Festive greetings, everyone!
I hope you are all have an excellent time regardless of whether you celebrate Christmas or not! I love Christmas, mostly because of the decorations. One of my fondest childhood memories is walking the dogs in the evening and going down this one particular street where everyone seemed to have lights on their roofs and some had giant inflatables and the likes to create various Christmas scenes. I also love Christmas because it means that I get a break from school, and let's face it we can all do with a break!
This year I feel very spoilt as my parents gave me a lot of presents even though I only asked for one. I always feel guilty asking for things, especially as my birthday is so close to Christmas, but I really wanted some half chaps/gaiters (which I will be doing a product review of either January or February most likely). I didn't ask for anything else, but they still felt the need to buy me miscellaneous items. One of my favourites is a panda onesie, which is the most comfortable thing I have ever worn, although the tail does have to be shifted for some positions to be pain-free! I also got some festive socks, which makes me happy because I always seem to be in need of more. Is it just me who finds socks getting threadbare ridiculously quickly?
I didn't get to enjoy my presents for too long as family came over to ours for Christmas dinner, so I had to be somewhat presentable (and by that I mean dressed in something other than a fluffy panda onesie). I don't think we ever really thank Mum enough for all the effort she puts into Christmas dinner. There isn't a lot of counter space in our kitchen, so it can be difficult and what with me being vegetarian she has to juggle an alternative for me. This year I had a rather delicious nut roast cutlet and as yummy as it was, the most delicious item on the plate was the roast potatoes. Who doesn't love a roast potato? The delightful potatoes were followed by a heavenly Yule Log that left us all feeling rather full and sleepy. Brave was on TV so there for me the afternoon was perfectly relaxing. Disney on Christmas just makes perfect sense. Although I think Frozen would have made more sense given it being set in winter (sort of) and all. Or 101 Dalmations.
One of my other presents that will no doubt come in handy is a boot bag. For things like travelling to and from uni it will definitely be handy to have somewhere secure to stick my jodhpur boots (especially if they've gotten a bit muddy!).
Anyway! I hope you have all had a fantastic day. Did you get something from your wishlist? I'd love to hear what you are all getting up to.
Happy Holidays!
Friday 25 December 2015
Saturday 19 December 2015
The Competition
Hello, everyone!
First off, I'd like to apologise for taking so long to get around to posting this. I became quite busy and didn't really use my laptop at all, so sorry about that. With that out the way, on with the post!
I did manage to have the Pony Club session before the competition a couple of weeks ago. It gave me a good indicator of what Bails would be like at the competition, and was really good fun - even if we basically destroyed the last jump. I'm getting much better at riding courses now, and so I felt as prepared as I could be for the competition the next day.
The competition itself was really good. Bails was ridden by two other people before me, which was a
bit disappointing as he only went clear with the first person. After that there was one fence he wouldn't hit on the right stride, and he generally was just too excited to think about his feet. Nevertheless, I was mostly just there for the experience as opposed to claiming 1st place. I'm just not that competitive. So I walked away with a rosette that has special written on it, and I am perfectly happy with that. My instructor said it was the best course I had ridden, so whilst I may not have place highly it was still a personal best, and I think that's all that really matters.
My Dad did record the jumping, although I haven't actually seen that video yet, but I think it'll only prove that my position was a bit over the place. The jump that Bails wasn't hitting on the right stride in particular meant I was out of sync with him. I love riding Bails though because I never feel panicked in the approach to a jump, because he is so honest. The only scary part is when you finish the course and he won't stop, and you're not convinced he'll avoid the jumps!
One thing I would really like to work on is changing leg over a jump. Or just a generic flying change. Bails can be quite hard to bring back to a trot, so being able to do either of these things would be helpful in keeping relaxed so I'm not fighting him to come back to a slower pace. On the bright side, my instructor taught me a trick of sorts that enables me to know if I'm going to fast. Instead of counting '1, 2, 3' (because you can count that faster and faster), she told me to recite the days of the week. It being two syllables automatically means you can't say it quite as fast as the numbers, and if you start emphasising each half of it, then you really can't say it all that fast. So 'Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday' is my new jumping chant!
Well that's all from me. I hope you are all well, and I'd love to hear about your competition memories!
Until next time :)
First off, I'd like to apologise for taking so long to get around to posting this. I became quite busy and didn't really use my laptop at all, so sorry about that. With that out the way, on with the post!
I did manage to have the Pony Club session before the competition a couple of weeks ago. It gave me a good indicator of what Bails would be like at the competition, and was really good fun - even if we basically destroyed the last jump. I'm getting much better at riding courses now, and so I felt as prepared as I could be for the competition the next day.
The competition itself was really good. Bails was ridden by two other people before me, which was abit disappointing as he only went clear with the first person. After that there was one fence he wouldn't hit on the right stride, and he generally was just too excited to think about his feet. Nevertheless, I was mostly just there for the experience as opposed to claiming 1st place. I'm just not that competitive. So I walked away with a rosette that has special written on it, and I am perfectly happy with that. My instructor said it was the best course I had ridden, so whilst I may not have place highly it was still a personal best, and I think that's all that really matters.
My Dad did record the jumping, although I haven't actually seen that video yet, but I think it'll only prove that my position was a bit over the place. The jump that Bails wasn't hitting on the right stride in particular meant I was out of sync with him. I love riding Bails though because I never feel panicked in the approach to a jump, because he is so honest. The only scary part is when you finish the course and he won't stop, and you're not convinced he'll avoid the jumps!
One thing I would really like to work on is changing leg over a jump. Or just a generic flying change. Bails can be quite hard to bring back to a trot, so being able to do either of these things would be helpful in keeping relaxed so I'm not fighting him to come back to a slower pace. On the bright side, my instructor taught me a trick of sorts that enables me to know if I'm going to fast. Instead of counting '1, 2, 3' (because you can count that faster and faster), she told me to recite the days of the week. It being two syllables automatically means you can't say it quite as fast as the numbers, and if you start emphasising each half of it, then you really can't say it all that fast. So 'Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday' is my new jumping chant!
Well that's all from me. I hope you are all well, and I'd love to hear about your competition memories!
Until next time :)
Sunday 29 November 2015
Force of habit
Hello, everyone!
Today I had a private lesson on Bails in preparation for the jumping competition in two weeks time (and also, I couldn't make Pony Club yesterday). It was a good lesson in that my problem with show jumping is not the fences themselves but the fact that it's a course, so we primarily worked on that. My steering tends to go to pot when jumping courses, and I end up with too much energy going sideways instead of forward. My lesson today focussed a lot on my that, and my problem seems to be from things I've been taught over the years.
One of my big issues is that I have a tendency to hold my hands in the wrong position. They are either too low, or I open up the outside hand when turning. The latter problem is something I was taught last year in particular but it's now second nature to me. I do it without thinking. It's also why I end up with lateral movement. I have to teach myself to keep my hands closer together and to fix my outside hand more - which sounds easy, but when you're also being told that you need to be on one seat bone more than the other and elongate a leg to nudge the horse into straightness becomes a bit of challenge. To make it harder, there were lots of changes of rein to mess with my head, because what was left is suddenly right and what was right is left.
Bails was a star as always. When I get it correct he responds straight away, although by the end of the lesson he was knackered and had no energy left. On the bright side, I can now steer a lot better. I'm hoping direction won't be my problem with the course. The only downside of the lesson is that I didn't actually go over any jumps. The instructor just put some poles on the floor. In a way this was good, because it meant I didn't have to worry about light seat position and all that jazz, but it is a negative in that I now haven't jumped for a month and I've put myself in for the upper jumping class.
I'm hoping that I can have one more lesson before the competition, but even if I do it would be with a different instructor - so the new habits I'm trying to learn wouldn't be enforced! It's a bit of a vicious cycle because I have lot of habits that I need to adjust before the competition.
Of course, there's no guarantee that I'll be riding Bails for the competition in a fortnight. I could end up on a youngster, in which case a different riding style would be needed entirely. Bails has been around some pretty high level courses in his time so he knows what to do when it comes to show time. Nevertheless, it's all very confusing!
What are some of your bad habits, and how did you correct them (or realise they existed)?
Until next time!
Today I had a private lesson on Bails in preparation for the jumping competition in two weeks time (and also, I couldn't make Pony Club yesterday). It was a good lesson in that my problem with show jumping is not the fences themselves but the fact that it's a course, so we primarily worked on that. My steering tends to go to pot when jumping courses, and I end up with too much energy going sideways instead of forward. My lesson today focussed a lot on my that, and my problem seems to be from things I've been taught over the years.
One of my big issues is that I have a tendency to hold my hands in the wrong position. They are either too low, or I open up the outside hand when turning. The latter problem is something I was taught last year in particular but it's now second nature to me. I do it without thinking. It's also why I end up with lateral movement. I have to teach myself to keep my hands closer together and to fix my outside hand more - which sounds easy, but when you're also being told that you need to be on one seat bone more than the other and elongate a leg to nudge the horse into straightness becomes a bit of challenge. To make it harder, there were lots of changes of rein to mess with my head, because what was left is suddenly right and what was right is left.
Bails was a star as always. When I get it correct he responds straight away, although by the end of the lesson he was knackered and had no energy left. On the bright side, I can now steer a lot better. I'm hoping direction won't be my problem with the course. The only downside of the lesson is that I didn't actually go over any jumps. The instructor just put some poles on the floor. In a way this was good, because it meant I didn't have to worry about light seat position and all that jazz, but it is a negative in that I now haven't jumped for a month and I've put myself in for the upper jumping class.
I'm hoping that I can have one more lesson before the competition, but even if I do it would be with a different instructor - so the new habits I'm trying to learn wouldn't be enforced! It's a bit of a vicious cycle because I have lot of habits that I need to adjust before the competition.
Of course, there's no guarantee that I'll be riding Bails for the competition in a fortnight. I could end up on a youngster, in which case a different riding style would be needed entirely. Bails has been around some pretty high level courses in his time so he knows what to do when it comes to show time. Nevertheless, it's all very confusing!
What are some of your bad habits, and how did you correct them (or realise they existed)?
Until next time!
Friday 27 November 2015
I hear sleigh bells!
