique. I did not do as much actual visualization to trot as assessing the risk and remembering what it felt like, and realizing what the hold back was. I am sure that for what ever comes next, it will grow organically. I am going to page though Jane Savoie's book again. I know that there will be steps that will work better now than they would have before.

So I have some things to do. Get Kinsey over to R. (she is going on the 8th), keep riding Drew, and get busy on my fitness and weight loss goals. And Keep moving forward. . .

A little video help

Moday's Weekly Goals

Okay last week:
1) Lose 1 -2 lbs. a1 lb.
2) Along those lines, do the body test on Wii fit and exercise every day for at least 30 min. aMostly meet. I did a lot of extra hard work outside and I am including that.
3) Read That Winning Feeling by Jane Savoie for at least 20 min at night. Over all goal to finish book by the end of the month. aWell on my way to being done.
4) See Kinsey 3 times this week. I have a hard time getting out there because she is so far away, which make getting anything done with her difficult. Failed miserably. I didn't go see her at all this week. I was too damn cold! I also really had to stuff I had to do, like get hay for the horses here. Still this reminds me of a quote from Ellen DeGeneres:
I gotta work out. I keep saying it all the time. I keep saying I gotta start working out. It's been about two months since I've worked out. And I just don't have the time. Which uh..is odd. Because I have the time to go out to dinner. And uh..and watch tv. And get a bone density test. And uh.. try to figure out what my phone number spells in words.

So for this week.
1) Lose 2 lbs. by drinking h2o and tracking my WW points.
2) Finish That Winning Feeling
3) Try some different exercises this week.
4) See Kinsey and ride CJ. I want to ride Kinsey next month. . . mostly so she'll be a little more fit and I will be a little more thin!

Monday Morning Goals

Monday seems like a good as time as any to set goals for the week. I am so afraid to post goals that I won't meet them, but I'll be brave this week and see how it goes. If it goes well I'll post them on Mondays.

1) Lose 1 -2 lbs.
2) Along those lines, do the body test on Wii fit and exercise every day for at least 30 min.
3) Read That Winning Feeling by Jane Savoie for at least 20 min at night. Over all goal to finish book by the end of the month.
4) See Kinsey 3 times this week. I have a hard time getting out there because she is so far away, which make getting anything done with her difficult.

I think that a good number of goals for this week.

I am thinking of starting another blog for weight loss. It is all consuming of my mind right now as I am getting started and yet at the same time it is pivotal to being more comfortable on a horse.

Weighty Matters

In my readings about fear and riding, weight issues have been slapping me in the face lately. Horse Illustrated and Practical Horseman both have articles about fear and riding. The article in PH is called, "Winning the Fitness Battle." Becky Holder tells about her healthier life style. Even in That Winning Feeling by Jane Savoie she talks about fitness.

For me fitness starts with weight loss. Really, I have to loose weight. I do not wish to disclose how much as of yet, you will notice there are no photos of me on this blog. I do have a lovely "before" shot with Abby. I hope in the spring I can share that with an "in progress" photo. I am very healthy otherwise, but weight. My heart, cholesterol, liver, kidney, and other functions are all great. I am just fat.

For me, weight is a big reason for my fear. First of all, I know I look like crap on a horse. Oh come on, we know when we look bad. I look bad. That is negative talk though and so I have changed that in my mind to, "I look great on my horse." I know with that positive self talk it is only a matter of time until it is true. My mantra is, " I am a healthy and fit woman." Maybe I should ad, " I look great on my horse."

Amazingly, as I tell myself that a few times a day another strange thing happens. When I feel hungry, the little voice in my head asks me, "what would a healthy person eat?" I then find myself reaching for an apple rather than a handful (or bagful) of potato chips. It really is weird and takes me aback a bit. I know in time that it will be second nature. I kid you not, some of that crap actually works!

My weight also effects how I sit on a horse. Seriously, it is hard to ask much of a horse when you feel like you are too heavy to be up there in the first place. Then, to be perfectly frank, my larger than average thighs and thick posterior make it difficult to do many of the things that dressage asks. For example, sit on your seat bone. Hell I can not even feel my seat bones. I am not sure I have them anymore, much less know if I am sitting on them. Or feel the horse. Again, it is like sitting on a bunch of quilts and trying to feel a pea under the mattress. That may have been easy for a princess, but I am not a princess.

Bitching about my weight while I grab some pizza and beer is not going to help though. I had to be serious and decided that riding again is very important to me and like anything worth doing it takes effort. So I joined Weight Watchers. It works, when I do it that it. Really. I just need to actually do it. I don't think that most of the weight loss programs really work long term, but with WW you actually learn how to eat. Again, I just need to follow it.

I also invested in a Wii. I have Wii Fit Plus, Wii Biggest Losers, and some other Wii Play. When I first decided to lose weight and I knew that I would have to exercises I went out and got some videos, only to find out that I was not fit enough for the videos yet. The Wii games really meet me where I am now, keep me motivated, and help me to keep exercises. On a bad day I really like the boxing game on Wii Play. Just pretend your actually beating the hell out of whoever is stressing you, SO much fun!

So really what it comes down to for me is that in order to feel comfortable on a horse, I have to lose weight. I find that highly motivating, and one of the the keys to weight loss is finding what motivates you. Got my motivation, got my program, let's rock!