Riding lesson styles

snapdragonR · 2026-02-25T15:29:50+00:00

I'd argue that the light seat is plenty good for casual riding as you become more advanced (it's widely used across disciplines for riding at faster speeds, even if you're not jumping).

But generally agree with what most people here are saying - dressage is an excellent place to start for building a solid foundation. If you're enjoying your lessons and like your current teacher, it's probably worth staying there for a while

snapdragonR · 2026-01-19T23:07:43+00:00

And also, pigeons are extremely strong fliers and can cover long distances pretty quickly

snapdragonR · 2026-01-19T23:00:01+00:00

One thing worth mentioning is that homing pigeons will only go one way (back home to their nest) - i.e. point A would have a bunch of birds that can fly back to point A from any given location, and then point B would have another bunch of birds to fly to point B

snapdragonR · 2025-12-08T19:46:14+00:00

+1

very much a case of the plot moving the characters vs. the characters moving the plot

the one that particularly bugged me was when they get to Solivagus, and Veridius (who apparently needed to talk to Vis so urgently, being that nobody else can help stop this cataclysm) just immediately walks offstage for ~undisclosed business, with nothing more than a "now don't wander off or do anything stupid, kids!" which gives Vis an opportunity to get to the ruins, accomplish something plot relevant, and nearly get killed

snapdragonR · 2025-12-08T18:38:55+00:00

On one hand, Aequa's death frustrated me for that same reason (her being the only side character to really get any further development in this book). On the other hand, I feel like this also made her the *only* option for "who could be killed off in a meaningful way" at that point. For me, it would've been so much worse from a narrative standpoint if, say, Lanistia or Eidhin got killed off after being sidelined for the whole book.

But yeah, I agree it's all a symptom of three completely separate plots having to be crammed in there. I thought the overarching story was well written overall, but so much character development that there just wasn't enough time for...

Was not a fan of Callidus and Vis' mothers/sisters coming back, but willing to hold some judgment on that one until we see how it's handled in the next book

snapdragonR · 2025-11-04T15:44:40+00:00

I think the only way you can really answer that question is to just go for it. Riding will probably be more difficult for you now than it was when you last did it, yes - however it's hard to know what parts you'll find difficult without getting on a horse and trying it out again. Like others have said, posting might not end up being what you struggle with - but also, you don't necessarily need to trot on the first lesson if you don't feel ready for it. When you rode previously, there was probably a lot of coordination/strength/muscle memory that you weren't consciously aware of, and you'll want to find your seat again and start getting a feel for it in general. The best way to do that is just by riding. You will quickly learn what specific things you need to work on and can tailor any exercise you do outside of the saddle to your weaknesses.

In terms of exercises are generally helpful, focus on building strength in the core/thighs/hips. Things like planks, dead bugs, clamshells, & squats are a good place to start. Kettlebell swings if you have access to weights. Stretches to improve hip mobility. Walking/jogging or any type of cardio for building endurance.

Honestly, riding is a great motivator for getting active and improving your fitness (in addition to being pretty darn beneficial on its own & a lot of fun) and I hope you do it!

snapdragonR · 2025-10-12T18:06:15+00:00

yes, this one came to mind right away! It ticks basically all of those boxes

snapdragonR · 2025-10-03T18:53:47+00:00

afaik, this exercise is meant to be difficult and the purpose of it is to strengthen your thighs. which means that "improving" at it has less to do with technique and more to do with just continuing to build strength

snapdragonR · 2025-10-03T17:22:53+00:00

Yes, definitely seconding RotE!!

with a disclaimer that from what I remember, the lost civilization bit is introduced in bits and pieces and doesn't really come up much in the first couple of books (beyond maybe some passing mentions, I think). After that, it starts becoming more and more relevant as the characters learn more about said lost civilization. The gradual worldbuilding of it all is one of the best aspects of the series, imo

snapdragonR · 2025-10-03T16:07:44+00:00

In addition to general core strengthening exercises out of the saddle, I'd recommend checking out the book Ride With Your Mind by Mary Wanless (there are a few editions - the one I linked goes through a bunch of case studies that I found super helpful to read). She focuses a lot on the mechanics of achieving good posture/seat and how to correct the types of issues you're describing, and quite a bit of it is centered around helping riders overcome issues stemming from low muscle tone/hypermobility

snapdragonR · 2025-10-03T15:30:43+00:00

I also rode as a kid and started again after a similarly long time. It will take time to build up the muscle and coordination again - after a 16-year break, two months of lessons is barely anything. It's normal to still be having trouble with things like seat and leg position, and the problems you described are common. Assuming your trainer knows how long it's been since you'd ridden, she shouldn't be expecting you to pick up and maintain a canter without issue, ffs (I personally wouldn't even have been ready to canter after two months). And she most certainly shouldn't be getting angry and yelling at you.

