Erin's training :)

[Erin ♥]

Hope so! Can't wait! And yeah I know.. he is usually sooo bad for me haha.. But I still wouldn't say that he wasn't crooked Maria said I was being too nice to him and he was going to bite me haha.. but she also said that he liked me so I don't know

[Erin ♥]

Had to cancel my lesson AGAIN.. Haven't had a lesson in 2 weeks.. ohh well.. hopefully Angela will call me back and I'll get to reschedule!

[maria]

Do you ride at Southern cross or Equine? Because I thought I saw a Misty who looked like the pony in your signiture down at southern yesterday.

[Erin ♥]

I ride at Equine but I used to ride at Southern and thats where i met Misty.. i love her and i wish i could still ride her but she isn't being used for lessons anymore and I don't that that you can take lessons without your own horse or a horse that you lease there anymore so now I ride at Equine.

[Erin ♥]

Since I missed my last lesson I reschedualed it for today at 6 and it was pretty fun I rode Champ and he wasn't being the greatest he's ever been but he wasn't that bad.. he was actually pretty good when he was listening! First we warmed up by doing some walk-halt transitions and circles. Then we worked mostly on getting our right diagonal and transitions from walk to trot and trot to walk. Champ was being part lazy and he was part testing me. He wouldn't trot when I asked him and he kept trying to go to the middle. We were doing that for most of the lesson but as it went on he was getting better. He started to canter while we were trotting a few times but only for a few strides and I got him back pretty good. At the end he realized that he wasn't really getting away with much so then we had a couple of really good minutes before we ended.. at least we ended on a good note!

[Erin ♥]

Since tomorrow is Easter I had my lesson today instead and it was really fun! Karen taught and I rode with Jane and Jenny on Brandy He was really good! At first he was a little lazy but after I woke him up he was soooo good! Anyway, the big arena was a mess so we rode in the small one. We warmed up with just halt transitions because we couldn't circle or anything.. you had to stay out on the track because the middle was just too slippery. Then we worked on the long sides of the arena. At first Brandy wouldn't trot but after he realized 1. he wasn't going to slip and 2. i had a crop () he started to listen really well. After I got him going good we worked on posting diagonal and I got it every time Then I worked on staying in 2-point while trotting and the for the first while I couldn't do it, I fell out of it 2-3 times on the way up and Karen made me get off and get back on again (btw I got on him without a stool! Which is big for me because usually I can't even get on Duke without one haha.) But when I got back on I could go the whole way without falling After doing that sucsessfully a few times I just did sitting trot up and down the sides once or twice but my sitting trot is after getting alot better so I did extended trot. Not really sure how I did there but it was my first time so I was happy . Then I gave Brandy a break and we switched directions and did all of that in that in the other direction. It was a really fun lesson!!

[Erin ♥]

I had my lesson today even though it was so stormy!! It was fun even though we only rode for like 20 minutes because it was really windy! Inside I just gave him a good groom and did 2 front polos.. then when we went out I warmed up and worked on getting Brandy to move forward and stuff. Then I worked on getting my posting diagonal and getting to feel when I have it instead of looking. After we did that for awhile I got it everytime (I think anyway haha.) We worked on getting my hands to move right instead of bouncing all over the place. Then when they got better I got to canter up the long side of the arena! And on my third time Maria said that my transition from trot to canter was the best one shes seen on Brandy in a long time so I was happy with that! Then I cooled out and rode back to the barn, got off and put him back in his stall because it was too gross out for the horses.

Pictures and Videos in picture place!!

[stacey]

Man it was gross out yesterday, im surprised it doesnt look like it in the pictures... I wish i was there for that canter transition, anyways glad you had fun despite the weather. you definitly made the best out of that lesson seaming it was almost a blizzard.

[Erin ♥]

Yeah I know.. the pictures came out good though! You can hear the wind in the video haha... i'll post that tomorrow!