It's that wonderful time of year where people put up their Christmas decoration and the shops start playing our favourite Christmas tunes in the middle of November. We both love it and hate it.
In between buying presents for birthdays and, of course, Christmas, I received word that the annual Christmas show jumping competition is happening next month. This is a small event my stables throws. It's just a bit of fun for its clients. There's the actual jumping of the course as well as the dressing up element, so it's usually pretty good.
This year I made the brave (or stupid, we'll see!) decision to sign myself up for the upper class. I've normally always stuck with the lower due to inexperience with courses, and also I tend to have a run out or two. My steering gets a little off, especially when the horse/pony I'm riding gets a tad excited and doesn't seem to be able to turn any more so we just keep going sideways - yes Duke, I'm talking about you!
I decided to sign myself up for the upper class for a couple of reasons though. Firstly, it could well be my last competition at the stables, for Christmas at least. Next year I'll still be at University and won't be back in time to do the competition, and the same will apply for the two years after that. Depending on where I go to university, I may end up moving away. I'm sure I'll find another stables, but it really isn't the same.
The other reason is that sometimes the horses concentrate more on bigger jumps. Bailey is a great example of this because on many occasion I have ridden him over jumps and he has let his back legs kick the pole for the simple reason he doesn't put the effort in if he doesn't consider the jumps worth his while. If the jumps get bigger he starts picking his hooves up and really thinking about it.
I would really like to place this year, but I'm not sure how much practice I'll be able to put in. I'm going to miss Pony Club this weekend, so I'll only have half an hour on Sunday. Depending on how much money I have in my bank account affects whether I'll make the next session of Pony Club, and then it's the show on the 13th!
Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully this year none of the costumes will prevent the rider from getting on the horse - last year someone's antler-hat had to be replaced with a plain, normal hat or else she would not have got on her horse!
Have you got any competitions coming up?
Until next time :)
In between buying presents for birthdays and, of course, Christmas, I received word that the annual Christmas show jumping competition is happening next month. This is a small event my stables throws. It's just a bit of fun for its clients. There's the actual jumping of the course as well as the dressing up element, so it's usually pretty good.
This year I made the brave (or stupid, we'll see!) decision to sign myself up for the upper class. I've normally always stuck with the lower due to inexperience with courses, and also I tend to have a run out or two. My steering gets a little off, especially when the horse/pony I'm riding gets a tad excited and doesn't seem to be able to turn any more so we just keep going sideways - yes Duke, I'm talking about you!
I decided to sign myself up for the upper class for a couple of reasons though. Firstly, it could well be my last competition at the stables, for Christmas at least. Next year I'll still be at University and won't be back in time to do the competition, and the same will apply for the two years after that. Depending on where I go to university, I may end up moving away. I'm sure I'll find another stables, but it really isn't the same.
The other reason is that sometimes the horses concentrate more on bigger jumps. Bailey is a great example of this because on many occasion I have ridden him over jumps and he has let his back legs kick the pole for the simple reason he doesn't put the effort in if he doesn't consider the jumps worth his while. If the jumps get bigger he starts picking his hooves up and really thinking about it.
I would really like to place this year, but I'm not sure how much practice I'll be able to put in. I'm going to miss Pony Club this weekend, so I'll only have half an hour on Sunday. Depending on how much money I have in my bank account affects whether I'll make the next session of Pony Club, and then it's the show on the 13th!
Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully this year none of the costumes will prevent the rider from getting on the horse - last year someone's antler-hat had to be replaced with a plain, normal hat or else she would not have got on her horse!
Have you got any competitions coming up?
Until next time :)
Saturday 21 November 2015
Are you going to university?
Have you considered what you'd like to do at uni yet?
I'm in my last year of secondary school, so next September I'll be off to university. It was only this year that I made a decision about what I would like to study, so whether you're in year 12 or year 10 (or equivalent) remember that it's okay to change your mind.
When I was in year 12, I always thought that I would end up studying English and/or History for my degree. I never even considered anything else. That all changed when my Dad pointed out to me that it was possible to do other things at university, things that might be better suited to my interests, like horses.
It hadn't really occured to me that you could do anything horse related at university, besides joining a horse riding society etc. Once I started looking at equine degrees, I realised that it was actually what I would love to do. In fact, I now even have a career in mind.
So what equine degrees are out there? Well, I've applied to do equine science courses, because I would like to help retrain and rehabiliate horses, and the science courses tend to have behavioral and therapy modules. I would like to mention here that I don't study any sciences for my A Levels. Yep, that's right. I've applied for an equine science degree with my highest science qualification being at GCSE. How? Because the colleges I've applied for don't need it.
There are some that will need a science, but it's really important to just check these things without assuming. I nearly assumed a science was necessary, but actually I just need to show that I have the potential to study at degree level, and be prepared to put in the effort learn the science skills.
Of course, there are other equine degrees. One of my back up options is all about training and management, but there are others that are about behaviour, equine performance and coaching, and equine therapy. There are probably even more out there that I don't know about. Some include riding, some don't (although there is an opportunity to ride at most places).
If you are interested in studying horses for your degree, don't be put off by them being based at colleges. It's actually a blessing because seminar sizes are smaller, you get to know the lecturers, and usually the campus is really pretty because the college will offer agricultural and horticultural courses too (and there are some really adorable animals if the college does small/farm animal courses).
I'm really excited to go to university now that I know that I'll love what I'll be doing. I have an interview in a couple of weeks for my first choice college/uni, and the rest I have received offers from - so hopefully before the year is out I'll be able to make my choices and start applying for the more stressful things like the student loan.
If you take anything away from this post, then I really hope it's that there are so many courses out there that you don't need to do anything conventional. If you're living in the UK and would like to take a look at some equine courses, then I'd recommend Hadlow college, Writtle College, Myerscough College and Hartpury College. These colleges should give you a taste of the variety there is to choose from.
Until next time!
I'm in my last year of secondary school, so next September I'll be off to university. It was only this year that I made a decision about what I would like to study, so whether you're in year 12 or year 10 (or equivalent) remember that it's okay to change your mind.
When I was in year 12, I always thought that I would end up studying English and/or History for my degree. I never even considered anything else. That all changed when my Dad pointed out to me that it was possible to do other things at university, things that might be better suited to my interests, like horses.
It hadn't really occured to me that you could do anything horse related at university, besides joining a horse riding society etc. Once I started looking at equine degrees, I realised that it was actually what I would love to do. In fact, I now even have a career in mind.
So what equine degrees are out there? Well, I've applied to do equine science courses, because I would like to help retrain and rehabiliate horses, and the science courses tend to have behavioral and therapy modules. I would like to mention here that I don't study any sciences for my A Levels. Yep, that's right. I've applied for an equine science degree with my highest science qualification being at GCSE. How? Because the colleges I've applied for don't need it.
There are some that will need a science, but it's really important to just check these things without assuming. I nearly assumed a science was necessary, but actually I just need to show that I have the potential to study at degree level, and be prepared to put in the effort learn the science skills.
Of course, there are other equine degrees. One of my back up options is all about training and management, but there are others that are about behaviour, equine performance and coaching, and equine therapy. There are probably even more out there that I don't know about. Some include riding, some don't (although there is an opportunity to ride at most places).
If you are interested in studying horses for your degree, don't be put off by them being based at colleges. It's actually a blessing because seminar sizes are smaller, you get to know the lecturers, and usually the campus is really pretty because the college will offer agricultural and horticultural courses too (and there are some really adorable animals if the college does small/farm animal courses).
I'm really excited to go to university now that I know that I'll love what I'll be doing. I have an interview in a couple of weeks for my first choice college/uni, and the rest I have received offers from - so hopefully before the year is out I'll be able to make my choices and start applying for the more stressful things like the student loan.
If you take anything away from this post, then I really hope it's that there are so many courses out there that you don't need to do anything conventional. If you're living in the UK and would like to take a look at some equine courses, then I'd recommend Hadlow college, Writtle College, Myerscough College and Hartpury College. These colleges should give you a taste of the variety there is to choose from.
Until next time!
Friday 20 November 2015
On The Bit
Hello, everyone!
Last Sunday I had a really lovely lesson on my favourite horse, and I have to say that I don't remember a time when he has moved better.
I had a different riding instructor, and she had me really thinking about what it is for a horse to reach for the contact, rather than artificially holding their head in an outline. Bails has a habit of holding his head up, so when you ask him to go on the bit with your hands, he's using the wrong muscles to carry his head. I hadn't really thought about it before, but my instructor pointed out the lack of muscle on his topline compared to the muscle on the underside of his neck. There is quite a difference!
So I spent the lesson teaching him to respond to my leg. There was lots of praise when he responded, and before long he was really engaging his hindquarters. By the end of the lesson he was reaching down into the contact, and I could feel that his entire body was working. Perhaps most importantly, he was powering himself from his hind quarters, rather than leaning on the forehand.
The thing that was most challenging for me was keeping my hands in the right place. I was working with a longer contact than normal to encourage him to stretch, and so my hands kept moving away from each other. It was also difficult for me not to tighten my hold on the inside rein when he was drifting out of the circle we were on. It was almost a lesson of opposites!
It was such a fab lesson and now that I know how he moves when he's really engaging and paying attention, I have something to work towards each time I ride. I'm not sure how well it will pan out in group lessons (if he's not at the front/behind a faster horse, he won't have anywhere to surge into when I ask him for a little bit more energy), but I'll certainly try because it felt fantastic!
On another note, have you ever encountered horses that dislike other horses in the stables? There are two such horses where I ride. Leading Bails in, one of them pinned his ears back and the other looked as though she kicked a back leg out whilst also snaking her head over the door! It amused me (once Bails was safely out of their reach, anyway!).
Until next time.
Last Sunday I had a really lovely lesson on my favourite horse, and I have to say that I don't remember a time when he has moved better.
I had a different riding instructor, and she had me really thinking about what it is for a horse to reach for the contact, rather than artificially holding their head in an outline. Bails has a habit of holding his head up, so when you ask him to go on the bit with your hands, he's using the wrong muscles to carry his head. I hadn't really thought about it before, but my instructor pointed out the lack of muscle on his topline compared to the muscle on the underside of his neck. There is quite a difference!
