Thursday, March 1, 2012

Driving Standard

With the exception of my Sunbird, every car I have owned has been a standard shift. I have had a Toyota Corona, an Austin Mini, Toyota Tercel, Sunbird, Honda Accord and my current car, a Honda Civic. Obviously driving a luxury car or a trendy vehicle doesn’t mean that much to me. All I require in a car is that it be reliable, good on gas and low maintenance....oh, and look good with my hair colour. :-) I usually keep my cars for a long time: my Honda Civic, which looks like the picture below, is 10 years old.

The last few years, I have noticed that my finesse at shifting gears is not as good as it used to be. My touch and balance with the clutch it is not as smooth; it’s slightly jerky. For those of you who drive standard, you will understand what I mean. This issue seems to appear when I engage 1st gear from a stop. I sometimes end up revving the engine before the gear is engaged. Or perhaps, when I release the clutch I pop it instead of releasing it with a smooth motion. Not all the time, but still..... Balancing the clutch and gas when I am stopped on an incline has become an issue for me. I am terrified of rolling back into another car! More often than not, my car sounds like a small engine plane getting ready for take off as I try to ensure that the clutch is engaged just enough to keep the car still on the incline. This has become such an issue for me that during rush hour there are some hills that that I will go out of my way to avoid. Driving standard is becoming a pain in the buttinski.

I had it in my head that because I knew how to coordinate my feet and hands when driving my car, I would know how to coordinate them when it came to riding :-) Yes, I had visions of being able to ride any horse presented to me when I first started lessons because I would be able to communicate to them so subtly and precisely that horses would love me and people would be in awe of me. Ah, not quite. Sigh.

The last time I rode Gem in the arena, I did not have spurs on (I use English spurs) and I did not have my crop with me. He was preoccupied and unresponsive. There were times I really had to kick him to get his attention, I had to push much harder to get him going and to keep him moving. Maintaining my balance became an issue. I rode him for 30 minutes and when I dismounted I was exhausted. Now, some of you out there might think that I should be working hard like that regularly; that I should be able to ride my horse without the use of artificial aids, with the exception of the bit. But, this ride reminded me very much of my current situation with driving standard; not being able to coordinate the gas and the clutch. Not my idea of fun.

Gem is by nature curious and lazy. But he is low maintenance and reliable....like my cars. :-) I only get to see him twice a week, and if I want to have a decent ride during lesson, I have to wear spurs - it helps to give him a much clearer message of what I want and frankly, it makes it easier on me. The crop is more for show than anything else; he just needs to see that I have it. :-) These aids, used in conjunction with my verbal commands, help make the ride a more productive and pleasant experience for both of us. Does that make me lazy? Perhaps.

It was pointed out to me recently that Gem's response time to my cues to transition is much quicker. What? Could it be that we are working more as a team? Yipee! Yes, confidence plays a part in how he is reacting to me. But I also think that his quicker response time is a result of my brain is processing what needs to be done and my body reacting without me even realizing it! I am not over-thinking what needs to be done, like when I am on a hill trying to balance my clutch and gas. Cues are becoming ......dare I say it.....automatic!! This means that my hope of becoming a respectable rider is one step closer!

So, you see, automatic is the next phase in my life, both in car and riding skills. I am looking forward to both. I have started to look at cars with an automatic transmission. What do you think? The Veloster is new. It's good on gas and has had decent reviews. And, yes....it looks good with my hair colour.... ;-)Life Lesson: Read books. Not only will you learn how beautiful the written language is, you will learn about the world.

16 comments:

  1. I switched to an automatic years ago when we moved here. It's really hilly and the it was a pain to try and not roll backwards. You should have seen me when I had my daughter's standard Jeep for a week a while back,I would definitely try and avoid the higher hills and stop signs!

    You and Gem are a good team and working well with one another. It doesn't matter what horse you have they all sometimes don't feel like listening and ignore cues. When I rode Erik if I simply carried the crop he would listen, if I didn't, not so much. I rarely used it. I say it takes whatever works and if spurs and a crop make your ride more enjoyable use them. If there comes a time when you don't need them you'll know it. Have fun shopping for your new hair accessory and automatic!

