West Coast Friendship: Part Four

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
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Ugh. This weather is driving me crazy. I've been on and off sick for the past few days and came down with an awful fever last night. Some Nyquil and sixteen hours of sleep later (not including the two and a half hour nap I took beforehand!), and I've bounced back pretty vigorously. No fever, some energy, and a few little sniffles. Let's hope my recovery keeps up. Anyhow, I believe I have a story to tell...
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I quite literally prayed that my lesson at Magnolia would go well. Everything was hinged on this barn, or so it seemed at the time. And I was very nervous.

However, Maura had a very soothing presence, and the butterflies in my stomach seemed to disappear after my first minute or so in the saddle. In my riding journal, I have a very detailed summary of that first lesson, so I can describe it pretty accurately here.

Blaze was a little cranky that day- a fixed trait, I would come to find out- but he had more life in him than I was used to. He was energetic and had great transitions. As this was only an evaluation, not a typical lesson, we spent a lot of time on the basics. Maura had us on the flat for a while, practicing transitions and circles and turns, and when we did jump, she kept the fences small.

My years of substandard instruction had taken a toll on both my confidence and my position, and this did not go unnoticed. I had had a few years of excellent training, which gave me a great foundation--a foundation that had then been undermined by other trainers-- and Maura could pick out both in my position. She gave constructive criticism, but in a way that did not shatter my fragile confidence. "You're lower leg is... pretty bad," she admitted. "Usually, when a rider's leg is bad, though, it shows in their upper body. But everything above your hips is great, so you're in a much better condition than you normally would be in." Ten percent of a message, they say, is in words; the rest is in the tone of voice. This message actually gave me a bit of confidence. I had know my position was bad. I didn't know that there was actually something "great" about it.

I did not have to warm up to Maura, as I have to do with most of my instructors and trainers. I instantly liked her and the way that she taught. At that point, I desperately needed someone with experience who could improve my riding without overwhelming me or accidentally undermining my fragile self-esteem. By some stroke of luck, I had found exactly that.

But my journey was only beginning.

I had a lot of growing to do--both physically and mentally. I had the physical flaws in my riding that needed remodeling. I had emotional issues to work out, like a fear of cantering that had slowly begun to develop in me over the past years. And I had to make a place for myself at a new barn, with new people and a different way of operating. Obviously, I had some adjusting to do.

But that was okay. Because I knew I could do it. And over the next several months, Maura--and all of Magnolia--would become more of a family to me than I would have ever expected.

To Be Continued...