Monday was another group lesson and I'm happy to report that though we had a few sticky, argumentative moments we were mostly good. And that for the first time, my pony wasn't the one having a hard time. Instead it was the other grey mare (an 8 year old TB) who has having some mini meltdown moments.
Tessa and I enjoyed a forward canter, even if it was totally on the forehand. It had energy and that's a good place to start.
Spring and summer are so busy for me because we have a boat too. So we've been spending lots of our spare time doing boat projects.
I've also been doing my Pilates DVD which has really helped my core strength a ton. This is made by the instructor that I had private lessons with to work on my abdominal separation and my hip problems. As of this week, I do not have hardly any separation at all and though my arms and my legs were aching after my lesson, I had almost zero hip pain. Hurrah!
I will say that taking the three private lessons made a HUGE difference. You CANNOT CANNOT get the proper Pilates stuff from a DVD without first knowing what you are going for. It's been challenging for me because I'm great at powering through stuff but not so great at using only one specific muscle. Doing a sit up has a whole new meaning now for me. Because I have to isolate my transverse abs and pull up from only that muscle, sit ups take a long time. To someone watching, it must look like I'm just laying on the floor making weird faces and occasionally lifting my head. But I'm working HARD. And seeing results, even if they are small. Three weeks ago, I couldn't lift my head off the floor without torquing my entire body. Now I can use just my transverse abs and my head can float off the floor. Amazing.
Her website is http://www.riderpilates.com/ if you're interested in learning more. I bought her book and the DVD and love them both. I do use the DVD more....I also plan on going to some group classes in the future. They're super small so you can get personalized attention.
Hope everyone is out and enjoying their ponies a lot these days!
i have been wanting to do rider pilates for EVER but there are no classes offered up here that i can find and i am a little skeptical of buying the DVD and the book and having them actually work for me. Would you recommend it even though im unable to get the actual "instruction" i need to find something i have had a child and was in a bad car accident in 2010 followed by a not so bad accident in 2011 i find my back and hips get so sore and by core it definatly not strong enough i tend to bounce around at the canter :(. Im so happy for you that it is working i bet you are feeling a huge difference in your riding and its taking away a little of the frusterations. Great job :)
ReplyDeleteJessica-I would totally recommend her DVD. Pay special attention to the beginning where she shows you how to breathe. The important part is to make sure you're tightening the deep, lower abdominal muscles. Also, when you're first starting out, take the exercises really slowly and pay special attention to making sure that you aren't tightening other muscles when doing core exercises. The video is awesome and I love that it's tailored for equestrians.
ReplyDeleteim gonna have to free some room up on my credit card to buy it then. lol Hope i can get it shipped to Canada it seems no one ships up here as if we live on our own little island :(
ReplyDeleteI live on the East Coast so I don't think going to one of her clinics is feasible, but I'm definitely going to put that DVD on my wish list!
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