Paris Ride 7: Little Miss Perfect

Thursday, 1/28/10

The days of unfrozen ground in New Jersey in January are few and far between. You have to take advantage of them when they happen. The outdoor arena where I ride Paris drains very well and is pretty good for riding, but part of it stays frozen unless we get a few mild days in a row. Fortunately, we had a streak of “nice” days when the temperatures floated above freezing and I was able to use the entire arena to ride Paris- hooray!

Paris was in high spirits and I was glad I longed her when I saw her land a few bucks that would make the immortal Midnight proud. After her merrymaking, she settled down to work and was great for the rest of the afternoon. Our ride was simple for Paris since I was working on my own position. This mare is so well-trained that my only concern is my riding getting in her way. Little Miss Perfect is the best horse for me right now because I can truly concentrate on my riding. The better I ride, the better she rides.

A respected friend saw some photos of me riding and she suggested that I work on allowing my upper arms to hang instead of flexing them. I needed to drop my arms and stop using my biceps to control the reins. If I was able to drop my upper arms and relax the muscles, I could use my entire arm more softly and effectively.

I am cursed with short arms so this work is more difficult for me than it is for my orangutan-armed colleagues. It’s a slow process, but I’m learning. Check out the difference between how I braced my arms with Alibar and how I’ve lifted and softened my hands with Paris. Baby steps!