So I spent the lesson teaching him to respond to my leg. There was lots of praise when he responded, and before long he was really engaging his hindquarters. By the end of the lesson he was reaching down into the contact, and I could feel that his entire body was working. Perhaps most importantly, he was powering himself from his hind quarters, rather than leaning on the forehand.
The thing that was most challenging for me was keeping my hands in the right place. I was working with a longer contact than normal to encourage him to stretch, and so my hands kept moving away from each other. It was also difficult for me not to tighten my hold on the inside rein when he was drifting out of the circle we were on. It was almost a lesson of opposites!
It was such a fab lesson and now that I know how he moves when he's really engaging and paying attention, I have something to work towards each time I ride. I'm not sure how well it will pan out in group lessons (if he's not at the front/behind a faster horse, he won't have anywhere to surge into when I ask him for a little bit more energy), but I'll certainly try because it felt fantastic!
On another note, have you ever encountered horses that dislike other horses in the stables? There are two such horses where I ride. Leading Bails in, one of them pinned his ears back and the other looked as though she kicked a back leg out whilst also snaking her head over the door! It amused me (once Bails was safely out of their reach, anyway!).
Until next time.
Saturday 14 November 2015
Restaurants
I recently went out for a meal with my family to a restaurant that we frequent quite a lot when it comes to meals out, and they had a new menu for Autumn. I knew before we even got there what I'd be able to eat from the main course section, because let's face it - menus do not change that much, and being vegetarian I only have a few choices to pick from.
The starter menu was a bit of a disappointment. I don't often go for starters, and last weekend I definitely didn't because the only vegetarian starter was bread, which would be too filling when the main is a pasta dish and comes with garlic bread. I was fine with not having a starter but when the waiter came back to our table to check that I wasn't having one, my sister turned on him.
She started saying that it was awful that there was only one vegetarian starter, that he should complain to the chefs and generally just making me embarrassed and the waiter uncomfortable - it's not like he makes the menu. Her little outburst did get me thinking though.
I've been vegetarian for five years or so now. I'm quite used to restaurants only have a few veggie-friendly dishes, because vegetarian diets aren't the most common in Britain. But does that mean it's okay to be overlooked?
I appreciate that other diets are overlooked also, such as vegan and lactose/gluten-free, but given the seeming awareness of and trends towards alternative diets, should restaurants be doing more to accommodate for all of their customers? I might be used to only having a couple of dishes to choose from, but that doesn't mean it's okay for restaurants to provide so limited amount of alternative-diet food.
Being vegetarian, I tend to get a little bit fed up when things like buffalo cheese are part of a meal. Just using normal mozzarella would automatically make that a viable option for vegetarians. Furthermore, it would be nice if there could be a bit more creativity in the menu for vegetarians. I like having cheese with my pasta, but when my choices are narrowed down to macaroni cheese, some other form of pasta with cheese, or a veggie burger (with cheese), it really feels like I cannot escape the dairy.
I know I am a bit of a fussy eater. I hate mushrooms, so even when that option is on the menu I don't look at it twice. But the thing is, before I became vegetarian I had so much choice. If I didn't like a food type, it was fine because there were so many other options. Vegetarianism may not be the norm, but it does feel like the choice becomes a pasta or burger. Some restaurants have a quiche or tart of sorts, which is great, but in some places it feels so constricting that I end up eating the best sounding choice even if it isn't what I want because there isn't really another one.
If I struggle to eat out, then I know it must be even worse for other diets. I know there are bound to be more specialist restaurants out there, and they may be able to cater for certain dietary needs (such as gluten free) if you let them know in advance, but sometimes that isn't an option if it's a spontaneous thing. When the rest of your family doesn't have any dietary constraints, then it isn't really feasible to find a place that has more than three veggie options.
It might be our lifestyle choice to be vegetarian, vegan or whatever else, but it isn't to have allergies. With growing trends in alternative diets, then more notice should be given. If anything, it would be a welcome break to have more options, if not in the main course then at least more than two options in the starters.
So my question is: should restaurants provide more varied dishes to accommodate for different diets, as opposed to just happening to have the bare minimum?
I'd love to know what you think, whether you're sympathetic or believe it's self-inflicted.
Until next time.
The starter menu was a bit of a disappointment. I don't often go for starters, and last weekend I definitely didn't because the only vegetarian starter was bread, which would be too filling when the main is a pasta dish and comes with garlic bread. I was fine with not having a starter but when the waiter came back to our table to check that I wasn't having one, my sister turned on him.
She started saying that it was awful that there was only one vegetarian starter, that he should complain to the chefs and generally just making me embarrassed and the waiter uncomfortable - it's not like he makes the menu. Her little outburst did get me thinking though.
I've been vegetarian for five years or so now. I'm quite used to restaurants only have a few veggie-friendly dishes, because vegetarian diets aren't the most common in Britain. But does that mean it's okay to be overlooked?
I appreciate that other diets are overlooked also, such as vegan and lactose/gluten-free, but given the seeming awareness of and trends towards alternative diets, should restaurants be doing more to accommodate for all of their customers? I might be used to only having a couple of dishes to choose from, but that doesn't mean it's okay for restaurants to provide so limited amount of alternative-diet food.
Being vegetarian, I tend to get a little bit fed up when things like buffalo cheese are part of a meal. Just using normal mozzarella would automatically make that a viable option for vegetarians. Furthermore, it would be nice if there could be a bit more creativity in the menu for vegetarians. I like having cheese with my pasta, but when my choices are narrowed down to macaroni cheese, some other form of pasta with cheese, or a veggie burger (with cheese), it really feels like I cannot escape the dairy.
I know I am a bit of a fussy eater. I hate mushrooms, so even when that option is on the menu I don't look at it twice. But the thing is, before I became vegetarian I had so much choice. If I didn't like a food type, it was fine because there were so many other options. Vegetarianism may not be the norm, but it does feel like the choice becomes a pasta or burger. Some restaurants have a quiche or tart of sorts, which is great, but in some places it feels so constricting that I end up eating the best sounding choice even if it isn't what I want because there isn't really another one.
If I struggle to eat out, then I know it must be even worse for other diets. I know there are bound to be more specialist restaurants out there, and they may be able to cater for certain dietary needs (such as gluten free) if you let them know in advance, but sometimes that isn't an option if it's a spontaneous thing. When the rest of your family doesn't have any dietary constraints, then it isn't really feasible to find a place that has more than three veggie options.
It might be our lifestyle choice to be vegetarian, vegan or whatever else, but it isn't to have allergies. With growing trends in alternative diets, then more notice should be given. If anything, it would be a welcome break to have more options, if not in the main course then at least more than two options in the starters.
I'd love to know what you think, whether you're sympathetic or believe it's self-inflicted.
Until next time.
Sunday 8 November 2015
America!
The 18th October brought with it a cold Sunday morning, a long flight, and a day lasting more than 24 hours. Why? I had a school trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Washington was, for me, the best of the 8 days abroad because of the stunning architecture and relevance to my History A Level. Here's a few of the best snaps from my three days there.
New York was pretty awesome too, but I am not a fan of busy places particularly and so found it a little bit stressful - especially when there's someone dressed up as the Joker in Times Square saying "why so serious?" behind you.
Washington was, for me, the best of the 8 days abroad because of the stunning architecture and relevance to my History A Level. Here's a few of the best snaps from my three days there.
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| The White House |
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| War Memorial |
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| Supreme Court |
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| Robert E. Lee's House, Arlington Cemetery |
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| Time's Square |
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| Statue of Liberty |
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| View from the Empire State Building |
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| View from the Empire State Building |
These are just a few of the pictures. We also went to Gettysburg on the transfer from Washington to New York in order to see the battlefield. It was an incredible trip, but I was very happy to get back home and return to my normal sleeping pattern.
Until next time, folks.
Until next time, folks.
Sunday 1 November 2015
The Jumping Basics
Good evening all,
Over the past three weeks I have had two riding lessons, both of which involved jumping. The first of these was a pony club session in which we went back to basics - i.e. a single, small cross pole. The second was a lesson where we tackled a double and a small spread.
The PC lesson was all about us learning to feel when we were jumping correctly. After a warm up, we took turns going over a fence with no help from the instructor. We had to tell the instructor afterwards how we would improve the jump, so we were really thinking about what we were doing.
I found that straightness was the main issue for me, because the horse I was riding was quite reluctant to leave the track. I think he's a little green and/or young because I've not had that issue for a while, and he also dies on the get away. It's such hard work to get him to stay straight and going forward, but we just about managed it!
Speaking of, there was one jump that I think we were all surprised he went over as he had so little impulsion before the jump. A couple of strides away from the jump he just... drops. I think he'll improve over time, because there's only so many poles he can knock down before he gets the hint - right?
The second lesson was a lot more energetic for me. I was back on my favourite horse, and he was being so well behaved in terms of speed. He didn't charge the fences down like there was a bucket of oats on the other side. Sure, he was a pest in the walk but I totally forgave him when he barely touched the poles (by his standards anyway).
One of the things we did before we got onto the jumping was trotting in jump position, transitioning up to canter, and then once we caught up with the ride slowing back down to a trot. I have never felt so comfortable in a canter, in jump position. Jump position to me normally equates to pain, but I felt as if I could stay like that for a good while longer. My legs felt really secure, and Bails was listening to me completely.
It was such a great lesson, and I had so much confidence with Bails, that when we went over the spread just to finish of the lesson, I almost wished it was bigger. I haven't felt so fantastic jumping in a long while, and I might have to request a jumping lesson on Bails when I have my two private lessons this month.
What have your most recent jumping lessons been like?
Until next time :)
Over the past three weeks I have had two riding lessons, both of which involved jumping. The first of these was a pony club session in which we went back to basics - i.e. a single, small cross pole. The second was a lesson where we tackled a double and a small spread.
The PC lesson was all about us learning to feel when we were jumping correctly. After a warm up, we took turns going over a fence with no help from the instructor. We had to tell the instructor afterwards how we would improve the jump, so we were really thinking about what we were doing.
