Things not to do in Riding

(Even if some other instructor said so. )

When I first learned to ski, I learned 'the plough.'  (Stem Christi if you want to be technical.)  

You point your tips together and head down the hill.  When you want to turn left, you stand heavy on your right ski.   When you want to turn right, you stand heavy on your left ski.  When you want to stop you point your toes in more.  

And for just about every angle of slope, this'll work.  (Except a straight drop!  Then you're toast.)  And it's easy to do.  Which is why beginners are taught this first.

This is not, however, how 'real' skiers ski.  They do something called parallel skiing.  Once you can do it, it's insanely easy and effective.  You do a little hop and shimmy to get the new edge and wooo whooo!  Moguls here I come!

So why the plough first? (?!)  (To avoid massive pile ups of newbie skiers!!!)  

But when you learn the plough first, it's the hardest part of learning the parallel skiing -- because it keeps creeping back in!  You do your hop and what?!?!  that foot is still over there, and that tip is trying to ski over this one!  Fail.  So why not just learn parallel skiing first?

There's a bunch of things in riding like this.

I get why folks are taught what they're taught but oh good gravy, these things are not helpful to riding!  Here's a few of the things:

• look up
• keep your hands still
• keep your heels down

These three things alone are guaranteed to make your riding life miserable.  They interfere with riding.  Let me repeat:  These three things interfere with riding.  Interfere.  Interfere.

So why are they taught?  It's with good intentions.  And maybe because a lot of folks begin riding off the lunge and so instructors turn to the quick fix to get folks going.  

I get it.  But these things make riding next to impossible.

There's a couple other things I see like:

• grip with your knees/calves/feet 
• kick to go
• pull back to stop

GAH.  

SO -- Some of these things are not good and some of these things are seriously not good.  Some make riding hard and some make your horse hate you.  

If you find you do one of these things, how would you like to make your life easier?  And your horse happier?

Lynn

8/26/21

(I haven't done much blog type stuff in years but I'll see if I can keep going with this.  Stay tuned!)