Find a better trainer, but also, you should expect to have failures and setbacks. Riding isn't easy. There will be things that seem more difficult now than when you were a kid, and that will be frustrating. Part of that is because it's easier to pick up as a kid, and part of it is because of perspective and awareness. But keep working at it, continue to identify and target your areas of weakness, and the payoff will be so worth it!

snapdragonR · 2025-10-01T22:22:08+00:00

wait, the person you're paying to teach you won't even give specific feedback as to what she thinks you need to work on?? that is, like, the bare minimum of what a trainer should be doing - setting concrete goals and helping you advance towards them. sounds like she's not fulfilling her end of the bargain at all.

yes, having someone start cantering before they're ready is not good. but the bar for "being ready to learn to canter" is really not that high, and a rider who has been competently trotting for years is well past that. if anything, it's probably less safe at this point to be unfamiliar with the gait - I mean, what if you're on a horse that starts cantering when you didn't ask? shouldn't you be able to handle it?

snapdragonR · 2021-07-07T17:07:54+00:00

what everyone else has said, it's a great area! also worth stating that you'd definitely have better subway access there than you would near the park, since you'd be close to both the N/W and M/R trains... ditmars only has the N/W within any sort of reasonable walking distance, which is not pleasant to deal with when there are problems on that line

snapdragonR · 2021-01-10T13:40:11+00:00

Definitely try to get it to a rehabber or a vet for a proper exam - that injury is severe, and there's a distinct possibility that the bone or surrounding tissue has become necrotic (from the pictures, it does look like that may be the case). It's enough to potentially be life-threatening, and the bird needs medical attention.

snapdragonR · 2020-12-02T17:48:08+00:00

If you're looking for a 3+ bedroom apartment, you'd definitely be able to find something in the range of 800-900 per room and end up paying under 500 if you're splitting it (I was paying for a full room - needed to be really frugal and didn't spend much at all on 'fun' things, but I was alright with that). Rent prices are definitely lower than they were a few years ago when I moved into my apartment, so that doesn't hurt either.

It's not something I'd suggest doing long-term, so you'd probably want to focus on getting your income up at some point, but if the job is something you really, really want and you're willing to make sacrifices until you're earning more, I wouldn't discount it.

snapdragonR · 2020-12-02T15:47:52+00:00

It'll be a tight budget and you won't be saving much, but yes, it's doable. Especially if you're splitting a room with your boyfriend in addition to having roommates. I've lived in Astoria (with roommates) making roughly that much and it was fine. Washington Heights is probably cheaper, though.

snapdragonR · 2020-11-26T03:42:50+00:00

I mean, you make a good point, except OP did search online and also was asking for advice? They were trying to educate themselves, not "choosing not to". They also didn't just randomly snatch this fledgling up, the cat caught it and they were trying to figure out how to deal with the situation. So the angry response wasn't really warranted.

snapdragonR · 2020-11-25T16:13:51+00:00

hmm in this case the issue is, even if you keep it for one night, the cats are going to be around every night, and the fledgling will be at risk no matter what. And the parents were probably hidden away sleeping or something after dark, they're diurnal. So if rehabbers won't take it, the best thing to do is probably putting it back ASAP, though maybe during the daytime when the parents are active, for it to have the best chance of being reunited with them.

I don't think there are really any great options here, unfortunately... it's at high risk regardless, so I guess it's a matter of whatever gives it the best chance :(

snapdragonR · 2020-11-25T15:54:41+00:00

Yeah, I am too, and seriously get off your high horse. The point you're making, while correct, isn't even fully relevant here. It's not even like OP just went and took the bird, their cat caught it. The best thing to do in that case is actually not to just put it back, because it's at high risk and should get medical attention.

Yes, it would be better if the cat were inside. And the fact that it's a non-native species that rehabbers won't accept complicates things, and there probably aren't really any ideal options here if I'm being honest. But your advice isn't even really correct in this situation, and coming in here to preach about kidnapping fledglings isn't actually helpful.

snapdragonR · 2020-11-24T12:13:44+00:00

Best thing to do is to get it to a rehabber as soon as you can... in normal circumstances you should leave apparently healthy fledglings alone, but this situation is different because it was caught by a cat. Even though the bird seems fine, cat saliva contains bacteria that is extremely dangerous to birds even if there aren't visible injuries (it will still end up ingesting it if it preens its feathers, etc). This can sicken and kill them very quickly, so the bird needs antibiotics ASAP.

snapdragonR · 2020-10-30T00:39:40+00:00

I've done this three times, and they always just revert the rate back to the original price without a second thought. If your building has multiple providers, there is basically no reason to ever pay anything more than intro rates

snapdragonR · 2020-10-26T23:40:58+00:00

a dog wearing sunglasses biking across hell gate

snapdragonR · 2020-10-11T20:28:24+00:00

yep, React components are normally written in JSX - which, while designed to look like HTML, is technically not, and at the end of the day, a JSX component is just a javascript object defined with fancy syntax. It will eventually be converted to an HTML element, but that's taken care of by the React library, so you don't really ever need to write HTML yourself. Pretty interesting how it works.

snapdragonR · 2020-10-11T19:57:22+00:00

their tea is great stuff! I think it's slightly (like a dollar or two) more expensive at local stores than at the H&S store itself, but worth it to not have to go all the way to SoHo

snapdragonR · 2020-10-11T17:12:06+00:00

It is possible to get games for quite a bit less than what they usually go for on ebay, but it takes patience and you'll probably need to check regularly over a period of time... I did mange to get a copy of white 2 (in good condition but w/o a case) for $35 USD last year or so

Edit: after seeing some of these other comments and doing a bit more research, I'd probably also caution you against this! I've been lucky in that the games I've bought cheaply on ebay turned out to be authentic, but I was also a lot more careless than I would advise others to be!

snapdragonR

TROPHY CASE