Next month is the 4th Annual Horsefest - Novembe 23, 24, & 25, 2012. Yana is looking forward to this event and hopes to participate in the games. The family will surely be there.
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| Image via horsehelp |
The 4th Annual HORSEFEST - November 23-25, 2012
Next month is the 4th Annual Horsefest - Novembe 23, 24, & 25, 2012. Yana is looking forward to this event and hopes to participate in the games. The family will surely be there.
"In Equestrian, It is the Horse that Truly Wins"
Yana often use the internet to browse about "how to" videos mostly on anything about horses and drawing tutorials.
This is one of Yana's great finds at Youtube. It actually took a while to get this song and video out of my head. And the family really enjoyed watching this.
The song's lyrics - "Stand Up" by Right Said Fred
2012 London Olympic Games Eventing - First Horse Inspection
2012 London Olympic Games Eventing - First Horse Inspection
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| 2012 London Olympic Games Eventing - First Horse Inspection (image via chronofhorse) |
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Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz
Opposition Buzz sported a lovely rose quarter mark. (image via chronofhorse)
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Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Josephine
Josephine showed off an non-traditional braid job in the first horse inspection
with rider Marcio Carvalho Jorge of Brazil. (image via chronofhorse)
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Niklas Lindback's Mister Pooh
Mister Pooh also wore crown quarter marks, of a different style. (image via chronofhorse)
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Niklas Lindback's Mister Pooh
Mister Pooh showed off blue and yellow yarn in his braids as he trotted up
with Niklas Lindback of Sweden. (image via chronofhorse)
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Caroline Powell and Lenamore
Caroline Powell and the 20-year-old veteran Lenamore looked calm and collected
before jogging up for New Zealand. (image via chronofhorse)
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Just sharing some great photos of the 2012 London Olympic Games Eventing - the First Horse Inspection. For more photos and video, simply click 2012 London Olympic First Horse Inspection
It's Yana's Birthday on Sunday!
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| Reminds me of how Yana looks when she doesn't get to ride because of the rainy season (image via ottenbein) |
It's Yana's eleventh birthday on Sunday. Guess what she wishes for birthday gift?
Oh well, as my hubby tells me, "Why do you even bother to ask when you very well know what she would say?"
I guess it's because Yana can be full of surprises at times. Maybe one day, she'll give a totally unexpected answer and surprise us. Let's see how Sunday goes. I just hope the sun would shine for us to be outdoors.
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| Yana with school horse "Morgan" after their ride |
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| Just something for a quick laugh (image via funny birthday) |
"What is A Wrong Lead and A Right Lead at Canter?"
.JPG) |
| "Wrong lead?" |
"Wrong lead Yana", her instructor would say. "Slow down and try again."
And after a couple of tries, Yana would get it right.
"There you go!" says her instructor. "Good!"
As an onlooker, I can't really tell the right lead from the wrong lead. On the other hand, Yana can tell the difference when she watches other riders - but says she still can't feel the proper lead when she rides.
After researching, I find the easiest explanation about the proper lead at canter to be as follows.
Leads at the CanterWhat is a Lead? When a pony canters, his front and hind legs on one side reach out ahead of the other, like a person skipping. If his left leg is ahead, he is on the left lead. If his right legs are ahead, he is on the right lead.
Why Should a Pony Canter on the Proper Lead? When a pony canters around a ring, or on a turn, he should be on the correct lead. His inside legs must be ahead, so he can balance safely around the turns. If his outside legs are ahead, he is on the wrong lead. (You can try this yourself if you skip with one leg in front of the other. It is easy to turn toward the leg that you are leading with, but if you turn the other way, your legs cross and you can't balance as well.)
How Can You Tell Which Lead Your Pony Is Cantering On? Your pony must be on a steady canter, and you must be sitting deep and tall.
1. Take a quick peek at your pony's inside shoulder (the one toward the center of the ring). You may see the tip of his toe coming out in front of the shoulder. If you see his toe, he is on the correct lead.
