post schooling show

My first time back in my new saddle since the horse show I participated the day after my birthday.  I placed twice. I think Nathaniel liked that I had actually gotten a green ribbon. He loves the color green. He immediately took my ribbons and hung them in my closet with my ribbons from the Hidden Lake show in October.
I got 5th place out of 6 even though my horse trotted instead of cantered to the left.  My choice. I wasn't feeling it.  The horse that placed 6th apparently, cantered/galloped around the ring at break neck speed. I did get my right lead canter and it was a nice, pleasant pace. And I didn't fall off - that was a big plus.
My last class, was my best ride of the day and I didn't place. I'm not too chapped about that. It was an open equitation class: I competed with western, hunt seat and saddle seat equitation riders.  The riders who won all rode Arab/Half Arab horses.  Guess who didn't win? The rider on the Thoroughbred.... Nevertheless, Silver gave me a great canter in each direction and he was truly fun to ride.
So my trainer told me, we were going to start cantering in lessons. I have cantered about 3 times since my accident in late July. Not out of fear, not at first, but for pain...in the back...can't feel my left leg...ouch.

so today, she had me ride in the round pen because I was using a new bit, a full-cheek-copper-dr-bristol and we needed to work on transitions before cantering.  Also, the smaller ring would instill a bit of security for me at the canter....or so she thought.

For a horse who won at the track, he is not a fast mover, except in the show ring. So I'm in the warm up area at the NTC show and she is yelling more leg, more leg. And we get into the ring and it's Katie bar the door, whooshing around the ring, and she's yelling "sit back, sit back" because I have totally freaked out and I'm sitting too far forward. I thought I needed to sit in line with my stirrup bar.  Once I actually sat back, I rode tremendously better and my horse was easier to ride.  I no longer felt the need to revise the lyrics to Amazing Grace:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me,
I pull at the reins, you're driving me insane,
when will this class end...please slow down,

you get the picture...and only my horse and the show photographer can hear me...But I AM BREATHING...
if ever there was an example of what not to do, I did it. Certainly not  balanced riding. Once I got my posture correct, everything else, just fell into place.

Back to today's lesson in the round pen. Pushing Silver at the trot to encourage forward momentum can be a very tiring thing. Usually, I ride with a crop to enhance my legs efforts.  It's hard to imagine this creature actually won money at the races -19 starts, 11 placings-.   So after trotting in endless circles, we started to canter. Except that I felt him slipping in one corner - do circles have corners?- and then after cantering a full rotation, I felt unbalanced. Was it the size of the round pen? Was it my slippery leather saddle? So, we moved to the large arena.  Oh, yes, that's the place to canter! Silver felt great! He has a lovely canter. So in control, even when he was on his left, troublesome lead. He felt good. I was sliding all over the place, but he felt good. This is my happy place, a nice, collected canter with plenty of space to move.

Today's Concepts: we worked on zig zagging hands when stopping or performing a half halt while cantering and pushing forward with the legs. Pushing the horse onto the bit, keeping his back round, with his back legs under him which keeps him collected and balanced. The left lead left me a little unbalanced, I was slipping all over my saddle - he had lots of energy - but once I sat up and put my shoulders back, he became engaged, collected and I became centered and balanced. Beautiful!