When it comes to riding, I'm a jack of all trades/master of none. I have reasonably good basics and enough knowledge and experience to ride most horses passably well. Beyond that, I'm pretty average. There isn't any one area in which I truly shine.
Mostly, I'm fine with that, but still... who doesn't want to be a superstar?
Horse yoga isn't a real discipline like dressage or show jumping, but unlike those sports, it held for me the promise of being something in which I might excel. After all, I spent most of my teenage years hanging off a bareback horse. I have no fear issues in that regard, plus, I've always been flexible. Several years ago, I attended some drop-in yoga classes at my neighborhood rec center. I didn't stick with it long enough to learn all the steps, but poses weren't a problem. Lotus position on a horse? Sounds totally do-able.
And it was...
but aside from that, I am as average at horse yoga as I am at riding!
Some of the positions were very easy for me...
even when my yoga mat, Freddy, developed a bad case of the wiggles.
On the other hand, I really struggled with the upper body work. I have lingering pain and reduced range of motion left over from last year's broken collarbone. I've recovered enough to lead a normal life, but horse yoga brought my limitations to the forefront.
Despite that, I really enjoyed my first horse yoga class. The instructor, Heather, was so positive and encouraging. She made me feel like I was doing really well even when I wasn't.
Also, she made sure every move ended with some horse petting or kissing... and who wouldn't want to kiss Freddy!
Thanks so much to Heather and Trisha and Freddy and Arwen.I may not have been a superstar, but I really enjoyed horse yoga!
That is so cool
ReplyDelete-Ava
what a nice class - i kinda wish we had something similar at my barn (tho i suspect my arab mare would take exception to being referred to as a 'yoga mat' lol). thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Looks like a lot of fun. :)
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