Last weekend, I had a pleasant ride at the equestrian club I belong to.
This week, I had a reservation on Monday, so I was worried about being tired, but it turned out to be an unnecessary concern.
Given that it was a weekday and the weather was good, I was able to drive smoothly on the Joban Expressway. Ai-chan also seemed in the mood. After passing the Tsukuba Junction, I could see Mt. Tsukuba, standing grandly in the distance to the left.
It always looks the same—how I wish to be so unchanging myself.
Countryside expands, with golf courses here and there, and I slowly approach the equestrian club I am aiming for.
When I switch from the Joban Expressway to the local road, there are corn fields and chestnut fields scattered around here and there.
It seems the season has quietly changed to autumn… Finally, the heat of the summer has come to an end.
Today, I am in good condition, so I decided to record my riding posture. I will carefully observe the relationship between Rubens and me.
I was instructed to speed up a little more overall. I need to draw out the horse's motivation in the early stage of the lesson, using calf pressure and a bit of whip. Otherwise, it would be too late if the horse gets motivated only at the end of the lesson.
(In competitions, etc., motivation of the horse has to be drawn out in just a few minutes in the standby paddock.)
By the middle stage, Rubens' speed finally increased. (Phew!)
Now, if I can put strength into my lower abdomen as pointed out last time, it will start trotting in one go.
If not, it will trot after a few steps. The instructor will instruct to stop the horse because it's not beautiful.
I check the tension of the reins, whether the horse is facing inward, and whether I am closing my armpits. Now, challenge again. This time it started trotting beautifully in one go. It's a beautiful trot. My hands holding the reins are not moving up and down.
I am moving in unison with the horse, so the horse must be feeling good, too.
Even in the transition from trot to walk, my body managed to stop the horse without falling forward. For the first time in this lesson,
the instructor praised me. It was a beautiful stop.
Speaking of which, this instructor guides me with precise expressions. When you put strength into your lower abdomen,
the strength in your arms is released. (You can't do both at the same time.)
During the third-grade exam, when advancing in a walk, as the horse reached the corner, it increased its speed and became reactive. It was a horse that always tended to speed up. At that time, the instructor told me to "tighten your anus as if holding in a fart."
The horse's movement changed with the tightening of the anus.
Since I am learning breathing techniques, I understand the connection between the dan tian and the anus now.
I don't know whether my instructor knows this, but he probably understands it intuitively. Amazing!!!
I, who can't do it naturally, consciously tighten my anus when doing dan tian breathing.
Because I practice filling my abdomen with qi and grounding my abdomen… I still have a long way to go…