Lesson 5: March 20, 2011, Two-Point Position
After missing 3 lessons, I returned for a series of 6 lessons out of a possible 8 lessons each Sunday with the same Instructor. In other words, I missed two lessons. I had to get over my pride to go back to lessons. It paid off. Today, I came a long way in posting to the outer, lead diagonal of the trot. I properly posted to the outer, lead diagonal of the trot gait a few loops around the barn in a counter-clockwise and clockwise direction. I could visually recognize when I am posting correctly but cannot feel it without looking. Satisfied with my progress, we moved on to the two-point position at a walk and trot pace. Though, I leave it as an exercise from experience to recognize posting to the outer lead diagonal by feeling as well. This will take some time to learn, and some people never learn it. The two-point position means you lean forward out of the saddle, grabbing horse mane about half way up the horse’s long neck, while maintaining a straight line from the middle of the rider’s tail-spine down to the end of each foot while riding. The two-point is typically done while riding over cavalettis, but I did the two-point around the barn at a trot pace. You also have to keep your hands together in fists around the horse mane, and the bridle. It proved challenging because my calves kept wanting to dangle around the horse barrel rather than hug it’s barrel. This is because my Achilles tendon quickly became sore and tight. For homework, the instructor recommended walking around the house or up stairs on my heels to stretch out the tendon. Some people have a natural elasticity in their calves and feet, she commented to me. I will be looking for references on the two-point in the next few weeks. Starting a new page on this blog, called two-point.