I found that straightness was the main issue for me, because the horse I was riding was quite reluctant to leave the track. I think he's a little green and/or young because I've not had that issue for a while, and he also dies on the get away. It's such hard work to get him to stay straight and going forward, but we just about managed it!
Speaking of, there was one jump that I think we were all surprised he went over as he had so little impulsion before the jump. A couple of strides away from the jump he just... drops. I think he'll improve over time, because there's only so many poles he can knock down before he gets the hint - right?
The second lesson was a lot more energetic for me. I was back on my favourite horse, and he was being so well behaved in terms of speed. He didn't charge the fences down like there was a bucket of oats on the other side. Sure, he was a pest in the walk but I totally forgave him when he barely touched the poles (by his standards anyway).
One of the things we did before we got onto the jumping was trotting in jump position, transitioning up to canter, and then once we caught up with the ride slowing back down to a trot. I have never felt so comfortable in a canter, in jump position. Jump position to me normally equates to pain, but I felt as if I could stay like that for a good while longer. My legs felt really secure, and Bails was listening to me completely.
It was such a great lesson, and I had so much confidence with Bails, that when we went over the spread just to finish of the lesson, I almost wished it was bigger. I haven't felt so fantastic jumping in a long while, and I might have to request a jumping lesson on Bails when I have my two private lessons this month.
What have your most recent jumping lessons been like?
Until next time :)
Tuesday 13 October 2015
Natural Horsemanship
Hey, everyone!
I'm currently working on my EPQ, and I thought that it would be a really good idea to run a survey to help my research. I'd really appreciate it if you could take a minute or two to answer the questions and share this post on! The more replies I get, the better the research my will be.
Okay, so onto my EPQ. I'm looking into the ways in which natural horsemanship affects equine behaviour and rehabilitation. Not having a horse myself, I can't practice this first hand, but I'm always impressed watching people like Monty Roberts. That in mind, I'd love to know your experiences.
I'm currently working on my EPQ, and I thought that it would be a really good idea to run a survey to help my research. I'd really appreciate it if you could take a minute or two to answer the questions and share this post on! The more replies I get, the better the research my will be.
Okay, so onto my EPQ. I'm looking into the ways in which natural horsemanship affects equine behaviour and rehabilitation. Not having a horse myself, I can't practice this first hand, but I'm always impressed watching people like Monty Roberts. That in mind, I'd love to know your experiences.
1) Do you practice natural horsemanship? Why (not)?
2a) If yes, have you tried different methods (e.g. Parelli, Join-Up etc) or stuck to one style?
2b) If no, would you consider practising natural horsemanship?
3) What is your relationship with your horse like?
4) Has your relationship improved since practising natural horsemanship?
5) Have there been any other changes in behaviour, positive or negative, since practising natural horsemanship?
If you could please answer these questions in as much detail as possible, I would be much obliged!
Thanks guys,
Until next time :)
Thursday 8 October 2015
Confidence
It's funny how the little things make such a big difference when horse riding, isn't it?
You may remember how in this post I mentioned that I had a slight loss of control of Izzy when learning to do flying changes. Well, I've since had two more lessons on her (both PC) and I have to say things have gone from bad to worse.
Normally, after a little mishap, I'm perfectly fine. I just get on with it. But for whatever reason, this time, that isn't happening. The next lesson I had on this headstrong mare was a pony club session dedicated towards jumping. There were three jumps to go over by the end of the lesson, and I felt more agitated each time.
The first time I went out to jump the combination, I turned to go out on the track when trusty old ponio spooked for no apparent reason, nearly colliding with Bails. Great start, huh? She then proceeded to get twitchy every time I tried to get her to go out on the track, which is what I wanted to do so that I could have more time to bend her and get straight. I walked up to the jump for the most part, hoping that I could just trot over them, but she wasn't having any of that! We cantered over the combination. The thing is, she doesn't put a hoof wrong when jumping. She goes over the jumps without hesitation and she's so easy to stick with. The problem was getting to the jump. She kept threatening to spook every time after that.
Thus concludes that lesson. Physically I had the shakes after the spooking incident, not massively but the knots in my stomach and then my hands not being quite so steady. Mentally I was fine at first, but then the onset of feeling physically shaken up meant that a mental aspect did come into play. And so began Saturday's lesson just gone. I had a different instructor last weekend, and we were doing flatwork, so apart from feeling apprehensive when I had to canter everything was fine (oh, and the couple of times she reacted to the horse behind me getting a tap on the shoulder because she kept napping).
Yet the feeling of nervousness carried on. I don't know what it is because honestly, the lesson was fine. I'm just hoping that whatever the problem is, it'll go away with another good lesson and I can regain my confidence because it can't be nice for Izzy to feel my apprehension, even if she doesn't show it!
Do you guys have any tips for this sort of confidence issue?
Until next time!
You may remember how in this post I mentioned that I had a slight loss of control of Izzy when learning to do flying changes. Well, I've since had two more lessons on her (both PC) and I have to say things have gone from bad to worse.
Normally, after a little mishap, I'm perfectly fine. I just get on with it. But for whatever reason, this time, that isn't happening. The next lesson I had on this headstrong mare was a pony club session dedicated towards jumping. There were three jumps to go over by the end of the lesson, and I felt more agitated each time.
The first time I went out to jump the combination, I turned to go out on the track when trusty old ponio spooked for no apparent reason, nearly colliding with Bails. Great start, huh? She then proceeded to get twitchy every time I tried to get her to go out on the track, which is what I wanted to do so that I could have more time to bend her and get straight. I walked up to the jump for the most part, hoping that I could just trot over them, but she wasn't having any of that! We cantered over the combination. The thing is, she doesn't put a hoof wrong when jumping. She goes over the jumps without hesitation and she's so easy to stick with. The problem was getting to the jump. She kept threatening to spook every time after that.
Thus concludes that lesson. Physically I had the shakes after the spooking incident, not massively but the knots in my stomach and then my hands not being quite so steady. Mentally I was fine at first, but then the onset of feeling physically shaken up meant that a mental aspect did come into play. And so began Saturday's lesson just gone. I had a different instructor last weekend, and we were doing flatwork, so apart from feeling apprehensive when I had to canter everything was fine (oh, and the couple of times she reacted to the horse behind me getting a tap on the shoulder because she kept napping).
Yet the feeling of nervousness carried on. I don't know what it is because honestly, the lesson was fine. I'm just hoping that whatever the problem is, it'll go away with another good lesson and I can regain my confidence because it can't be nice for Izzy to feel my apprehension, even if she doesn't show it!
Do you guys have any tips for this sort of confidence issue?
Until next time!
Sunday 13 September 2015
Nostalgia
Do you ever just have them days where you find yourself missing the ponies you used to love? Today is one of them days.
We were using the old computer yesterday to upload some photos from various things that have happened over the past few months. Having not used the computer for a long, long time I couldn't resist the temptation to look through a file titled "Holly horse riding", and what I saw gave me a wave of nostalgia for the stables I used to ride at.
There are two horses in particular that I miss because I rode them a lot. The first of these horses is called Nigel. He is an Irish Sport Horse (though riding him you wouldn't believe it - his attitude was far from get up and go!). He is 15.2hh, and according to an old page on the stable's website he was 13 years old when they uploaded the profile.
How adorable is that face? I learnt to canter on this horse. I'm not entirely sure when the website was made, because although it's copyrighted to 2009 I have no clue as to whether that was for the previous website they had, or whether it's from when they revamped it and added all the horsey profiles. If we go by the copyright, then he's 19 years old now. I absolutely loved this horse, and was quite sad when his owner moved him to a different yard. I've not seen Nigel since, and he was so loveable. Obviously, I have no way of tracking him down so I don't even know if he's still alive, but he is definitely one of the horses that I'll always remember.
The second horse I'm feeling particularly nostalgic about is another Irish Sport Horse called Ronnie. Now, his canter always made me feel like I was sitting weirdly in the saddle. He had such a skinny frame that his canter literally made my hips feel like one side was further forward. But it was such a lovely canter, if I remember correctly. Ronnie was absolutely fab, and such a gorgeous roan too. He's 16hh, and according to the website he's competed for PC and BE.
I think he was sold, but I don't know who to. I've no clue if he is used for a riding school or what. I know he is a fab horse though, and whoever has owned him since his days at the stables I used to go to is really lucky. At the time the picture was taken he was about 9 years old, so he must be 15 years old by now, again assuming he's had a healthy life.
These horses taught me so much. I could list a few others from my old stables, but one of the others that I loved unfortunately passed away when an unknown virus hit the stables. The other horse, as far as I know, is still there but towards the end of my time at the stables, when I rode he r it wasn't the same as when I was beginning to ride. Although she is lovely, I think I was too used to the slightly more unpredictable youngsters.
Anywho, it'd be interesting to see if any of you recognise the above! Wouldn't that be a small world?
I hope you are all well. Feel free to share any memories you have of the horses and ponies that have stuck with you throughout the years.
Until next time!
NB: I didn't take the photos - they are sourced directly from the website owned by my old stables.
We were using the old computer yesterday to upload some photos from various things that have happened over the past few months. Having not used the computer for a long, long time I couldn't resist the temptation to look through a file titled "Holly horse riding", and what I saw gave me a wave of nostalgia for the stables I used to ride at.
There are two horses in particular that I miss because I rode them a lot. The first of these horses is called Nigel. He is an Irish Sport Horse (though riding him you wouldn't believe it - his attitude was far from get up and go!). He is 15.2hh, and according to an old page on the stable's website he was 13 years old when they uploaded the profile.
How adorable is that face? I learnt to canter on this horse. I'm not entirely sure when the website was made, because although it's copyrighted to 2009 I have no clue as to whether that was for the previous website they had, or whether it's from when they revamped it and added all the horsey profiles. If we go by the copyright, then he's 19 years old now. I absolutely loved this horse, and was quite sad when his owner moved him to a different yard. I've not seen Nigel since, and he was so loveable. Obviously, I have no way of tracking him down so I don't even know if he's still alive, but he is definitely one of the horses that I'll always remember.