2. Take a quick peek at both shoulders. When the pony is on the inside lead, the outside shoulder moves first and shorter, and the inside shoulder moves second and longer.
Caution: Just take a quick peek. Don't ride along with your head down looking at the shoulders or lean forward to look. That could put you off balance. With more experience in the canter, you will be able to feel the difference between a correct lead and a wrong lead.
(Source: The U.S. Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship - Basic for Beginners)
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| image via the fun learning |
"Correct Canter Leads?"
"Pick-up the Correct Canter Lead Every Time"
Rain, rain, go away... Yana wants to ride today...
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| Wet from the rain (image via all kidding aside) |
I remember of a time when Yana was having a pleasure ride and it rained. It was just last month. Guess what happened?
"Yana's Pleasure Ride and it Rains" video
The other riders in the video are the stables' grooms.
The other riders in the video are the stables' grooms.
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| Yana's pleasure ride with the grooms (in the rain) |
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| image via dont give up world |
Horseback Riding Lesson - Doing Circles on Canter
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| Yana - Horseback Riding Lesson with "Rain" |
Doing Circles on Canter - Yana's Horseback Rising Lesson video
It takes some time for a rider to develop the confidence to canter. A rider is ready to canter once his seat, balance and control improves. Yana went through hours and hours of training to develop her balance on a horse. And she's still developing it. I guess it's a continuous thing... Just like if you really wanna learn to drive- then you have to spend time driving!
Yana is still developing her full confidence to ride. There are set-backs at times especially after experiencing some fall. But she really enjoys being able to canter now. A riding session is incomplete without doing canter. Bitin kapag walang canter.
Learning horseback riding is really not as easy as it looks. It's like learning to drive a conveyance that is alive with its own mind and feelings. The rider must be well aware of his surroundings taking attention of things that may spook or surprise the horse; such as a passing helicopter, a lightning and thunder in a cloudy sky, a loud honk from a car, and others.
A horse rider must keep this in mind other than keeping his balance, good seat, maintaining a posture, holding the reins right, keeping the heels down, maneuvering the horse inside the arena, controlling horse speed, and listening to the teacher's instructions.
There are some basic "aids" by which a rider communicates with his horse. The rider's natural aids are his hands, legs, seat, and voice. The artificial aids are things like the crops and spurs.
Leg aids and rein aids are used to do circles with your horse. The Simple Leg Aids according to the Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship are: Both legs (used in short squeezes or nudges)- ask the horse to move forward or increase speed; One leg in normal position near the girth- asks the horse to move forward and bend or turn in that direction (left leg for left turn). It can also be used as preventing aid, to tell the horse not to cut corners; One leg a little behind the girth (about 4 inches)- asks the horse to move his hindquarters sideways. It can also be used as a preventing aid to tell the horse not to swing his hind legs sideways.
As Yana went on to canter with "Rain", I can hear the horse's hoofs making rhythmic sound against the sand covered grounds of the arena. The canter is a three-beat gait. It sounds like "one, two, three."
As her Mom, I often feel nervous hearing this three-beat gait - because it means she's riding on a faster gait. But whenever I see my daughter's face - I see how happy she is - as if she's been in heaven after a good canter, I simply console myself with prayers. And with each riding lesson accomplished, I get to understand more and more just how deeply passionate she is about riding horses.
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| A happy Yana after a good canter |
Yana said, "I'll die if I don't ride a horse soon!"
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| image via funny quotes |
Yana is always excited to ride. That’s why
it doesn’t surprise me when she asked this morning if it would be possible for
her to ride tomorrow morning?
Take her away from the stables for more
than two days and she would be uneasy.
“Mommy, can I ride tomorrow morning? Please!”
“You rode just a day ago. Will you die if
you don’t get on a horse?” I teased.
“I’ll die if I don’t ride a horse soon!” Yana
said nodding.