    Like your life lesson. I'm never without a book and love to read.

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    1. I have really come to dread hilly drives!! I appreciate your comment re Gem and I working together. It's really starting to feel that way! Like your Erik, Gem just has to see the crop and I get his attention. :-) I, too, am never without a book. I have two or three books going at any given time - depending on what mood I am in depends on which one I pick up.

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  2. Manual cars are the rule here and automatics very much the exception. My dad used to have an automatic and I really enjoyed driving it. Very relaxing, although maybe that's not a good thing when you're driving! I drive a jeep that looks like a haybarn on wheels and I've had one occasion towing the horsebox that the engine stalled going up our hill, so I had to reverse back off. I'm sure I lost a stone in sweat that day, it was a terrifying experience so now I revv up the engine so high when I approach the hill that they can probably hear me on the other side of the country!

    I love reading too, and I usually have a horsey book and a novel going at the same time.

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    1. I can't imagine having to back down a hill!! Yikes!

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  3. I drove my sister's automatic once, my left foot felt ever so redundant *lol* I used to really hate hill-starts but not so much now with my 'new', second-hand car, a Citroen, which I've had for about 7 months now. Maybe because it's smoother compared to the old one? I do drive it with a lot more confidence than my little Rover.

    Not that I'm an expert, but following your story with Gem, it sounds like he does respond heaps better to you than he used to. I agree with GHM - go with whatever works for you.

    Btw, your potential new car is the same colour as mine :D

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    1. Thanks, Joy! I think Gem and have improved,too. BTW, red is a good colour for us. ;-)

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  4. Gem is by nature curious and lazy. But he is low maintenance and reliable....

    What a nice description of your horse.

    Abby

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  5. I hadn't thought much about hand/foot coordination with riding... but you are right. It is part of it all!
    I used to have a standard and loved it. Then I bought a Prius when I had a job that required a lot of travel. I mourned over trading in my standard PT Cruiser... but I do love my gas mileage with the Prius!

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    1. I went from being a bit of a standard snob to being an automatic convert.

      I'm glad I know how, but really can't find much purpose in it anymore.

      Gem and you are growing so great together! Keep it going!

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    2. Dreaming - I don't know much about hybrids, but the Prius is a nice looking car and yes, great gas mileage. ;-) Can you plug it in any where?

      Breathe - I think it's a good idea to know how to drive both standard and automatic, but I am ready for an automatic. Thanks for your positive comment re Gem and I!

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  6. Hee hee, Gem is like my 2005 Toyota Corolla. I was taught to drive on a manual transmission and every car I've owned has been manual. Automatics are just boring to drive.

    Funny story: the first time I tried to drive an automatic I stalled it, I kept trying to use my left foot!

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    1. Hi Shannon - I have driven standards for over 30 years. Time for a change! I have driven My Husband's automatic, and almost put myself through the windshield a couple of times using my left foot on the brake! It will take some time to get used to it. :-)

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    2. :) There's definitely a learning curve going from standard to automatic! I like the interactivity of the shifter and pedals, but it's not always the most relaxing. Like when you're stuck in miles of bumper to bumper traffic...

      I've been considering spurs... how do you know when your leg is steady enough?

      You and Gem have been consistently improving - sounds like whatever you're doing is working.

      Love your Dad's words of wisdom.

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  7. I hear ya re sitting in traffic! Hate having to shift up and down all the time.

    When my balance had improved enough where I wasn't leaning on the reins and pitching forward all the time, my instructor said I could use spurs. The ones I use have a round nub and are 1" long. They are not huge, but just enough to help communicate. I have just started working on side pass and two-tracking, and I don't think I could communicate moving over without them.

    Re Dad, thanks. :-)

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  8. We have the same outlook about what type of car to own. Owning a Ferrari when I can’t afford even to gas it up won’t make any sense now, would it? Regarding the transmission, yes, you should definitely change from manual to automatic. Not having to worry about the clutch and the gear shifting, you’ll be much more comfortable driving an automatic car.

    Nicole Vickers

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