The second horse I'm feeling particularly nostalgic about is another Irish Sport Horse called Ronnie. Now, his canter always made me feel like I was sitting weirdly in the saddle. He had such a skinny frame that his canter literally made my hips feel like one side was further forward. But it was such a lovely canter, if I remember correctly. Ronnie was absolutely fab, and such a gorgeous roan too. He's 16hh, and according to the website he's competed for PC and BE.
I think he was sold, but I don't know who to. I've no clue if he is used for a riding school or what. I know he is a fab horse though, and whoever has owned him since his days at the stables I used to go to is really lucky. At the time the picture was taken he was about 9 years old, so he must be 15 years old by now, again assuming he's had a healthy life.
These horses taught me so much. I could list a few others from my old stables, but one of the others that I loved unfortunately passed away when an unknown virus hit the stables. The other horse, as far as I know, is still there but towards the end of my time at the stables, when I rode he r it wasn't the same as when I was beginning to ride. Although she is lovely, I think I was too used to the slightly more unpredictable youngsters.
Anywho, it'd be interesting to see if any of you recognise the above! Wouldn't that be a small world?
I hope you are all well. Feel free to share any memories you have of the horses and ponies that have stuck with you throughout the years.
Until next time!
NB: I didn't take the photos - they are sourced directly from the website owned by my old stables.
Sunday 6 September 2015
Following the leader & Plaiting
Hey everyone!
Yesterday I had my first pony club session in quite a while, and I was on my favourite horse. Naturally, I had high hopes for the lesson. Unfortunately, Bails had other ideas and decided that he would be in his follow-the-horse-in-front mood. I wouldn't have minded this too much because I was having quite the battle with the stirrups (which I had to twist twice because they were so long, and even then they were still three holes away from the shortest length) but it meant that I couldn't successfully complete the serpentine. The whole point of us doing them was to encourage bend, but where he kept falling in slightly to try and cut corners to be up close and personal to the pony in front, I had a hard time encouraging that bend when I also had to keep a firm hold on the outside rein as he wasn't responding to my leg. So that was fun. I would have worked on just the bend, but we were working on accuracy so I kind of had to keep him on the track.
We later had a little bit of a competition so see who could strike off most accurately into canter at A. Bailey, the rascal, knew he was cantering and so on the first attempt he went in the F/A corner without me asking for it. On the second attempt he still went as I moved my leg mere millimetres - not even squeezing or anything like that - and he went off like a rocket so I went too early. He lost brownies points for not listening to me, but it is something I plan to work on next time.
Another thing we started yesterday was plaiting, as we're working towards this badge next. I'm quite excited as it'll be my first badge. I'm possibly going to get the equine first aid one, but I don't feel deserving of it as I missed at least two of the sessions in regards to it and my knowledge is quite lacking. I wouldn't know what to do if an injured horse was in front of me, to be perfectly honest! I think the blue cross website and the manual of horsemanship may have to be my friend for quite a while.
Anyway, I was plaiting Bails' mane in his stable, and needless to say he wasn't helping. I've never plaited a mane before, and his was quite knotty so the separations weren't all that clean. Then, as I started to plait his head was a bit like a yo-yo as he found the best parts of the hay to eat.
I think he was deliberately being annoying when I went to tie to the braid. We were just using elastics, but he would not keep his head still, and then the braid just looked wrong. You know how you fold the braid so it's in that ball shape? Well, two folds seemed too little, but a third fold emphasised the lack of braiding at the top. I hope that makes sense. It would have helped if the separations were better.
My instructor said that next time we will be working with a needle and thread. Goodness knows I won't find that quite so therapeutic! If any of you have any tips for the plaiting the mane of a hungry horse that doesn't like keeping still, please tell me haha.
That's about all from the stables. Have you ever had any tack that just wasn't the right length/size?
Until next time :)
Yesterday I had my first pony club session in quite a while, and I was on my favourite horse. Naturally, I had high hopes for the lesson. Unfortunately, Bails had other ideas and decided that he would be in his follow-the-horse-in-front mood. I wouldn't have minded this too much because I was having quite the battle with the stirrups (which I had to twist twice because they were so long, and even then they were still three holes away from the shortest length) but it meant that I couldn't successfully complete the serpentine. The whole point of us doing them was to encourage bend, but where he kept falling in slightly to try and cut corners to be up close and personal to the pony in front, I had a hard time encouraging that bend when I also had to keep a firm hold on the outside rein as he wasn't responding to my leg. So that was fun. I would have worked on just the bend, but we were working on accuracy so I kind of had to keep him on the track.
We later had a little bit of a competition so see who could strike off most accurately into canter at A. Bailey, the rascal, knew he was cantering and so on the first attempt he went in the F/A corner without me asking for it. On the second attempt he still went as I moved my leg mere millimetres - not even squeezing or anything like that - and he went off like a rocket so I went too early. He lost brownies points for not listening to me, but it is something I plan to work on next time.
Another thing we started yesterday was plaiting, as we're working towards this badge next. I'm quite excited as it'll be my first badge. I'm possibly going to get the equine first aid one, but I don't feel deserving of it as I missed at least two of the sessions in regards to it and my knowledge is quite lacking. I wouldn't know what to do if an injured horse was in front of me, to be perfectly honest! I think the blue cross website and the manual of horsemanship may have to be my friend for quite a while.
Anyway, I was plaiting Bails' mane in his stable, and needless to say he wasn't helping. I've never plaited a mane before, and his was quite knotty so the separations weren't all that clean. Then, as I started to plait his head was a bit like a yo-yo as he found the best parts of the hay to eat.
I think he was deliberately being annoying when I went to tie to the braid. We were just using elastics, but he would not keep his head still, and then the braid just looked wrong. You know how you fold the braid so it's in that ball shape? Well, two folds seemed too little, but a third fold emphasised the lack of braiding at the top. I hope that makes sense. It would have helped if the separations were better.
My instructor said that next time we will be working with a needle and thread. Goodness knows I won't find that quite so therapeutic! If any of you have any tips for the plaiting the mane of a hungry horse that doesn't like keeping still, please tell me haha.
That's about all from the stables. Have you ever had any tack that just wasn't the right length/size?
Until next time :)
Tuesday 1 September 2015
Almost flying!
Hey guys,
First off I just want to apologise for my erratic update schedule (or lack of). I have not forgotten about this blog, I just haven't gotten around to writing anything in a while. So today I'm going to tell you about my last two riding lessons, because they both nearly saw me flying - in very different ways.
A few weeks ago I was riding a lovely cob, who I'm sure has made an appearance in one of my other posts, and we did some no stirrup work. It was a group lesson, so thankfully there was plenty of walking. The first thing that was a bit problematic was that after the normal stretches you do when the stirrups are taken away (swinging your leg backwards and forwards from your knee then hip, rotating your ankles etc) my legs felt quite tight, uncomfortably so. The stretches basically had the opposite effect to what they should have had. I tried to shake my legs out but it didn't really help. I have narrowed down the source of the problem to either my own dehydration or perhaps because the said cob is quite wide in comparison to what I usually ride, and maybe my legs were at a weirder angle than normal, thus reacting differently to the exercises. Whatever it was, it eventually faded away and I got on with paying attention. So the next incident (and enough time has passed that I'm not quite sure if we had our stirrups back or not - if we did, then I lost them) was when we were cantering. We cantered from the front of the ride to the back, but went past the ride to circle. For whatever reason, my centre of gravity was not matching up with the horse's, so the circle was a nightmare and I very nearly came a cropper. If he wasn't one of the slightly lazier horses who is only too happy to slow the pace, then I probably would have fallen off. Thankfully I could slow him to a walk within a few steps and correct myself. It was really frustrating because I haven't had that sort of problem for a very long time, and I used to ride a horse that treated corners as though he were a motorbike. So that was that lesson, with my near flight being due to almost falling off.
The next lesson was much more dramatic. I was riding the horse I did when I had the cross country experience a few months ago. She was practically a different horse in this lesson. It was a private lesson because pony club had been cancelled, so maybe being by herself was the cause of the issue. Whatever it was, I wasn't best pleased. The first part of the lesson was fine, but the moment we got cantering it went downhill. She is quite quick, and she was not slowing down for anyone, and she was so strong that the exercise might as well have not worked. But the problem is that the horse doesn't realise she's doing anything wrong. She isn't doing it to be naughty, and it isn't that she is trying to get rid of me. She's just fast. My instructor was introducing me to flying changes, so we were supposed to pick up a canter in a corner, then cross the diagonal. We were supposed to trot over X and then pick up canter as we reached the track. By the end of the lesson I felt like I had no control over the horse. I could just about slow her down but she wasn't listening particularly well. In fact, over the diagonal she didn't trot at all, just jumped over the pole that was in the centre of the school and did a flying change. She's smart enough to know that was what we were aiming for. It was a little scary, but my instructor had faith that I would be able to pull her up. Which I did. It just meant I wasn't focussing on the riding aspect as much as staying on and slowing down. The part where I was really flying, however, was that in one corner she picked up the wrong lead and I tried to slow her down and move my feet to give a clearer aid. She hadn't come back to a trot when I must have brushed her with my heels or something (I definitely didn't kick her because I was being so careful about that, the little roadrunner she is). Anyway, she took off at what must have been very close to if not a gallop down the long side. She came back to an overly fast canter for the corner. Such fun! Hopefully the next time I work towards doing a flying change I'll be on a different, more sensible and calm horse haha.
That's about everything for this post. I hope you are all well :)
Until next time!
First off I just want to apologise for my erratic update schedule (or lack of). I have not forgotten about this blog, I just haven't gotten around to writing anything in a while. So today I'm going to tell you about my last two riding lessons, because they both nearly saw me flying - in very different ways.
