My First Ride in a Dressage Saddle

One of my amazing new barn friends (Collyn) happens to have a dressage saddle just sitting around that no longer fits her horse, so she offered to let me ride in it whenever I want! I was thrilled because, as the title suggests, I'd never actually ridden in one. Let me just say, it was very different, but definitely in a positive way. It was also one of the first rides I've had where I actually felt my abs hurting during and after the ride, which is a satisfying feeling because I feel like I actually worked my body, not just Limerick's.

On that note, Lim was a total shit today. I've apparently been letting him go around with very little contact and loose reins, which he's gotten used to. I totally acknowledge that this is my fault, not his, but when I have been trying to pick up a real contact lately, he responds by throwing his head down and stretching his neck, while simultaneously trying to pull the reins out of my hands. I wasn't sure what to do about this and how to stop him, because he is a tank and ridiculously strong, so I asked Collyn for help. She basically told me not to let him pull that crap and said to lean back and pull against him as hard as I can, while also not letting him gain any extra rein. This proved to be extremely difficult, so she also suggested cracking the reins against his neck. When I combined these two things, he responded by throwing his head in the air, swishing his tail, and pinning his ears. Luckily he mostly just threatens and won't do anything else, so once he figured out that I meant it, I actually got him in a really nice frame with real contact. We had some amazing moments that I really wish I'd gotten on video, because I'm pretty sure that was the best we've ever looked.

Then, we switched directions and it was the same thing all over again. At this point I was frustrated and tired, so I asked Collyn to get on him and he looked SO amazing! It was awesome to see what he can really do and it definitely gave me something to work towards/look forward to. She loved him and will probably ride him whenever I need her to. I have my lesson with S tomorrow, so I'll post tomorrow night with how that goes... I can't wait because it'll be my first lesson in a month(ish). Fingers crossed!

Is it sad that Limerick's stall view is better than mine will ever be?? He gets to look at this every day, while I'm staring at the brick wall of the building next to my dorm.