Bad Rides

So we've been moved for almost 2 weeks now, and though there haven't been many rides so far... they've all been either just ok or quite crappy. At first, I kind of wrote it off as "we just moved here, we need time to adjust" but I can't help but feel disheartened. To start, not being able to have a trainer of any sorts for awhile is NOT ideal. I have always had a trainer, always had at least 2 lessons a month, and for the past 2 years or so I have exclusively jumped in lessons. That all in itself is a change. I am constantly worried now that I am developing bad habits, and questioning every single thing I do, and surely that's not helping me have good rides! On top of that it has been super hot, and Otie has been a complete zombie.

More like a sleeping cat, at least zombies have goals.

So as usual, I am ruining things and both of us are suffering. So how am I planning to fix it? Well, for starters, I am rereading Centered Riding by Sally Swift. The book has ton of ways to help you become more self-aware (accurately, not just by being paranoid) as well as more aware of your horse and how he is moving. Hopefully, re-reading it will help me calm down and be more relaxed, and allow myself to be a leader instead of a flailing sack of potatoes. I also have articles and articles to re-read that talk about proper warm-ups, good progressions of movements to work on, etc. Hopefully, that will help too.

This dinosaur rides 10,000x better than me.

Also, I am bringing out the ol' GoPro. This idea was courtesy of the wonderful boyfriend. I am going to film EVERY RIDE, review it in the evenings (when I can find the time), maybe save a short clip per day, and delete the videos. It's always funny how people describe their own rides, at shows for example. They walk out with an "ew that test was crappy" but you try to assure them that it looked great from your perspective... then if you videoed, you show them the clip and it turns into "oh well that wasn't so bad". Or vice versa (but hopefully not). This is why I do have a riding journal, so I can write down how rides felt and what we worked on. Having a video to watch from them will give me that second perspective, and will allow me to be a hypercritical "trainer" for myself.

Me watching myself ride.

Long story (with no pretty pictures) short, what do you do after a series of bad rides?