A few weeks ago I was riding a lovely cob, who I'm sure has made an appearance in one of my other posts, and we did some no stirrup work. It was a group lesson, so thankfully there was plenty of walking. The first thing that was a bit problematic was that after the normal stretches you do when the stirrups are taken away (swinging your leg backwards and forwards from your knee then hip, rotating your ankles etc) my legs felt quite tight, uncomfortably so. The stretches basically had the opposite effect to what they should have had. I tried to shake my legs out but it didn't really help. I have narrowed down the source of the problem to either my own dehydration or perhaps because the said cob is quite wide in comparison to what I usually ride, and maybe my legs were at a weirder angle than normal, thus reacting differently to the exercises. Whatever it was, it eventually faded away and I got on with paying attention. So the next incident (and enough time has passed that I'm not quite sure if we had our stirrups back or not - if we did, then I lost them) was when we were cantering. We cantered from the front of the ride to the back, but went past the ride to circle. For whatever reason, my centre of gravity was not matching up with the horse's, so the circle was a nightmare and I very nearly came a cropper. If he wasn't one of the slightly lazier horses who is only too happy to slow the pace, then I probably would have fallen off. Thankfully I could slow him to a walk within a few steps and correct myself. It was really frustrating because I haven't had that sort of problem for a very long time, and I used to ride a horse that treated corners as though he were a motorbike. So that was that lesson, with my near flight being due to almost falling off.
The next lesson was much more dramatic. I was riding the horse I did when I had the cross country experience a few months ago. She was practically a different horse in this lesson. It was a private lesson because pony club had been cancelled, so maybe being by herself was the cause of the issue. Whatever it was, I wasn't best pleased. The first part of the lesson was fine, but the moment we got cantering it went downhill. She is quite quick, and she was not slowing down for anyone, and she was so strong that the exercise might as well have not worked. But the problem is that the horse doesn't realise she's doing anything wrong. She isn't doing it to be naughty, and it isn't that she is trying to get rid of me. She's just fast. My instructor was introducing me to flying changes, so we were supposed to pick up a canter in a corner, then cross the diagonal. We were supposed to trot over X and then pick up canter as we reached the track. By the end of the lesson I felt like I had no control over the horse. I could just about slow her down but she wasn't listening particularly well. In fact, over the diagonal she didn't trot at all, just jumped over the pole that was in the centre of the school and did a flying change. She's smart enough to know that was what we were aiming for. It was a little scary, but my instructor had faith that I would be able to pull her up. Which I did. It just meant I wasn't focussing on the riding aspect as much as staying on and slowing down. The part where I was really flying, however, was that in one corner she picked up the wrong lead and I tried to slow her down and move my feet to give a clearer aid. She hadn't come back to a trot when I must have brushed her with my heels or something (I definitely didn't kick her because I was being so careful about that, the little roadrunner she is). Anyway, she took off at what must have been very close to if not a gallop down the long side. She came back to an overly fast canter for the corner. Such fun! Hopefully the next time I work towards doing a flying change I'll be on a different, more sensible and calm horse haha.
That's about everything for this post. I hope you are all well :)
Until next time!
Sunday 26 July 2015
Flatwork Lesson
Hi everyone!
So on Friday evening, I had a private lesson on a wonderful horse that excels in Dressage (or used to... he's still fab but no longer competes as far as I know). Anyway, given that I had my normal riding instructor and the horse doesn't do jumping, we got to working on movement and suppleness. For the first five to ten minutes or so, I was riding with really long reins to ensure that the horse was stretching through his neck. Trotting with long reins is a really weird sensation, and it made me realise how much I rely on them. It's not as though I pull on them for balance, but it kind of acts as a guideline for where my hands need to be, if that makes sense. I actually kind of liked having to find my position from feeling. It made me feel slightly more competent haha! Anyway, after this warm up we worked on getting him to bend through his neck, so up the long sides we were getting him to flex his head inwards (as in turning towards the centre of the school). His left side was so stiff in comparison to his right! We worked on bending until he was supple and then threw in some serpentines. Being able to feel the change in the bend when going across the school during the serpentine was awesome. I don't think I've ever really felt that before, but with this horse you really could, and knowing what I should be feeling meant that my aids were clearer too. We also did some circles, which consisted of a few accidental canters. I think I lightly touched him with the schooling whip by accident, and my outside leg had probably slipped back as I was concentrating on using my inside leg and hand to keep him bending. He was good in coming back to the trot though, so it was ok!
Then we got onto the cantering, and wow. This horse's canter is so lovely. You know how when you watch dressage you can see the impulsion of the movement, and you can kind of sense how free it must feel? I had that sensation. Honestly, the impulsion and control was in a perfect balance, and his outline just topped everything off. It was so incredible to feel that sort of powerful elegance and I really want to book another lesson on him just to experience it again. I love Bailey, but I don't think I've ever had a canter that emulates the same feelings just because I'm spending half the time checking him as he gets too excited and just wants to go faster and faster. That's not to say that all the cantering on Friday was perfect - there were a few moments where I lost the outline and had to collect him again, but it wasn't like he was running off to get the lesson over and done with. My instructor was really happy with my riding at the end of the lesson, but in all honesty I think it was due to the horse. If he had been having an off day, then my riding would have sucked. He's just so enthusiastic about flatwork and anything remotely dressage-y that it automatically allows the rider to focus on him or herself a bit more.
My favourite part of the lesson though was actually when I was putting the horse in his stall. He decided to move to make a fuss of my dad who was outside the stable door as I was taking a bandage off, so I just took the other three off as quickly as possible seen as the first one had become a mess anyway. So once I'd done that and managed to get out of the door whilst keeping the lovable boy in the stables, I then started wrapping the bandages up properly. Whilst I was doing this, he was rubbing his nose on my arm and it was adorable. It wasn't a "I have an itch so be my scratching post" - I would have moved away if it was. The nudges were more like "Hey, what are you doing? Can I see? Pleeeaaasseee? And pass me the food that's down there?" It was so cute <3 I felt bad leaving him but alas, I can't stay at the stables 24/7. The only downside of the lesson was the length of it. When going private I can only afford a half hour lesson, but I quite happily would have been riding for an hour. Definitely one of the best lessons I've had in a while.
Well that's all from me. I hope you are well, and I'd love to hear about some of your favourite riding experiences!
Until next time :)
So on Friday evening, I had a private lesson on a wonderful horse that excels in Dressage (or used to... he's still fab but no longer competes as far as I know). Anyway, given that I had my normal riding instructor and the horse doesn't do jumping, we got to working on movement and suppleness. For the first five to ten minutes or so, I was riding with really long reins to ensure that the horse was stretching through his neck. Trotting with long reins is a really weird sensation, and it made me realise how much I rely on them. It's not as though I pull on them for balance, but it kind of acts as a guideline for where my hands need to be, if that makes sense. I actually kind of liked having to find my position from feeling. It made me feel slightly more competent haha! Anyway, after this warm up we worked on getting him to bend through his neck, so up the long sides we were getting him to flex his head inwards (as in turning towards the centre of the school). His left side was so stiff in comparison to his right! We worked on bending until he was supple and then threw in some serpentines. Being able to feel the change in the bend when going across the school during the serpentine was awesome. I don't think I've ever really felt that before, but with this horse you really could, and knowing what I should be feeling meant that my aids were clearer too. We also did some circles, which consisted of a few accidental canters. I think I lightly touched him with the schooling whip by accident, and my outside leg had probably slipped back as I was concentrating on using my inside leg and hand to keep him bending. He was good in coming back to the trot though, so it was ok!
Then we got onto the cantering, and wow. This horse's canter is so lovely. You know how when you watch dressage you can see the impulsion of the movement, and you can kind of sense how free it must feel? I had that sensation. Honestly, the impulsion and control was in a perfect balance, and his outline just topped everything off. It was so incredible to feel that sort of powerful elegance and I really want to book another lesson on him just to experience it again. I love Bailey, but I don't think I've ever had a canter that emulates the same feelings just because I'm spending half the time checking him as he gets too excited and just wants to go faster and faster. That's not to say that all the cantering on Friday was perfect - there were a few moments where I lost the outline and had to collect him again, but it wasn't like he was running off to get the lesson over and done with. My instructor was really happy with my riding at the end of the lesson, but in all honesty I think it was due to the horse. If he had been having an off day, then my riding would have sucked. He's just so enthusiastic about flatwork and anything remotely dressage-y that it automatically allows the rider to focus on him or herself a bit more.
My favourite part of the lesson though was actually when I was putting the horse in his stall. He decided to move to make a fuss of my dad who was outside the stable door as I was taking a bandage off, so I just took the other three off as quickly as possible seen as the first one had become a mess anyway. So once I'd done that and managed to get out of the door whilst keeping the lovable boy in the stables, I then started wrapping the bandages up properly. Whilst I was doing this, he was rubbing his nose on my arm and it was adorable. It wasn't a "I have an itch so be my scratching post" - I would have moved away if it was. The nudges were more like "Hey, what are you doing? Can I see? Pleeeaaasseee? And pass me the food that's down there?" It was so cute <3 I felt bad leaving him but alas, I can't stay at the stables 24/7. The only downside of the lesson was the length of it. When going private I can only afford a half hour lesson, but I quite happily would have been riding for an hour. Definitely one of the best lessons I've had in a while.
Well that's all from me. I hope you are well, and I'd love to hear about some of your favourite riding experiences!
Until next time :)
Sunday 12 July 2015
Back in the Saddle
Hi guys,
It's been a while since I last posted and I have a valid reason for that - I haven't been horse riding in about a month. It's been quite annoying to have missed so many sessions, especially as there are things I need to get off my instructor and of course I've missed being at the yard, but it hasn't been possible to get to my pony club sessions. Why, I hear you ask? University. That's right folks, it's that scary time of year when I must write my personal statement, pick a university and course, and make sure I have enough work experience to give me that extra edge. But perhaps all that can come in a later post!
Yesterday morning, I actually managed to have a riding lesson. Pony club had been cancelled due to a lack of people going (just a one off thing) so instead I went to my former usual riding spot of 11am on a Saturday. It wasn't my normal riding instructor taking the hour group lesson (she's on holiday and I'm a bit envious to say the least), but rather someone I had never had before. Now I don't know whether it's just because it was quite warm, or because I didn't know three of the other people in the group, or if it was just an off day, but the vibe was different. I've had better lessons to say the least. What we were doing was fine, pretty good considering that I haven't been riding in a while, but there was just a lack of engagement. But, like I say, that might not have been down to the instructor. She didn't know a few of us as well, so there wasn't a relationship as such. I don't know. I'm rambling now so I'll just get onto what we were doing haha.
