After Daisy’s lesson, Flossie had her first riding lesson on my Icelandic horse, Klængur.
I love this – Flossie catches her horse, tacks him up and then gets herself ready. You have no idea how long I have waited for this moment.
Anywho, Flossie had to want and ask to learn to ride without my input. I think it is important that my daughters learn to ride because THEY want to and not because it would make me happy.
Bjørn, our FEIF Level 3 Instructor, decided that Flossie, having learned the basics on Haakon and Iacs, should now try a good tölt horse to get the feeling of what it is all about.
Klængur is not a straightforward ride in the indoor school by any means. It took me the best part of a year, when he first arrived, just to steer him round in a circle, while he had other independent thoughts! We did very weird circles for many months while we got the measure of each other.
Flossie and Klængur are good together and it was lovely to watch Flossie getting the feeling of a proper tölt. Despite her very serious riding face (let’s not call it Bitchy Resting), afterwards she said Klængur’s tölt was great fun (huzzah, another convert). She even went outside the cones that mark the corners and that is no mean feat.
Bjørn was wonderful with Flossie too. He helped, instructed and showed her how to achieve good riding practice – the important things such as hands, legs, half halts, outline, flexion, etc.
This is all during a storm too – the wind was howling outside but indoors Flossie was listening and learning.
I apologise for all the tölt photos but I am so proud of Flossie and Klængur. They make an awesome team!
*** blowing my nose now ***
Love seeing your girls ride! So happy for all of you!
I really like Flossie’s leg position!
I really like Flossie’s leg position! And her “serious riding face” just looks like concentration to me.
Hey Francis, what’s the chance of putting up a video of “tolt” so the the uneducated among us might better understand. Or, a ref where a video might already exist. Thanks from Down Under where the sun is shining with a lovely light breeze.
I think I told you I had to re-home my beautiful little Shetland mare due to health issues. However, I look forward every day to your blog.
Duncan
I agree with Duncan – a video to see this tolt would help this non-rider in Connecticut. How lovely for you to see your daughters enjoy the same things you do. And brava to Flossie for not wanting Mom to teach her but still wanting to learn to ride.
This is lovely to see. I pull some very odd faces when I am concentrating on riding!