Finesse Breakthrough

Dear Friends,

I had a super week with Remmer and Walter Zettl last week! On the second day, I got a bit concerned because I thought Remmer felt heavy. When I told Walter, though, he had this bewildered look on his face. We watched the video that evening, and I could see why Walter had been so confused…Remmer looked fantastic!

By studying the video, I realized I kind of lost confidence about what I was doing when Rem got a little stronger in the contact. I’d never felt him coming over his back and forward into the contact to that degree before, so instead of encouraging him and getting more engaged in my own body, I got over-focused on the reins. Yich.

The next day, I went in with a completely difference attitude. I felt excited about the breakthrough in contact and engagement, so I rode with more confidence – as if I knew what I was doing! At times, Remmer got a little unsteady in the reins, so the next day Walter kept us in the basics and focused on getting him more steady, mainly by getting me to be a bit more particular about it.

It’s really so exciting (and challenging) to be a student, isn’t it? I know there are times I doubt myself, but they’re short-lived. Many students go through that, and it’s important to know it’s part of learning; you’re out of your comfort zone and it’s easy to get disillusioned or down and want to give up. That’s exactly when you need to do the opposite. Check your attitude and remind yourself that it’s all part of the game. The only thing you can control is your attitude, and that’s something Pat and I work very hard on. :-)

Yours naturally,
Linda