22-Jan-2008: I've gotten a bit loony. I've joined horse riding classes....totally insane....I seem to have taken Randy Pausch's message about fulfilling childhood dreams a wee bit too seriously...
1-Feb-2008: Though, I'd signed up for these classes 2-3 weeks ago, I finally mustered the will and courage to go for my first lesson today. 'Will' - because these classes happen early in the morning, at 6 am to be precise; 'courage' - not because I'm afraid of horses, but because attending horse riding classes sounds a bit too loony for my liking.
The first lesson went off very well. At the end of my 45 mins with the 10 foot tall, once majestic, steed - "Hercules", I had learnt how to mount and dismount with confidence and had developed a liking for the whole horse riding business. It seems to have been a good decision to sign-up after all!
Two other blokes who'd signed up through BMC, turned up for their first class today. The instructor - the able and friendly - "Ms. Pushpa", made a mention about we 3 beginners forming a group and going on a safari to Nandi Hills after 10 classes. Though it sounded very interesting, I chose to reserve the topic for discussion during the next class.
Pushpa introduced me to this middle-aged man who was half way through the course and had taken 6 lessons so far. I was pretty impressed to see him riding in a mild gallop all by himself! Gives me a lot to look forward to.
For a city-bred person like me, who has not handled animals before, the act of riding and controlling a horse poses a mindset challenge. The very idea of being in such close proximity to a living being that is larger and stronger than you is a bit unsettling. And then, the "animal rights" issue plays at the back of your mind; you keep thinking - am I hurting the horse by pulling on the reins that are attached to the bit biting into it's mouth? Why is the horse plodding around so uninspiredly? Is it bored?
As I was being taken on a walk around the grounds, I began pondering on the etymological contribution of terms used in horse-riding like "bridle", "saddle", "stirrup", etc. I bet, some linguist somewhere, must've already written a book on the immense contribution of horse-riding to the English language! Cheers.
3, 4-Feb-2008: At the end of the third session, the last thing on my mind is the pleasantries of the English language. My backside hurts, my inner thigh hurts, a lot of known and unknown muscles all along my legs and lower back sting. Riding is no easy business, trust me on that.
Whenever you learn a new sport/activity/technique you run into a stonewall which seems impenetrable. You are flummoxed and frustrated because no matter what you do, nothing seems to help. I've stepped into this frustrating zone of horse riding. I am trying to master this technique called posting the trot.
When the horse is on a trot (a bit faster than a walk, but slower than a run or a gallop), it's back movement generates a vigorous and hurtful bounce on the saddle. To counter this, the rider has to cultivate a rising and sitting routine that is in synch with the horse's rythm. Boy, is it painful. You have to raise yourself by pressing your toe-area into the stirrup. Plus, you have to stand straight to avoid damage to your and the horse's spine. While doing all this your legs an shoulders have to be super relaxed, else the horse will go stiff. And whilst you are experimenting with all this, your backside gets smashed against the firm saddle, with every bounce that the horse makes. Riding, aint easy my friend, trust me.
7, 8-Feb-2008: I took a two day break after the last two classes. The break helped to relax my stiff back and heal all the aches and niggles I had picked up. I did a fair bit of reading on the internet about the basics of horse riding. There are lots of forums and websites that discuss the sport in great detail. Some of the tips I picked up from the web were gems, for example:
1.While posting the trot, don't start the standing-up-sitting-down routing straight away. Sit through the first few steps and begin posting when you get thrown up by the impact of the horse's trot.
2. Once you've started posting, stand quickly and sit slowly. Time your post in such a way that you use the horse's impact to propel your rise.
3. It helps to keep a count of "one-two" and rise and fall appropriately.
I tried these during my fourth and fifth classes yesterday and today. These tips work. They make it easier to pick the horse's rythm. As a consequence, the damage to my backside and spine were lesser this time. I have a slightly stiff back, but it's much better than the last time.
I've slowly started enjoying the sport. There are lot of intricacies and nuances that are involved that makes it interesting. Plus, as you get more comfortable with riding, you start connecting with the horse. You learn to pick and appreciate its eccentrities. For instance, today's horse, Suryamukhi, was very responsive to my cues. It picked my rythm and slowed down its trot to match my pace. Usually, other horses on the lunging line listen only to the trainer, they tend to follow their own rythm and don't respond to the rider.
Another nice thing about the horse riding experience is the fact that it is an avenue to meet interesting people. Invariably, horse riders are folks with a zest for life, the type that do their own thing....intéressant...
March 15, 2009: Nine horse riding classes later, my back still hurts ;), but I'm enjoying the class more than ever before. I'm now confident of handling a horse on my own. I've mastered the technique for posting the trot and have no back trouble when I do that. The reason for my latest back ache is my incorrect seating position while I tried sitting the canter for the first time yesterday. The canter is a gait that's faster than the trot but slower than a gallop. The canter is a three step gait, where the horse's hooves make contact with the ground in three sets and the speed of the horse is in the range of 15-20 km/hr. I made the error of sitting at the rear of the saddle and trying to hold on to dear life as 'Rohit' my obdurate horse cantered at will. I suspect the saddle position itself was a bit faulty, because I kept falling forward during the trot itself. Anyways, after the ride as I chatted up with Salim, he said that during the cantrer one should sit at the center of the saddle, so that you are on the middle portion of the horse's back and not the rear end, this way you'll be able to slide on the saddle with forward and backward pelvice moments as the horse canters. I'll have to try that during the next class. In the same manner that my entire back had gone sore when I trotted for the first time, I'm in pretty serious discomfort after cantering for the first time, I'm sure things would be fine after a few more classes :)