[Erin ♥]

I FINALLY got to ride today!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D It was the first time since the fire and I had soo much fun! I rode Duke and he was really good especially since the arena was so muddy. Anyway when we got out we warmed up with some 15 m circles in the four corners and then some trot large and on 20 m circles. Then after they were good and warmed up we worked on siprals which was alot of fun! Especially the inner circle because you're just there spinning around in circles like a retard haha. There was 2 people in my lesson including me so first we did that one at each end on the arena at a walk and then we moved on and did it at a trot. We did that in both directions for awhile and after giving the ponies a break we went in the same end and trotted them again (one person stayed on the 20 m circle while the other person spireled in and out). We did that twice each and then we did it in the same end at the same time! Which didn't really work out the greatest especially since me and Duke were behind Josie and Duke was going faster then Jose. But thats okay since we were only really doing it at the same time for fun anyway! By this time the lesson was pretty much over so we just cooled out and then Stacey hopped on Duke behind me and we doubled in to the barn Fun times.. but i'm sooo happy that I finally get to ride again!

[Jenn]

Yay!! You finally got back in the saddle!! Sounds like a fun lesson!! Duke loves this weather and the footing, he was an angel in my lesson too!!

[Erin ♥]

I had my lesson today and I rode Champ. Lets just say that he wasn't on his best behavior. When he was walking he was alright. He'd try to go off the rail and wouldn't go into the corners very well but I managed. Then we were suppoused to trot but Champ wouldn't at all, no matter what I did. Then after awhile I figured out he would trot if he was behind Dante or Josie but that definatly didn't work because he would go into a fast trot and try to go up there bumm so I had to either pass or circle and everytime I turned him even a little bit he would either walk again or just stop. We did that in both directions and after like 20 minutes or so I could get him to trot in spurts. After giving the ponies a break we tried again and this time he'd trot for a few strides and the take of at a canter. Which was loads of fun. But fineally when there was about 15 minutes left I could get him to trot good for at least a lap without him walking, stopping or going too far off the rail. When we did that a few times we gave them a break again and then we cantered. First Julia and Dante went, then Bridget and Josie. Then they went into the small arena to give Champ some space just in case. But he was actually good! And I LOVE his canter! It's so big and smooth . After cantering in both directions we cooled out bareback and I had a nap on his back . Then I attempted standing on him but he was too fat and I couldn't get up. Ohh myy.. . Anyway, even though it was an eventful lesson I still had fun and it was a good learning lesson. Omyy, don't you just love spring fever?

[stacey]

Haha! Champ definly builds strong legs!! its good thaat you got a nice canter out of him! i wish i was there.. that was the first lesson i missed in a while

[Erin ♥]

Had another lesson today! I rode Duke and he was good. We warmed up with circles and halt transitions- just the regular stuff. Then we worked on getting into our corners more at a trot. We did really good in one direction and pretty good in the other. After that we went in and out through pilons at a walk and a trot to use our legs more. We were good at that, we got it everytime . Then, we did this thing. It was a little square and i don't really know how to explain it but you would stop at the front of it and then turn and walk like 2 steps then turn completely around and walk 2 steps etc. but it was really tight. We almost got it twice but Duke got kind of rushy and I wasn't really turning him right but that was okay . After that we trotted up the middle of it so there was about 5 poles and you had to be exactly in the middle of them to get them all. At first Duke would drift off around the middle of it but after a few trys we got it . After giving them a break and letting them stretch out we cantered! . It was fun but really different from Champs smooth stride. Duke has a more choppy pony stride but it was still really fun!.

I had a really good lesson considering it was freezing and raining/snowing

[Erin ♥]

Okay so today was the best lesson ever! It was sooooooo much fun! I rode Brandy (<33) and he was really good once he got past his lazyness.

We warmed up by mostly trying to get him to go and stay in on the wall (it was muddy by the wall and not in the middle) and with some trot. After we were good and warmed up we went for a more forward trot and worked on getting him to stay at the trot in on the wall. He wasn't being very good at this point but that was fine, I kind of expected that. After we did that for awhile we worked on 2-point at a walk. I did pretty good with that from my lesson with Karen. Then we did that at a trot. After giving them a break we went over the trotting poles, posting then 2-point. After getting good at that Maria put up a stack of poles for us to go over. She said that they might jump it or canter over it and Josie and Duke were just cantering over it but Brandy got excited (he doesn't get jumped very much anymore) and decided he was going to jump it! It was sooooo much fun! And however much I was loving it Brandy was having the time of his life. Haha, god I love that horse. We did that about 6 or 7 times and then cooled out.

Best lesson ever!

P.S. Pictures in Picture Place!