but where are the 2pt times??

Reminder everyone: We are officially half way through the month of 2ptober! This means you must be reporting on your longest held times per week to get in on that sweet sweet swiggity swag!!

alpacas outta nowhere

Please remember to leave a comment on your longest time of maintained 2pt (ie jump) position held during the past week. And keep in mind this means no leaning on the hands, no seat touching the saddle (otherwise you must restart the clock!).

so fluffy, so sassy

Should you still be working on building out your time, here are some tips and tricks:

Warm yourself up first. Before getting right down to trying to hold your position for as long as possible, spend a little time practicing finding your balance and warming those muscles up.

wait those are Velvet ears, not alpaca ears!

For instance, if you are practicing at the walk: try posting the walk as if it were trot. Then start holding the "up" of your post for a couple steps at a time, slowly increasing the duration - such as 5 steps up, 3 steps down for break, 5 up, 3 down, etc etc.

oooooooh but that tunnel looks mighty familiar!

During this practice, experiment with your balance as it relates to lower leg position (forward and back) and hip position. If you keep tipping forward, your leg may need to come forward or your seat move farther back. If you keep falling back into the saddle, your leg may need to come back more underneath you.

there's that Freebee horse again!!!

Also check in on how your entire leg is resting against the horse's side. Are you pinching in your knees? Overly tight in your hips? Is your back soft or rigidly arched? Any of these things will affect your position and how long you can hold it comfortably. Experiment!

and for no other reason bc this made me giggle

We are half way through the month of 2ptober so you should have a pretty good idea of how this whole thing is working out. But keep practicing!

horse shows abounded this weekend!!

Not only are those awesome prizes at stake (remember, we're awarding FOUR distinct winners!) - but also your golden opportunity to be the strongest, most secure rider you can be!

posing pretty!

So get your times in asap, as I will be reporting on everyone's progress midweek.

aaaaaand a honey bee bc why not

In the meantime, hope everyone had a great weekend!