LOL
And as if heavens heard her prayers, her instructor
invited her to ride this afternoon if it doesn’t rain. So guess what she prayed
for next?
“Please don’t make it rain!”
And it sure didn’t.
So, Yana is indeed a very happy girl
today.
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| Yana- horseback riding lesson |
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| Yana- horseback riding lesson - canter |
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| Yana- horseback riding lesson - cross poles |
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| Yana- horseback riding lesson - sitting trot |
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| Yana- horseback riding lesson - circle |
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| Yana- horseback riding lesson - cool down, walk |
She rides “Rain” for her horseback riding
lesson. She gets to trot, canter, cross poles, do reverse, turn on the haunches,
do serpentines, and more - and just enjoy being on a horse.
"Is it expensive?" - the most common question we get when people hear that Yana is into horseback riding (and they are mostly surprised because they know we're average income family).
Honestly, it's not cheap but it's not that way too expensive. It's really hard to put a price tag in your child's happiness.
I guess when your child is truly passionate about something (that she even thinks she'll die without it) - we parents, will support it for as long as we can.
And most of the time, when your sole purpose is to help people and make someone really really happy... and you work really really hard... - the universe lends a helping hand. :)
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| image via onemoms |
Developing Balance on a Horse : Yana's Bareback Riding Exercises
Yana's Horseback Riding Lesson
Developing Balance with Bareback Riding Exercises
This also helps develop a rider's confidence.
Yana takes her horseback riding lessons at Marikina Equestrian Center.
- Bareback Horseback Riding -
- Lying Down on Horseback -
- Developing Balance =
Yana's Way of Remembering Horse Markings
Yana's Way of Learning and Remembering Horse Markings
Knowing your horse's markings is the best way to describe your horse. White markings on horses' faces may either be a star, snip, blaze, strip, and bald face. Markings on their legs: coronet, half-pastern, sock, half-cannon, stocking with Ermine spot in stocking.
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| horse white markings on their faces and legs |
“Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world.”
- Josephine Demott Robinson
Yana's Horse Riding Lesson : Half-turn on the Haunches
Yana learning "half-turn on the haunches"
To do half-turn on the haunches to the left, use your left rein and squeeze your right leg. To do half-turn on the haunches to the right, use your right rein and squeeze your left leg. Practice, practice, practice 'til you get it right.
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| image via kpeppler |
Yana's Pleasure Ride (in Quasi-Time Lapse) - Horseback Riding
An Afternoon of Horseback Pleasure Ride in Time Lapse
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| Yana - enjoying her horseback pleasure ride |
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| image via deanaohara |
Flowers in Bloom at Yana's Favorite Place
Flowers in Bloom
While Yana was taking her pleasure ride this morning, her sister and I noticed the new bright colors around the place - flowers!
For a change, we decided to visit these flowers closely and we were truly delighted.
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image
via piccsy
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Horse Riding Lessons - Yana's First Fall (Philippines)
Yana's First Fall from Horse Riding (video)
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| Image via youngrider |
Looks like riders recover from their fall much faster than their mothers. Uh! It takes a lot of effort to be calm and composed when you see your child fall! Now, I'm not so sure I want to watch her next riding session. I still have that creepy sensation somehow.
It's always advisable and good habit to wear helmet and protective vest when horse riding. It's not a 100% guarantee but it sure helps. As we all know, all riders fall. Yana actually seemed glad she finally had her first. Such a brave girl! Yana is ten years old.
Yana's Passion for Horses and Horse Riding
Yana's Passion for Horses and Horse Riding video
It's amazing sometimes how much we learn from children. Some people spend half their lives discovering their passion and the other half fidgeting if they'll do it or not.
Take some time to visit a riding stables and you wouldn't help but admire the beauty and strength of a horse. Pay attention to the riders, the groomsmen, the horse trainers, and the instructors. Sooner or later, you'll get a very clear understanding of what passion really is.
“There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.” - R. S. Surtees  |
| image via weheartit |
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