A middle-aged woman was taking a private lesson last night while I rode. She is a beginner who probably started taking lessons a few months ago. And last night, she cantered for the first time.
First, she talked to the instructor about how she'd been thinking about cantering a lot, and that she finally thought she was ready to try it. She was nervous, but willing.
The instructor put her on the longe line, and they trotted around for a bit. The instructor kept trying to prep the woman for what to do, what to expect, etc. I could tell the woman was nervous, but she was also ready to go. So after giving some warning, the instructor asked the horse to canter.
The schoolie, a polite little mare, obligingly broke into a canter. I have ridden this schoolie before, and I know her canter is slow and comfortable. The woman seemed to tense her body when the new motion started, and then she started laughing. A nervous, half-scared, "I can't believe I'm doing this" laugh that came out in beat to the mare's canter.
After a few times around, they went back to a trot and then a walk. The woman looked exhilarated and out of breath and triumphant. "I did it!" she said, and patted the mare's neck.
She and the instructor chatted about position for a bit, and then they cantered again. Then they changed directions and tried it that way.
I don't know why this struck me so much. Maybe it brought back memories of when I first learned to canter. It is such a different gait from the trot, and can be quite intimidating, I think. Or maybe I appreciated that this was a fully grown woman not afraid to brave a stable full of advanced, sometimes snooty teenage riders so she could learn for herself. Or maybe it just exemplifies the nervousness we all feel when trying something new, and how we eventually just have to go for it and see what happens.
Anyway, I'm happy she cantered for the first time. And I'm also happy that Marve was very well behaved for my ride. :)
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2 comments:
What a nice story :)
I know I'm waaaay behind all those teenagers, but I'm perfectly happy to be learning to ride as an adult.
I remeber the feeling of first cantering well. I had a bad accident when I was 13 and first learning to canter which set me back in my riding for a good year. Everytime I went to ride I would go into a literal panic. It was horrible, but looking back I'm almost glad that it happened because it made me focus on getting better and more confident and really taught me about control rather then just the fearless teenage stuff. I love watching people learn and am always watching lessons at the barn. I just find it so exciting and I totally feed off their energy. SOmetime when I don't feel like riding or it just seems like work at the time I try and remember how magical it was to me and usually that motivates me to ride, even though it may not be training or working on a specific area, just being able to ride is a gift and I need not forget that
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