the dude abides

TGIF, friends! Hope everyone is looking forward to a nice weekend!! We’re getting a little break in the weather, with relatively mild temps — tho still some rain, so we persist indoors. Fortunately with Doozy’s new fancy shoes to improve the experience!! 

literally no clue what i’m talking about here — but hey, it’s a picture!!

And even better, not only was Doozy sound for our first trial ride, but a friend was able to snag a couple video clips too!! Yay media!!

It feels like a perfect moment in time to capture, too. Obvi for evaluating how Doozy responds to the changes in shoeing, but also for stepping back and grounding myself in the new year intentions we talked about last week. Particularly that whole “physical capacity” bit lol.

not-so-random flashback to the Charles Himself
it’s a rare shot where you can see BOTH sides of the rider at the same exact moment, so this is an interesting insight into my long-held postural asymmetries

As a step in that direction, I attended a yoga class on new year’s day, during which the instructor handed out notecards inscribed with various ‘sutras’ to all the participants. Mine said, 

“Then the seer abides in its own true nature (1.3).”

Which, it turns out, is not a Big Lebowski reference LOL, but maybe isn’t far off, either.

anyway. trotting around in our new dancing shoes!

A little light googling uncovered all manner of various translations and explanations of the verse, and its insights into the journey toward discovering one’s true nature. 

In particular, one article said this sutra was about recognizing that “our current state is just as it should be.” And that it intends to inspire us to begin—right now—to practice. That the realization of self is not to be viewed as a far-away, barely obtainable goal — but rather it is within us right now, waiting only to be uncovered.

trotting the other way too! #needsmoreforward

Which… Ya know, might be a **little** woo-woo, but also ain’t a bad message for those of us looking to use the new year as a launching pad, amirite? Here we are, right where we should be, ready to practice becoming what we want to be!

quick video clip of our post-canter trot

Ancient philosophical texts aside, tho, it’s a good message for me on many levels. My struggles with bad postural habits and asymmetrical strengths are, erm, well documented here on ye olde blogge. I’ve long since accepted the reality that I’ll never be able to just ‘flip a switch’ and suddenly sit tall like a dressage queen.

post canter trot has a better overall forward balance, tho perhaps feels less organized + ‘together’

Or at least, not while actively riding my horse… Since all my strengths and ability as a rider are rooted in those same muscular patterns that hold all my other habits. 

But! I can practice. And this year* I’m hoping to create space for that practice separate from saddle time. So that I can (hopefully) make the most of Doozy’s and my time together, showing up well-ish for her while also maybe observing how things do, or don’t, change in my way of riding with the added external practice.

(*Ahem, at least as of the time of this writing LOL, another one of my new year intentions was also to give space for fatigue, burnout, other external realities… so we’ll see which intention lasts longer!!)

needs more inside bend too lol
we went thru a phase where the answer was almost always ‘more right rein connection.’ doozy has moved on, but apparently i have not!

In our schooling sessions in between lessons right now, my aim is to stay as present as possible to our quality of going. Are my legs long, pushing down evenly into the stirrups on both sides? Is my rib cage level and upright, collar bone open with shoulders down and soft? Are my elbows bent, hands holding themselves up, with reins an appropriate length? Is my chin up? 

easy enough to pick ourselves apart, but i’m overall happy with our current state

And for Doozy: Is she in front of the leg? Can I move her off each leg, bend and counter bend? 

My biggest bugaboo right now (especially after riding inside for so long) is riding the horse a bit under powered. It’s tempting, ya know? It feels more organized, quieter, ‘steady.’ But with most horses, and definitely with Doozy, that’s also where the mischief lurks LOL. Like, for instance, bucking or kicking out into canter is a direct result of transitioning from a behind-the-leg trot.

the goodest girl <3 i love that she wears her forelock in the same dweeby center part as charlie <3 <3

So our current state isn’t ya know… perfect. But it’s where we are, right where we should be. Emma — focusing on postural alignment; Doozy — gettin’ in front of the leg!

All of which is aided hopefully in no small part by growing confidence that Doozy’s new shoeing arrangement will keep her comfortable. Since ya know. Our season of practicing dusty laps in the indoor is apparently far from over… I’m looking forward to worrying less about that particular component!

Anybody else getting started on any new practices for the year? Or doing any sort of personal rundown or assessment of the current status quo?