A New Role

When people ask me 'How's the new job going?' I say to them 'Have you ever seen the show American Ninja Warrior?'.

Here's a taste of it:

That gal earned her chance to take a crack at that course, and she does it all with a smile on her face!  I compare my new job to the show because right now every task is a big challenge that I'm not always sure how to execute, and the last thing I want to do is fail in front of a crowd.  Nevertheless, I haven't fallen yet and have been getting lots of positive feedback along the way.

I'm putting in long hours to learn and to show that I'm ready to roll up my sleeves.  The sacrifice is that I have hardly ridden my beloved horses, and so this month's instalment is to share some of my favourite videos to inspire you and myself:

First one is German Olympian Hubertus Schmidt riding at a clinic in Massachusetts in 2009.  Every time I watch this video I see something new.  What I love about it is that Hubertus does not know this horse and yet they communicate to eachother and improve:

Next up is another one of my favourite riders Catherine Haddad-Staller not only riding, but talking the whole time she demonstrates!

You simply cannot go wrong with anything from Dressage & Eventing Champion Ingrid Klimke.  Her philosophies stand true:

Last one for today is Jeremy Steinberg riding his young mare Augie.  This is a relatively long video at 21 minutes.  That's a long time to ask you to pay attention, but otherwise you might not appreciate what a good training session really looks like.  This quiet, fair, consistent way is what I strive for.

Each of these riders has plenty more to offer you online if you just look.  

Until next time, I'll keep sweating (been taking some Hot Power Yoga classes), smiling and trying not to fall on my face!