Second session at the RDA
June 2019
As I said last week I was going to the RDA in
Avon again to have another simulator lesson, my instructor Karen had discussed
last week that I should take my bespoke saddle that I ride in and fit it on to
the simulator. Well I took the saddle and with a bit of fiddling around with it
on Black Beauty it didn’t fit!! The girth straps were too long so that was
that. So I had my session in the saddle that’s always on the simulator. I don’t
feel unsafe in this saddle but we just thought it would be good if we could use
mine for familiarity, It was a good idea but not suitable.
I started off in walk and
did a couple of warm up exercises including walk to holt transitions, My friend
Jane was with me today, she hasn’t seen me ride Black Beauty for a long time
and she said she couldn’t believe how secure in my seat I was. It’s funny as my
other instructor Beth says that, but I feel so vulnerable bobbing about on top I
don’t see it. So once warmed up in walk we pick up the slow trot and off we go!
Karen notices that sometimes I am tucking my finger under the pommel, I am not
sure why I do this and sometimes I don’t, maybe it’s due to the fact that on my
saddle I have a bar? And when I feel unbalanced I automatically go to the bar
and stabilise myself. Well I’m going to try and not hold the saddle in these
transfers and we continued to practice most of the session going from trot to
walk and trot again.
I told Karen about our communication
with Flynn at my riding lesson on Monday. I am going to try and be very clear with
the signals I give him as I don’t want him to be confused when asking for the
transitions. As a para rider in para dressage you are allowed to use your
voice. This is something I have to learn
and I will be practicing my clear instructions on the simulator and real
thing!!
We tried the faster trot
also today, which is very unsettling for me and I couldn’t be in it for long
and bypassed quickly into canter, this feels very comfortable and I quite enjoy
how secure I feel in this pace. But not for long as I have to go back down
through the transitions again into really fast unbalancing trot, I am not sure
that pushing me out of my comfort zone is part of pushing myself to make me do
it as I defiantly need to push myself more now if I want to compete at Grade 2.
I finished today’s session feeling quite pleased with what I achieved today. Then
we took my saddle to try it on one if the horses at the centre. Robbie is one
horse that is hoist trained, I have ridden him a few times and after his
fitting by the RDA stable manager it was agreed that my saddle did fit Robbie
so I would be able to use my own saddle when I ride him. This is fantastic as
in my saddle my lower leg is quite stable and doesn’t swing because of the knee
rolls/thigh rolls.
I am really happy that my
own saddle fits Robbie and that we can alternate with Robbie, Flynn and the
simulator. I am looking forward to next week simulator lesson already as we
work toward establishing that TROT!!!
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