Dressage lesson

My lesson on Saturday was at 1:15pm, so the fiancé and I were able to sleep in a little (well, as much as the dogs would let us) and enjoy a nice morning before heading out to the barn.  On the way out there, we stopped to check on the progress of the house we are building – and it’s coming along.

 We ended up getting to the barn a little early, so we hung out with some of the other boarders and chatted before I pulled Otter out to start getting him ready.  There was a slight return of funk due to the rain and humidity that we had on the days that I couldn’t get out there, so I just curried those areas really well to get all the funk up before tacking up. 

 The lesson went really well, my trainer had us start with lots of bending so that he doesn’t get locked in his neck/jaw.  My seat has improved so much with the new saddle, but the improvement to my posture needs to carry on up to my upper back/shoulders area – She kept calling me a turtle because I kept rounding those areas instead of sitting up straight.  I really love the way she teaches – corrections she makes stay with me through my following rides, so when I start looking down or leaning, or whatever when I’m riding outside a lesson, it triggers the memory of what she said and allows me to fix the bad habits.

 Unfortunately, we are still working on getting my hands to be quieter.  She had me ride for a few minutes with my fingers almost touching to create a frame to make it harder for me to be busy with my hands while riding.  It definitely worked and made me use my seat and legs more to create bend.  We finished the lesson soon after that because I was struggling a bit with the heat and humidity.

 Went for a short walk to cool us both out, then untacked, hosed and put Otter in his stall so he could get some water and eat his dinner while I cleaned tack.  After the barn, the fiancé and I went to the store to pick up a few remaining wedding items we needed.