Well! I had my lunge lesson! It was so much fun!! And boy am I sore <IMG src="smileys/smiley5.gif" border="0"> Legs, butt, abs, youch! But I had a great time! I worked on sitting trot the entire time, I used the side reins so had no reins, I started off with my stirrups but found they were bugging me so I took them away too. Eja was the <IMG src="smileys/smiley10.gif" border="0"> I thought she'd be, she trucked around for a good 15 minutes, no questions asked
And now I understand about the sitting trot much better than I did before... I did this lean back excersize... You hold the pommel with your outside hand to try and pull yourself a bit deeper in the saddle and place your inside hand on your thigh so that you can keep your shoulders back... than you lean back for about 10 seconds or so and that helps to get your seat bones under you properly... when you sit straight again you keep your seat bones where they were... it was really neat!
And thanks again Jax for lunging me!! <IMG src="smileys/smiley4.gif" border="0">
Ruth - Yes, when I was younger and much braver I took lessons for years at a large eventing barn. We had to do gymnastic lines with no stirrups, no reins and eyes closed to learn balance and to learn to wait for the horse. It was TONS of fun, we used to have a blast!