I was riding my absolute favourite horse at the stables, and this definitely put me a good mood as I haven't ridden him in yonks. He was being a bit of pickle when we got to the school, as he decided he didn't want to face the wall, but rather a close by horse - meaning I had to keep a close eye on what he was doing in case he decided to kick or bite the horses either side of him. He's usually pretty good, but he was just a bit fidgety. We had been waiting longer than anyone else and he just wanted to get going! Anyway, once we were all ready, Bails and I lead the ride. We did some trot work, then we changed the order of the ride. In truth, I didn't really like this because we reversed the order. The bigger horses ended up at the back, and they were struggling to be so slow. Keeping the correct distance apart was impossible due to one horse that kept napping/wasn't sure if it needed the loo and then there was the matter of not being able to circle due to the ponies at the front eventually ending up at the back. So that part was a bit disappointing. On the plus side, we got to do some no stirrup work.
Normally, I quite like doing no stirrup work because my balance is typically quite bad, and it really opens up my pelvis and gets me sitting way deeper in the saddle. I genuinely think that after doing the no stirrup work I could have happily put the stirrups down at least one, probably two, holes. I didn't for the simple reason that I wanted to ensure my heels stayed down. The downside to the no stirrup work was that Bails wasn't feeling so kind as to give me a slow trot to sit to. He was either walking or doing his working/medium trot. There was no in between, the monkey. His bouncy trot meant that my position was absolute rubbish. I forgave him though because later on in the lesson he collected his canter quite nicely and didn't cause the horse in front to start a race.
Another good thing about the instructor was that she picked up on some riding position faults. Now, I cannot say with certainty that the faults are ones that I've had for a while, that I have because I haven't ridden in a while or because of the horse I was riding (does anyone else have any position related problems with certain horses?), but my lower legs were creeping forward and I was sitting too far back in the saddle. I was a bit worried that the saddle was too far back at the start of the lesson, so maybe I was compensating because I could feel Bails' ribs. I don't know. At least it's something I can work on for the next time I ride (and goodness knows when that will be!) so I was quite happy to have these issues pointed out. By the end of the lesson the instructor established that it's basically just my position in trot that's problematic. Canter is fine - is that a reason to just miss a gait? :P
Well that's all for today. Quite a long post, but hey, I'll probably fall of the radar for a while. I hope you're having a lovely day, wherever you are!
Until next time, friends :)
It's been a while since I last posted and I have a valid reason for that - I haven't been horse riding in about a month. It's been quite annoying to have missed so many sessions, especially as there are things I need to get off my instructor and of course I've missed being at the yard, but it hasn't been possible to get to my pony club sessions. Why, I hear you ask? University. That's right folks, it's that scary time of year when I must write my personal statement, pick a university and course, and make sure I have enough work experience to give me that extra edge. But perhaps all that can come in a later post!
Yesterday morning, I actually managed to have a riding lesson. Pony club had been cancelled due to a lack of people going (just a one off thing) so instead I went to my former usual riding spot of 11am on a Saturday. It wasn't my normal riding instructor taking the hour group lesson (she's on holiday and I'm a bit envious to say the least), but rather someone I had never had before. Now I don't know whether it's just because it was quite warm, or because I didn't know three of the other people in the group, or if it was just an off day, but the vibe was different. I've had better lessons to say the least. What we were doing was fine, pretty good considering that I haven't been riding in a while, but there was just a lack of engagement. But, like I say, that might not have been down to the instructor. She didn't know a few of us as well, so there wasn't a relationship as such. I don't know. I'm rambling now so I'll just get onto what we were doing haha.
I was riding my absolute favourite horse at the stables, and this definitely put me a good mood as I haven't ridden him in yonks. He was being a bit of pickle when we got to the school, as he decided he didn't want to face the wall, but rather a close by horse - meaning I had to keep a close eye on what he was doing in case he decided to kick or bite the horses either side of him. He's usually pretty good, but he was just a bit fidgety. We had been waiting longer than anyone else and he just wanted to get going! Anyway, once we were all ready, Bails and I lead the ride. We did some trot work, then we changed the order of the ride. In truth, I didn't really like this because we reversed the order. The bigger horses ended up at the back, and they were struggling to be so slow. Keeping the correct distance apart was impossible due to one horse that kept napping/wasn't sure if it needed the loo and then there was the matter of not being able to circle due to the ponies at the front eventually ending up at the back. So that part was a bit disappointing. On the plus side, we got to do some no stirrup work.
Normally, I quite like doing no stirrup work because my balance is typically quite bad, and it really opens up my pelvis and gets me sitting way deeper in the saddle. I genuinely think that after doing the no stirrup work I could have happily put the stirrups down at least one, probably two, holes. I didn't for the simple reason that I wanted to ensure my heels stayed down. The downside to the no stirrup work was that Bails wasn't feeling so kind as to give me a slow trot to sit to. He was either walking or doing his working/medium trot. There was no in between, the monkey. His bouncy trot meant that my position was absolute rubbish. I forgave him though because later on in the lesson he collected his canter quite nicely and didn't cause the horse in front to start a race.
Another good thing about the instructor was that she picked up on some riding position faults. Now, I cannot say with certainty that the faults are ones that I've had for a while, that I have because I haven't ridden in a while or because of the horse I was riding (does anyone else have any position related problems with certain horses?), but my lower legs were creeping forward and I was sitting too far back in the saddle. I was a bit worried that the saddle was too far back at the start of the lesson, so maybe I was compensating because I could feel Bails' ribs. I don't know. At least it's something I can work on for the next time I ride (and goodness knows when that will be!) so I was quite happy to have these issues pointed out. By the end of the lesson the instructor established that it's basically just my position in trot that's problematic. Canter is fine - is that a reason to just miss a gait? :P
Well that's all for today. Quite a long post, but hey, I'll probably fall of the radar for a while. I hope you're having a lovely day, wherever you are!
Until next time, friends :)
Monday 22 June 2015
Veggie Snacks!
Given that I'm back in school and that I haven't been at the stables, I thought this would be my first food themed post! As I haven't been in the kitchen much either, I figured that I would share my favourite vegetarian snack of the moment.
Say hello to the wonderfully yummy, 100% natural nakd bar! The above image (which I did not take, just to clarify) shows just a sample of the flavours that are available. For example, my personal favourite, rhubarb and custard bar is sadly not in the picture. These bars are made with very few ingredients, and taste absolutely fabulous. Despite being made with an array of fruits and nuts, I am yet to come across one of the bars that does not taste like it says it should on the wrapper - something I am quite happy with.
I first tried these a couple of months ago, and have loved them ever since. Unfortunately they don't end up in every shopping basket, so I have not had the delight of consuming these yummy baked goods in a while, but I look forward to the day when I can once again sample their goodness and have a moment just savouring them. The best thing about this product? It comes in other forms too!
The company, Natural Balance Foods, also sell other things made in similar ways, just in a different form. So if cereal bars aren't your thing, then maybe the Bits will be, or perhaps you would rather try the Oatie Bars or Infused Raisins? I can't say that I've tried these, but I look forward to being able to do so when I see them in stores.
In case that hasn't been enough to tempt you, might I mention that they are also 1 of your 5 a day?
These products are so useful to have in a lunch box in place of a normal sugar-packed chocolate bar. I can honestly say that I love them, and the packaging is really pretty as well. I feel so much better about myself when I know I am eating something that is so natural, and they taste just so good. More-ish and scrumdiddilyumptious are the best words I can use, and I recommend them very highly given that they are suitable for so many diets.
Well, that's about all from me, now that I've shamelessly promoted these products haha! Seriously though, you should pick something up from the Natural Balance Food range the next time you go for a trip to the shops.
Until next time, friends :)
I first tried these a couple of months ago, and have loved them ever since. Unfortunately they don't end up in every shopping basket, so I have not had the delight of consuming these yummy baked goods in a while, but I look forward to the day when I can once again sample their goodness and have a moment just savouring them. The best thing about this product? It comes in other forms too!
The company, Natural Balance Foods, also sell other things made in similar ways, just in a different form. So if cereal bars aren't your thing, then maybe the Bits will be, or perhaps you would rather try the Oatie Bars or Infused Raisins? I can't say that I've tried these, but I look forward to being able to do so when I see them in stores.
In case that hasn't been enough to tempt you, might I mention that they are also 1 of your 5 a day?
These products are so useful to have in a lunch box in place of a normal sugar-packed chocolate bar. I can honestly say that I love them, and the packaging is really pretty as well. I feel so much better about myself when I know I am eating something that is so natural, and they taste just so good. More-ish and scrumdiddilyumptious are the best words I can use, and I recommend them very highly given that they are suitable for so many diets.
Well, that's about all from me, now that I've shamelessly promoted these products haha! Seriously though, you should pick something up from the Natural Balance Food range the next time you go for a trip to the shops.
Until next time, friends :)
Monday 15 June 2015
The new mare by the block
Saturday saw me back in the saddle, and what a lesson it was! I was given the honour of riding one of the horses that is relatively new to lessons - and I don't mean that sarcastically at all. Mary was formerly used as a trekking horse, and it is only recently that she has been deemed capable of participating in the lessons, so it really was an honour that my riding instructor allowed me to ride her. It honestly means a lot that she trusts me enough to ride the new horses at the yard, as it is a confidence booster for me.
The pony club session was spent doing flat work and it was good fun just being able to work quietly on my position in my varying places in the ride order. Mary can be quite fast, and she's used to being nose-to-tail from her previous work, so we had to make sure she was behind a horse that was a) fast enough that she wouldn't be struggling to not crash into and b) wasn't likely to kick at her if she got too close. Her trot was lovely to sit to, and besides the slight misbehaving that was apparently a test of my seat, she was very lovely to ride. The only thing that I wish we could have worked on was the canter, because when she got going it was fine but she was really reluctant to stay on the track and go large. I think it may have had something to do with her being used to sticking close to the other horses, but I'm not too sure if that was the only reason for it. With time, I am sure she will be more confident and balanced and able to go further away from the ride. Besides that, I really cannot fault her. I think she's just one of them horses that I need to get used to. As the lesson went on, I got better at pulling her head back up quicker when she stuck it down to the floor, but I think with a few more lessons on her I would be able to prevent it more than respond to it.
