Price of Knowledge.

Random cute pic.
'Did you come bearing cookies?'

What is the price of knowledge?

I have had doted most of my late riding attention to improving the way I ride because it actually makes a huge difference in what P is willing to give me and the quality of what I get... duh!
*insert long over due light bulb moment*

Looking back I thought I already knew this but do you ever truly know what you knew?
*yes, that is my yoda reflection moment of today's post* 

I had originally thought I had not learned very much in the one lesson I had taken with the Centered Riding coach a few months prior and I truly thought most of the information gleaned would be in one ear and quickly out the other. It was just too different from everything that has always been drilled into my head.
At the time, I thought, 'well that is just interesting... buuutt I am not sure it is right for me/P' A polite dismissal.
I nearly went as far as thinking that I had just donated my money to yet another coach who just wasn't right for us.

Recently, while I drifted into 'Ride Reflection Time', ie the daily work commute, I tried to pick apart what I have been doing differently in the past couple months as Paloma has slowly become more and more sensitive and responsive to my aids. I toyed with the idea that she is just feeling her oats but I also noted other changes in her.
One being, her muscling. When looking at her from the side I notice a pretty drastic change in the shape of her shoulder and the upper portion of her neck near the base. It appears to almost be a slanted and elongated tear drop pointing towards her poll. Even the depth of her shoulder has changed.
Where before she was more or less a true 'barrel' shape. No definition in her middle area.
Now, her shoulder actually protrudes, in a nice way. Looking more horse, less pony.

So, what is the connection here?

Answer. My riding.


I have been really focusing on being strong and straight in my seat and core. With an emphasis on 'Ski-ing legs'.
The core strength and thinking about being strong in my position is nothing new, just often forgotten.
The 'Ski-ing Legs', however, is new knowledge gained by this one Centered Riding lesson.
At first and for awhile after, it was extremely uncomfortable, even to the point where I thought my once tight hips would fall out of joint for a few days after. But after awhile of setting my legs by hand, lifting my thighs off the saddle one my one, turning my thigh a bit inward so more of my inner thigh was against the tack and my inner calf gently 'fell' against P's barrel, end result, my toe a bit straighter and heal away from P's sides. There, BUT only 'there' when I need them.
When I first heard this theory I thought, 'this is classic knee pinching'. Although, now I see it actually isn't!
Your knees will only pinch with a tight hip and unrelaxed leg. The main goal here is to strengthen your seat via your thigh and core and allow your leg to 'hang' and to only give aids when you mean it. Clarity.

Ah-hah!

These two, among a few others unrealized changes I am sure, have been instrumental in acquiring the softer, sensitive and more forward side of P that I rarely see unless Shelley, my past and sporadically present dressage coach, is riding.

In the end, I am learning to not so hastily judge the value of knowledge and no, you cannot put a price on knowledge.


'Hullo Dressage Queen bub-bye Hunter Princess?   

*cringe*