Friday, August 19, 2011

Horses, Part 2

Z had his second riding lesson this week.  This time, when he rounded the corner of the stable, the giant horse didn't freak him out as much.  We could see Honey down in the ring with a girl student, so we waited for them to come up.


But this week, Honey wasn't the horse for him.  This is Puddin' - a much larger horse than Honey.

There were more balance exercises, lots more posting practice, and some riding on his own weaving in and out of cones.   His instructor was the owner of the stables, Rob.  He told ZBoy that he really wanted him to get good at posting because it makes riding so much easier on the body.


This time when he rode back to the stable, he did it completely on his own.

I asked him if the bigger horse was scary.  He thought about it a minute, then said it wasn't.  It was really cool to be up that high and the only time it was a little scary was when he had to get off.  THEN it seemed like a long way down!

ADDED LATER:
I really wish we had the money to continue with a weekly lesson, but we can swing one once a month.  Because the first two were a gift from his grandparents, Darling Man and I sprung for one more lesson before school starts.  Friday morning, Darling Man took him off to the stables while I went to work.  I sent my camera along with him and he got a good picture of Z riding.  He got to trot on his own today, which he said was really bumpy and he felt off-balance even though he did his balance exercises at a trot earlier.  One of those things that just takes practice!


I love how he looks on Puddin'!  Very confident!

4 comments:

SwampAngel65 said...

Is he learning English riding?

Anonymous said...

He looks good.
And some moments are better than others. You can get out of rhythm posting easily and start bouncing along. Always good for a giggle as you try to figure out how to get right again with out having to stop the horse or fall off.

You go Z.
Stephanie

Island Rider said...

Horse back riding is a great way to build confidence. I hope you find a way to keep him riding even if it is only once or twice a month. He may be able to find someone who is willing to let him ride their horse in exchange for barn help. Or look into 4H in your community. They often have horses that the kids share. (Tell him it is also a great way to meet girls)

Karmyn R said...

He does look good on that horse! I'm quite envious - because I was always too afraid (I got bumped off a horse when I was ~7 or 8 and never got back on except under duress).

I hope you can swing it so he can ride some more!