anyone here into classical riding? classical dressage. im now taking classical riding lessons with one of the top grand prix riders from the usa. he is really talented. but the sitting trot is so so hard for me. im earning my long stirrups.. my horse thank god is putting up with my bouncing , but i know it takes time to learn new stuff. i havent even started to jump yet. my trainer is starting me from the beginning all over..... he says ive learned a lot of things that are not correct...

anyone ever go to portugal to train. im thinking of taking a vacation where you go and ride top trained dressage horses........ gives you a feel for how it is supposed to be, plus you ride all over the mountains and see the sights.......

oops. i put this in the wrong place... sorry.

I used to back in the day. I'm too heavy now and it's harder to hang on!! Hopefully once I get banded and lose a bunch I can get back into it. Also got a little too expensive!!

Well, a bit off topic, but let me say that I am glad to say there are other bandsters here who are motivated by riding. In 2005 I took my novice horse and barrel raced him every weekend until we ended our season placing 2nd in our class...then just gained weight from there. In barrel racing, every tenth and hundredth of a second counts, and so does every pound. I was heavy then, but he was just that good. Now I am much heavier than I was, and I am SO THRILLED to be getting a band on April 3rd so that I can begin my journey to 140, and barrel race competitivly again.

Bravo to you for taking Dressage from a qualified instructor. There was a point where I though I might have to give up riding alltogether.

Barrel racing, like any discipline, is dependent upon the amount of training your horse has and the ability of the rider. I actually took a few lessons on my barrel horse, and he was a natural. If I did not have intentions of racing him again, I would have pursued it further, but so much of Dressage has the horse "on the bit" as opposed to using more back end for barrel racing. I have taken some, not much, but some, and I understand about the sitting trot. Just remember to soften your lower back. Doing core strength exercise might help too, like the big toner balls that everyone uses now. JMHO. Good luck, and enjoy every minute of it! Portugal sounds like FUN!

ive been doing lots of core work , lifting weights , running and swimming now that i got the pool up and going. its now 85-90 degrees in arizona. i try to keep my back soft but it is really difficult for me. i find myself sitting back a bit to compensate. im doing lots of circles to learn precise control, and proper bending. then after 20 mins of that , i hit the track, raise my stirrups two holes and trot in the two point around the track with my trainer yelling at me ,keep going....... he says 4 times around is a mile. when i can ride two point for 1 mile at the trot. then, i get to start course work and jumping..... i love the classical dressage , but now i know why they say it is so much practice.. sometimes i just want to ride with a long loose rein and ride the trail. but ,, my horse is too expensive to trail ride. thats what my trainer says. if i want to trail ride he told me to go by a trail horse......... oh well. i cant complain. this guy is so good. somedays i want to scream at him that i quit. but i suck it up and keep trying.........

one of the top barrel racers in the world went to my trainer for balance work. she started winning after his training. it shows that the fundamentals are so important no matter what disipline you ride. hope you get back to your riding. it is my passion, horses and then dogs...... gotta have em.

I rode last night, and thought of you as I jogged my horse around without posting. I am lucky, he can be pretty smooth. But I am having a hard time getting him rounded up and not hollowed out. He is young and never got the proper basics he needed because we were riding so many of the other horses, and he was just so easy!

I agree, it is my passion too. It is the reason I am getting this lap band. Might sound strange to some, but I can not imagine a life without riding. And I love my doggie too!

I used to show hunters and had horses throughout my childhood and into my upper teens when I lost interest, then I got fat. I would LOVE to be able to ride again (without hurting the horse! LOL) and maybe, hopefully, one day I can. Maybe another 20 lbs or so and I won't feel so cumbersome. (And can actually heave my fat butt up into the saddle! LOL)

i have this book of the cowboys in the west ,it all great photos and quotes.....i like the one that says," never eat more than your horse can carry" lol. good thing i have a strong horse......... she is huge. good luck with the riding. im trying to get a slow jog to work on my sitting trot. my trainer tells me to forget it and practice at the full trot because im going to have to sit the extended trot anyway........ im like... omg!!! my poor horse. thank god she is so good. she is just still young and learning..... but she is better than me..........