I have some time off this week to HOPEFULLY finish the book. I am getting over a cold (second one in three weeks!UGH), so my fitness is kinda shot. I told my dressage trainer not to kill me at my lesson yesterday: "think pony rides at the fair," I said. I had a nice, laid back lesson--we worked on my position at the walk. I did some exercises that made my legs so long, I thought I was dragging my heels in the dirt. I felt like Reiner Klimke (even though I am quite sure I looked nothing like him.)
My trainer is wonderful. Not only does she understand horses, she understands people. And, she is a dear, dear friend of mine--I've known her since 1987. She knows me.
She could tell I was tense and would catch me bunching my shoulders and holding my breath as my mount, Jamie, trotted the school figures. I'd be riding along then I'd hear her voice calling to me from the other end of the arena: "Loosen your right side and sit on both seat bones. And, breathe."
I'd exhale, loosen, and Jamie went round and on the bit. Like magic. Dressage is pretty great--it's not just a riding discipline, it's a way of being.
Loosen. Breathe. Relax.
I got hooked on dressage when I was 19, after trying some jumping when I was a kid (and breaking bones and eating dirt all the while).
I am now tension-free and ready to re-charge.
I should be all set to face the task set before me. If all goes well, my next blog post will announce the book's completion.
Breathe.
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