Today was the day for my private lesson with Mr. R.
Having not seen them for a while, it seemed the horses had managed to get through the summer without suffering from the heat
exhaustion.
The horse assigned to me was a female Thoroughbred, capable of participating in competitive events.
Her name was Mint. She was a bit temperamental and would react to even the slightest stimuli. Riding a horse for the first time after a long break, and the fact that she was a mare, might have made me a bit nervous. She did not respond easily to my commands.
I had been forewarned by the instructor that she might behave this way.
When riding a horse that competes, it becomes necessary to have a sensitive grip on the reins, holding them lightly.
Even if the outer rein is tight, the hand holding the inner rein should be extended forward just enough.
A few years ago, I rode a horse at a visitor's riding club that behaved similarly. I learned that competitive horses, once accustomed to,
will move with light commands. I once had an experience of being taken on a wild gallop for a third of the arena's circumference.
Fortunately, I didn’t fall off and managed to bring the horse to a stop.
Mint was just like that.
The instructor suggested that it might be time for me to move on to a higher level lesson.
When the rider is calm and rides with composure, the horse naturally accepts the bit and moves gracefully.
However, I wonder if I have the skill to get Mint to that point. Perhaps I just have to trust the instructor's judgment?
Such were my thoughts on my riding day.
Can I really do it?