Does anyone else love their lesson and yet dread their lesson at the same time? I mean sometimes it just seems like so much work!!! I bought Boo back in 2004. I had been taking weekly riding lessons for about 2 years. I had never really ridden before beginning the lessons. As a matter of fact I basically knew nothing at all about horses other than I was drawn to them. I started out on a pretty much bombproof grade mare. I think she was about 24 years old. I took lessons on her for a year, and then I decided to sponsor her and continue taking lessons on her for another year. Sponsoring just meant that in return for paying a monthly fee towards her keep I could ride her anytime she wasn't being used for a lesson.
On the day of my very first lesson I never even made it onto the horse. The lesson was all about grooming and tacking up. The next week I made it onto her back but I couldn't steer worth beans. Pretty humiliating stuff. Eventually I got to where I could steer at the walk but not the trot, and then I could steer at the trot but not at the canter. Heck, I couldn't even keep the horse in the canter more than a few strides at a time. I didn't give up, although I can't say I didn't think about it. Sometimes as I was driving down the freeway toward the barn I would feel sick to my stomach with a lowgrade fear about what was about to happen. What kept me going back was the way I felt on the drive home. After the lesson I would be on top of the world! I did it! I survived another lesson and I had fun!
Eventually I got good enough to start to specialize a bit in a riding discipline. It wasn't just about not falling off anymore. That's when I began to take lessons in dressage. I liked the concept of harmony between horse and rider. Little did I know what a complicated and difficult discipline it is. All those wonderful riders and wonderful horses in the show ring make it look so easy. It is not easy. It is complicated and detailed and often confusing. It's a very physical discipline. It takes strength and control from both horse and rider. Contemplating a lesson when I am warm and cozy and comfortable at home definitely seems like more work than fun. That drive to the barn still generates apphrehension. What if I'm asked to do something and I am not up to the task. What if my horse is having a bad day and I get dumped. What if...what if... what if... but that drive home has never failed me. I'm on top of the world! I did it! I survived another lesson, and it was fun.
Well...since I have only take a dozen or so lessons I can't really relate to them but I can say that I have felt the same way about trail rides years ago! After the ride I was filled with joy...but before I had trmendous butterflies. I no longer have the same horse, he died 7 years ago...but Jesse was a 2 1/2 yr old baby when we got him...took awhile for me to get my confidence back!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. And yes... I have had a feeling similar to that. Maybe not so much apprehension but those excited/nervous butterflies in my tummy :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so right about the great feeling of accomplishment after a challenging lesson!
Wow, could I ever relate to this post! I have been taking lessons for about 18 months now, 8 of those on Gem. I am absolutely a "what if" person! I still get a little apprehensive as I am driving to the stables. I am currently at the "canter a few steps and not being able to steer" stage and I can work myself up into quite a tizzy thinking about cantering when I am on my way to the stables. But, you are absolutely correct - having fun and surviving your lesson makes you feel like you are on top of the world!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that feeling EVER ends! Both about riding AND teaching. I still get the feeling sometimes when going to teach... "what if I haven't nothing to say?" And same driving to a lessonl... "what if my horse, who's normally a Steady Eddie type, proceeds to forget what contact or engagement feels like?" :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I know the feeling. A good trainer knows us well and knows how to push us just a wee bit past our comfort zone without expecting us to perform beyond our limitations. That doesn't prevent us from doubting the trainer's confidence in us. I've driven to the barn wondering what kind of fences Kiyara and I would have to jump, or whether I'd have to make Phantom canter. A very small girl at a previous barn described her first ride as the "scariest fun" she'd ever had. That never changes.
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken lessons in years, but yes, I remember being nervous. I took hunter/jumper and was riding sometimes testy horses and jumping, it was fun, but also a little nerve wracking and my trainer made me work! :)
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of starting up some lessons here over the winter, to battle these winter riding blues! :)
Great post. You have captured EXACTLY, how I have been feeling. And I thought it was just me :) Before every lesson I get the butterflies and a bit nervous...and then afterward I feel great. My horse has a great disposition and since we moved to another barn he has more "horsepower" due to better forage, training, etc. Which is good but can also be a bit frightening. I am also taking Dressage lessons and love it. Wilsonc, you are right, it looks easy but is physically demanding and rewarding at the same time. Thanks for the great post! it will help me on Saturday when I go for my lesson.
ReplyDeleteLessons...hmmm lessons? where does learning on your own come in? lol Thanks for the Birthday wishes! I have had a great day:)
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