After the lesson, we untacked and then we had the second part of our pony club session. We each made a mind map of some sort of illness or condition, as we're working towards our equine first aid badges, and we decided what badge we would like to work on next. Personally, I would really like to work on the equine behaviour badge for the simple reason that equine behaviour sort of comes into the EPQ I'll be doing this summer, but instead we chose to do loading and plaiting. Both of these are useful skills, so I'm not complaining - and plaiting sounds like it could be quite therapeutic! I can't wait for the next session, as I'll also be finding out pretty soon when I can start volunteering for the RDA.
Until the next time :)
The pony club session was spent doing flat work and it was good fun just being able to work quietly on my position in my varying places in the ride order. Mary can be quite fast, and she's used to being nose-to-tail from her previous work, so we had to make sure she was behind a horse that was a) fast enough that she wouldn't be struggling to not crash into and b) wasn't likely to kick at her if she got too close. Her trot was lovely to sit to, and besides the slight misbehaving that was apparently a test of my seat, she was very lovely to ride. The only thing that I wish we could have worked on was the canter, because when she got going it was fine but she was really reluctant to stay on the track and go large. I think it may have had something to do with her being used to sticking close to the other horses, but I'm not too sure if that was the only reason for it. With time, I am sure she will be more confident and balanced and able to go further away from the ride. Besides that, I really cannot fault her. I think she's just one of them horses that I need to get used to. As the lesson went on, I got better at pulling her head back up quicker when she stuck it down to the floor, but I think with a few more lessons on her I would be able to prevent it more than respond to it.
After the lesson, we untacked and then we had the second part of our pony club session. We each made a mind map of some sort of illness or condition, as we're working towards our equine first aid badges, and we decided what badge we would like to work on next. Personally, I would really like to work on the equine behaviour badge for the simple reason that equine behaviour sort of comes into the EPQ I'll be doing this summer, but instead we chose to do loading and plaiting. Both of these are useful skills, so I'm not complaining - and plaiting sounds like it could be quite therapeutic! I can't wait for the next session, as I'll also be finding out pretty soon when I can start volunteering for the RDA.
Until the next time :)
Saturday 6 June 2015
Summer Goals 2015
Like many riders, I have developed some habits that I would really like to work on, and so this summer I'm planning on doing my best to correct the issues. It's not the easiest thing to commit to in that I no longer have private lessons, so my instructor can't be focusing on me for the entire hour with three to four other girls in the group who also need instructing. That being said, some of these issues are things I can happily work on by myself without much hassle, so here is my list of things I want to improve upon/do by the end of the summer.
- Heels down
So, this one is pretty self explanatory. My heels tend to creep up a little bit when I ride, usually if I'm concentrating on something else - like jumping - but obviously, I need them to stay down for security and also equitation purposes. It's not like my toes are pointing to the ground, but when I kick on or I'm in two point position, I feel the weight shift a little too much. My balance is already sorely lacking, so this is something I really want to work on. I think I will be spending several minutes on several days standing at the bottom of the stairs! - Jumping Position
My position over jumps has been a little questionable as of late. It's not something my instructor has commented on, but I can feel that something is wrong. So I'm hoping that with a few more jumping lessons I can work on staying in sync with the horse, as I think my position is possibly a result of being left behind or getting ahead of the movement, especially on horses I don't know so well (or the horse deciding to jump oddly because the fences aren't high enough - yes, Bailey, I'm talking about you!). - Stamina/Core
Being a grown up student that no longer has to endure P.E/Games lessons means that, unfortunately, my exercise level is practically non existent. The result of this is that when horse riding and doing something more strenuous - like maintaining two-point position - isn't the most pleasant feeling in the world. I think my aim for this summer will be improving my overall fitness, with particular focus on my core muscles. This will hopefully also strengthen my back. - Competitions
The stables where I ride often holds little competitions for the clients, normally show jumping. Now, I've entered a grand total of three competitions, one of which was actually dressage. My show jumping results weren't so great. In the first competition I was riding Ozzie, and I think I had two refusals and he managed to run out of a combination through the tiniest gap. In the second competition I was riding a lovely grey pony who ran out due to a fault on my part (I didn't check him enough to make a line). The dressage competition was so much better, and I was so close to getting a rosette that actually had a number on it instead of the word 'special'. I felt so happy about the dressage competition because one of the canters was particularly comfortable and collected, which given the horse I was riding really surprised me! I would like to enter a couple more competitions so that I get better with things like lines, angles, collection and the small competitive streak in me would like a rosette with a number on it - it would be my first!.
So there you have it. The goals I at least intend to work on once haha
Until the next time, keep calm and canter on! :)
Until the next time, keep calm and canter on! :)
Friday 29 May 2015
Arena Cross Country
Hey guys!
For the first time in a couple of years, I found myself doing cross country yesterday. I have to say, I did not think I would be doing cross country any time soon prior to the arena experience for the simple reason that as far as I was aware, there was no cross country field or anything similar at my riding school. When I was informed of the arena cross country opportunity, I jumped (pun not intended) at the chance.
When I got to the stables I was feeling pretty apprehensive! The last time (or one of the last times) I had done cross country, I was riding a rather... let's say mischievous cob who liked to stop in front of the fences. I wasn't accustomed to this nappy mare well enough to know what she felt like jumping, and I have to say either my skills were sorely lacking or she had developed quite the knack for feeling as though she was about to take off before stopping right in front of the fence. I left that particular lesson with a grazed cheek and a cut on my chin, and my confidence had taken a bit of a beating too. So when I rolled up yesterday with absolutely no idea of what to expect, can I really be blamed for feeling a little nervy? When I found out that I would be riding a fairly young horse, I wasn't really sure how to feel. At least I knew the horse quite well this time! So I put on a bit of a brave face, mounted up and waited for the activity to begin.
The warm up went quite smoothly, with the horse, Ozzie, listening to me for the most part after a little bit of napping due to him needing the second toilet break within five or ten minutes. One particular canter had me feeling so comfortable in the three point position I felt I could do it for hours, and once we had all had a canter around the school it was time to start the jumping. I'd never used arena cross country jumps before, but I was quite impressed with them. They weren't quite as daunting as the xc fences I'd faced before, possibly because they were smaller than some of the things I've faced in the past - and don't get me wrong, definitely not complaining! I'm really grateful that they at least seemed smaller as I felt safer and, perhaps more importantly, I felt more confident. I think anyone that has jumped, be it normal poles, fancy show jumps or scary xc fences, will tell you that the rider's mentality has no small impact on whether the horse goes or not. As I felt my nerves fade away, I began to really enjoy the clinic. Ozzie was an absolute star, which also helped matters. I think it helps when you trust your instructor, and know a couple of other people in the group. It made it feel so much more relaxed.
I faced a series of fences, but the scariest fence for me was the corner. I'd never jumped something like that before, and I didn't know whether Ozzie would like it. But my anxiety was for nothing, as he was perfect over it, and then didn't put a hoof wrong over a water tray that he hadn't seen before. I was so happy that the rest of the course just seemed like a breeze, even the fence where we ended up jumping the flower pot more than the fence itself due to some dodgy lining up on my part and a pony reluctant to go into the corner! I honestly feel so much more confident, and wouldn't mind taking on a few small fences in a field. Although, I think before that I need to improve my fitness - three point and two point position were also firsts for a long while, and I can definitely feel it today!
Until the next time :)
For the first time in a couple of years, I found myself doing cross country yesterday. I have to say, I did not think I would be doing cross country any time soon prior to the arena experience for the simple reason that as far as I was aware, there was no cross country field or anything similar at my riding school. When I was informed of the arena cross country opportunity, I jumped (pun not intended) at the chance.
When I got to the stables I was feeling pretty apprehensive! The last time (or one of the last times) I had done cross country, I was riding a rather... let's say mischievous cob who liked to stop in front of the fences. I wasn't accustomed to this nappy mare well enough to know what she felt like jumping, and I have to say either my skills were sorely lacking or she had developed quite the knack for feeling as though she was about to take off before stopping right in front of the fence. I left that particular lesson with a grazed cheek and a cut on my chin, and my confidence had taken a bit of a beating too. So when I rolled up yesterday with absolutely no idea of what to expect, can I really be blamed for feeling a little nervy? When I found out that I would be riding a fairly young horse, I wasn't really sure how to feel. At least I knew the horse quite well this time! So I put on a bit of a brave face, mounted up and waited for the activity to begin.
The warm up went quite smoothly, with the horse, Ozzie, listening to me for the most part after a little bit of napping due to him needing the second toilet break within five or ten minutes. One particular canter had me feeling so comfortable in the three point position I felt I could do it for hours, and once we had all had a canter around the school it was time to start the jumping. I'd never used arena cross country jumps before, but I was quite impressed with them. They weren't quite as daunting as the xc fences I'd faced before, possibly because they were smaller than some of the things I've faced in the past - and don't get me wrong, definitely not complaining! I'm really grateful that they at least seemed smaller as I felt safer and, perhaps more importantly, I felt more confident. I think anyone that has jumped, be it normal poles, fancy show jumps or scary xc fences, will tell you that the rider's mentality has no small impact on whether the horse goes or not. As I felt my nerves fade away, I began to really enjoy the clinic. Ozzie was an absolute star, which also helped matters. I think it helps when you trust your instructor, and know a couple of other people in the group. It made it feel so much more relaxed.
I faced a series of fences, but the scariest fence for me was the corner. I'd never jumped something like that before, and I didn't know whether Ozzie would like it. But my anxiety was for nothing, as he was perfect over it, and then didn't put a hoof wrong over a water tray that he hadn't seen before. I was so happy that the rest of the course just seemed like a breeze, even the fence where we ended up jumping the flower pot more than the fence itself due to some dodgy lining up on my part and a pony reluctant to go into the corner! I honestly feel so much more confident, and wouldn't mind taking on a few small fences in a field. Although, I think before that I need to improve my fitness - three point and two point position were also firsts for a long while, and I can definitely feel it today!
Until the next time :)
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