tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post3909960492684406145..comments2024-02-29T09:31:25.294-05:00Comments on camera-obscura: first ride of 2012billiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18187141867284800597noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post-90452259522067188062012-01-04T18:00:44.976-05:002012-01-04T18:00:44.976-05:00Maire, we're definitely in a good space togeth...Maire, we're definitely in a good space together right now. I look forward to reading more of you and Ben on this path. :)billiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18187141867284800597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post-50599424701927324142012-01-04T17:47:59.119-05:002012-01-04T17:47:59.119-05:00Billie, you sound very connected, both to yourself...Billie, you sound very connected, both to yourself and to Keil Bay. And well described, as always. I almost felt I was riding your wonderful horse myself. Enjoy the experience! A reminder not to take what we have with our horses for granted and to seize the day is quite timely for me. Thanks!Máirehttp://poniesathome.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post-50995085034150351892012-01-02T10:08:45.824-05:002012-01-02T10:08:45.824-05:00A, thanks, and great advice not to over-analyze. :...A, thanks, and great advice not to over-analyze. :) I do think it's a combination thing and I am not thinking about it in the saddle at all - I am too busy being happy! <br /><br />I forgot to mention that Salina's fall and that morning thinking we were saying goodbye had a profound effect on me. There are no guarantees of anything when it comes to horses and riders and good health and soundness. So I felt compelled, from a very deep place, to seize the day and ride as much as I can, not for the sake of training or improvement, but to make as much magic as I can with the Big Bay. <br /><br />I have said this before about reading books - I open each book with the feeling that I am perfectly willing to be amazed.<br /><br />I do the same thing with each ride. And that mind set almost always allows for magic to happen.billiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18187141867284800597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post-47583755413472487992012-01-02T09:29:43.701-05:002012-01-02T09:29:43.701-05:00C, I don't think so. My surgery was to do with...C, I don't think so. My surgery was to do with the gums. And this riding leap started further back than this recent string of rides. There has been a gradual shift forward that seems to have really clicked lately.<br /><br />I think on one hand that stopping lessons was a good thing for me. The work I did with the last two trainers was good and important, but there were pieces of it I disagreed with and I needed the time to myself to sort out what to take and what to leave. And to get outside the umbrella of that work enough to trust my own judgments about Keil Bay and what works for him.<br /><br />I continue to read and think about classical dressage and refer frequently to both Walter Zettl's book and Jane Savoie's Happy Horse series which I have. Between soaking that in and reading/posting on the classical dressage forum I have built up a lot of things to try when riding. Pair that with a number of other factors:<br /><br />Keil Bay is on a new mix of supplements and it is clear he feels good<br /><br />both of us have been getting regular chiro<br /><br />the Thinline pad<br /><br />I've lost weight<br /><br />Keil has new dentist (but just one floating so far)<br /><br />And somehow, a few sticky points for me seem to have just clicked. The leg stuff was mostly there but there's something new with my hips and seat bones that feels important and contributes to more finely-tuned aids plus more balance all the way up and down.<br /><br />And the hands/arm thing is just new. It feels like my shoulder is connected to Keil's mouth and then his poll, neck and back - almost like there's a long rubber band, but not even rubber - actually more like we share a long muscle and nerve endings that connect us through the rein. I guess it's that big circle of energy that often gets referred to - where both our bodies are working together and doing what they are supposed to do.<br /><br />And the most important piece of this whole thing is that what is happening is not because I am trying hard to MAKE it happen. It's almost like letting go of a bunch of things - too much input from trainers, tightness/tension, trying too hard, control, in some ways the actual idea of dressage itself, etc. - ALLOWED this to happen.<br /><br />I don't think it's possible to get this feeling of pure power and lightness except by letting go. Any pushing or trying or forcing would ruin it.<br /><br />We have always gotten pieces of this - but suddenly we're getting entire rides where it feels this good. <br /><br />I'm feeling it when I ride Cody too - although with Keil it's like I have caught up to what he already knows, and with Cody it's more like I'm guiding him toward something he doesn't yet know.<br /><br />Fascinating, clearly, as I can go on and on about it. :)billiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18187141867284800597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post-38442947609955605092012-01-02T09:12:51.585-05:002012-01-02T09:12:51.585-05:00You've definitely found the magic with your ri...You've definitely found the magic with your rides on the Big Bay. If it were me I wouldn't think so much about why but just keep going with what you're doing. It's obviously working out very well for you. Glad you had another great ride to ring in the new year.Grey Horse Mattershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05837575441967937196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31257856.post-18993855512839193182012-01-01T23:12:25.797-05:002012-01-01T23:12:25.797-05:00So glad you're having such success with Keil B...So glad you're having such success with Keil Bay lately billie. It's a joy to read about...<br /><br />Do you suppose that your newly balanced feelings have anything to do with the recent dentistry experience? Works for the ponies. :)Calm, Forward, Straighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360276614916635500noreply@blogger.com