MECHANICAL HORSE RIDING LESSON - Part II

next day found me back at michelle´s yard eager to try again and see how i got on. instantly upon sitting on the "horse" i noticed i sat in a better position, more on my seat bones and leaning slightly further back than i had done the day before...however i was pretty sure this wouldn´t last once the machine got going! michelle said that today she wanted to try to concentrate on getting my legs "back and round" more so that i was using the correct part of my legs to encourage the horse onwards but also so that my seat was more secure so if a horse did spook, i would be less likely to fall and more likely to "go with the movement" and therefore just be able to push the horse on and through any issues he was having.

i instantly found that i had improved from the first lesson, i was now used to the feeling of the trot on the "horse" and could keep myself much better balanced, using my stomach muscles and pelvis to help me rise and feeling that i wasn´t quite tipping forward so much. there were still occassions when michelle had to ask me to lean back in to her arm but not quite so many as the first lesson. however, now the issue was my legs! i thought my leg position wasn´t too bad but from looking in the mirrors i could see that my toes were slightly pointed out and so michelle asked me to point my toes in and heels out so that my whole lower leg could wrap around the horses sides, securing my seat even more. she also needed me to bring my leg slightly further back and under my seat. it felt fine while she was holding my leg in the correct position but as soon as she let go it swung forward again..we repeated the exercises from the day before, going from rising to sitting trot, trying to remember to sit back, and also now trying to keep my legs under me with my toes turned in, eventually i could start to feel how it SHOULD feel and began to correct myself when my leg slipped forward or toe turned out, which was a good sign.

with about 5 minutes to go michelle said we should try a little canter work and so she put the machine in to the canter pace. this was lovely and smooth and i managed to keep my position quite nicely. she then brought it down to trot and turned on the leg aid sensors so that effectively i would be the one making the "horse" go forward in to the canter. straight away i noticed how much more effective my leg aids were when i my leg was in the right position, with the toe turned in, rather than when my toes were turned slightly outwards, we experimented with the two with michelle asking me to put my legs in my "usual" position and asking for the canter and then asking me to put them in the correct position and asking again, the reaction from the machine was much quicker as my aids were much clearer when my leg was in the correct position. michelle also asked me to tip my upper body forward slightly in the canter to demonstrate how much more comfortable and secure a rider would feel sitting back, in the correct position, rather than in this slightly tipping forward manner, the difference was instantly noticeable. it was instantly clear to me that not only was it more comfortable for me and the horse for me to sit back but it was also far safer as should the horse react to something or stop dead and i was tipping forward then i would be far more likely to be unbalanced from the saddle and fall.

all in all i can say that these lessons were great...totally exhausting but well worth it. i think i will still have confidence issues with regards to horses spooking etc but i also think that mechanical riding lessons will certainly help me gain confidence in my ability as a rider and definately improve my seat so that if anything should happen, i´ll be more likely to stay on board!

i would advise anyone who gets the opportunity to have a lesson like this to grab it with both hands...its a real eye opener! and i really believe that anyone thinking of taking up horse riding do a few months on a mechanical horse before getting on board a real one. a good seat is the best grounding for making a good horse rider and this is the best and quickest way i can see of really teaching that.

i´m definately interested to see how what i have learned with michelle transaltes to my next riding lesson on an actual horse...and it´ll be a real test as my next lesson is a lunge lesson on a horse that, last time i rode it, i was really nervous of! i only wish i could have more lessons with michelle as i really think that regular lessons with her on top of my usual riding lessons would help develop a good stable seat which would not only benefit any horse i rode but also help boost my confidence.