“You don’t learn from experience… You learn from reflecting on experience.”
Do you ever re-watch your videos from last year before the new year starts?
I did that this winter, and I think I came up with something fantastic.
I watched all my videos… Ok, I didn’t keep the really awful ones, they are in the trash where they belong. But I watched all the rest: every horse, every show, and every round. And I took notes of what I noticed over the course of a whole year that needed addressing.
Keep reins short – consistent contact
Recover early – stay tall, don’t get tugged out of the tack. Being too forward makes the arrival at the next fence weak.
Keep canter in check/in front of the leg. (Going fast doesn’t equal in front of leg) – Canter gets too big, that’s when you chip!
Put your leg on before you start your course – Not to be bigger but you can’t do anything with out using your legs.
From this short list of things needing addressing, I made some plans to actually address them.
Try practicing with knots in the reins
Try shortening stirrups to make stronger core
Do this work everyday
Also do this work everyday
If I didn’t look back at all the videos, I’m not sure I would have made the same list of things just based on memory alone. Turns out the video evidence is incontrovertible.
Check out this super article: https://horsenetwork.com/2017/12/reflect-learn-making-2018-best-riding-year-ever/ It got me thinking about this and note the quote at the top:
