Lean Back!

My horse riding instructor imparted some words of wisdom to my group yesterday, and I felt like she was making a really good point so I wanted to share it with you all, especially if you're like me and have a dodgy canter position.

We were doing typical flatwork, but my instructor noticed that all of us in the group had a habit of leaning forwards in the canter. This wouldn't be so much of a problem in and of itself - once you know, it's not too hard to fix - but none of us were aware we were doing it. I could look at the others and see that they were leaning forward slightly, but when I was cantering I felt like I was sitting up straight. It was the same for the others as well. I don't have any recent videos of my riding, so I went back through some old ones and made a little gif to show what I mean. 

Although this clip is taken from a jumping video (this is part of/just after the get away), you can quite clearly see that I'm leaning forwards. I can't recall whether I thought I was sitting upright or not when this was taken, as the video this comes from is a couple of years old, but this is pretty much how we were riding in my group. Not brilliant, right?

My instructor decided to do an exercise with us where we had to lean back in the trot before we asked for the canter. When I say lean back, I mean actually going past straight (because in trot we actually look like we can ride!). The point of this was so that when we were in canter, we would still think we were leaning back, when in actual fact we were just sitting up straight. I have to say, it was a really weird sensation. I'm guilty of leaning forwards in my transition anyways, so having to lean back to go into the canter and then feeling as though I was really far back was so confusing.

It was quite effective though, because I now know how it should feel when I'm sitting up straight. The horse's neck seemed quite far away, but I suppose that's something I should get used to. It was quite fun because we all got to partake in it because we all had the same issue. After the canter work, we completed the riding section for the mini road rider badge, and part of that involved trotting. The canter work had me sitting back to much that when I went to have my turn of looking-over-my shoulder-to-name-the-picture-on-the-card I chose to stay in sitting trot. As I was going around by myself, I could keep the horse at a pace that felt comfortable, and as I was sitting deeply into the saddle I felt like I could do it all day. As someone that usually disliked sitting trot with the stirrups, this is saying something!

All in all, the lesson was great. Not only do I have a brilliant bit of advice for cantering in the correct position, which will be very useful for the dressage test next week (wish me luck, and keep tuned for the results of that), but I also earned my mini road rider badge, which is pictured to the right.

Until next time...

Budding young photographers (promo)

Two of my friends are photographers, one of whom will go professional and the other who's a hobbyist. Coincidentally, both are named Becky so I'll try to talk about them separately to save from confusion. Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to promote both of their Photobox accounts because they are both very talented and if you do have any spare money and are looking to buy some photos, then both of them will very much be appreciative.

The first Becky I'd like to talk about is a school friend, who has only just set up her account but still has lots of images. Here is the link, and below are some examples of her work (note that I have taken these from the account which is why they have the watermark):

How brilliant are these photos? And these are just three that I randomly picked! Becky will be going to university this year, and so anything you can spare to support her will be a massive help (and you'll end up with some pretty awesome photos out of it) so please go and check her page out. These photos are cheap too. I've not checked all of them, but most are around the 20p mark. Even something as little as this can help her put food on the table, as I'm sure by now you've all heard about student debt. If nothing else, enjoy looking at her wonderful photos. I look forward to seeing more work from you, Becky!

On to the next Becky. She has been taking photos since before we met, and her work is awe inspiring. Her Photobox is here but please note, that she mainly uses Photobox to upload the pictures she has been commissioned to take (such as wedding photos). To see more of her work, her facebook page, flickr and instagram are worth a visit. Another note, the following pictures have been cropped given that the watermark doesn't cover the image and she has been a victim of copyright infringement before.

As you can see, Becky is a brilliant photographer who hopes to go pro so any feedback and support you can give her is also much appreciated. Make sure you follow her on the links I provided to show your appreciation! 

Well, that's all from me. I hope you're having a lovely weekend wherever you are. If you have any photography you would like promoted, please email me and I'll take a look at your work and potentially share it in another post.

Until next time...

Leavers' Day, rugs, and in need of new gloves!

Good evening everyone, how are you all?

I've reached a point in my leave where things are the same but are also changing, and I think everyone that has had their final day at school can relate to this. On Friday, my years turned up at school at 7am in fancy dress to decorate the school in a theme of our choosing to mark that our seven years had come to an end. I joined my secondary school in year seven, and I honestly couldn't have wished for a better experience, so it was quite strange to hear goodbyes and best wishes. It hasn't quite settled in yet because even though I've had my last day at school, it isn't the last time I'll be at school. Friday simply marked the end of timetable for sixth formers and the start of study leave, so over the course of this month and the next, I'll be going back in to sit my exams. As I'll also be going in to see some teachers to get feedback on practice essays, it doesn't feel like anything has changed. After all, I had study leave last year too. It's a strange feeling, and the final assembly certainly made me quite nostalgic!

After we left school at midday, me and a few friends went to have a picnic. It was so relaxing, but the
high UV levels meant that I inevitably ended up a bit sunburnt and from the activities at school, I had also managed to pull my quads a little bit. All in all, horse riding the next day became a bit of a challenge. From my sunburn I was warmer than usual, and from my achy legs I hated light seat/jumping position. Actually going over the jumps was fine, but the practice lap to get us into the correct seat (and having to shorten the stirrups) was a tad painful! I'm so glad I went though, as Mary has a fantastic jump in her. In all honesty, jumping her felt the best that jumping has felt in a while because she didn't change her stride at all, and it felt so exhilarating. The downside to Mary is that she can be quite strong, and she doesn't always like to carry her head. Without gloves, my hands are still sore today so I definitely need to get a new pair soon. Does anyone have any recommendations?

In the stable management section of the lesson, we learnt about different types of rugs. It was a bit difficult cramming so many of us into the rug room, so I think all of us a bit iffy, but it was still a good crash course. For the most part we were okay at identifying indoor and outdoor rugs, but knowledge of specific types - such as waffle - went straight over our heads. It was still interesting to look at however, and it certainly made me think when the instructor for the day and one of the stable hands discussed whether to leave one of the horses in the rug he was in or change it to a heavier one. It's not something I've ever really thought about, having never owned or loaned a horse, but it's something I'll be sure to keep in mind for the future!

In other news, I now have a Pinterest account, which you can follow @EquiHolly. Be sure to follow to be updated on the fandoms I love!

Until next time...

Badminton Horse Trials 2016

The Mitsubishi Motor Badminton Horse Trials have once again played host to some of the best eventers in the world, and there was definitely plenty of exciting moments to keep me gripped. I was unable to watch the coverage of the cross country on Saturday, which is why this post is so late - I spent Sunday and Monday catching up with the cross country, and was only able to watch the show jumping of coverage last night! There were many hours that had to be dedicated to watching all the footage the BBC had to offer on iPlayer, and it was definitely worth it!

As always, there were some riders that really stuck out for me. The first of these was Ben Hobday, because he's had such a difficult year what with battling cancer and on top of that he is now patron to Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony charity, a fact highlighted by the fact he had Willberry strapped to his back when he rode the course. It was such a lovely thing to do, and I think it highlights the entire Willberry's Wishes aspects of the charity. The course he rode was brilliant, and I think the entire crowd were right behind him. A fantastic rider, and I certainly wish him all the best in both riding and for supporting such a great charity. 

The second rider that stood out from the crowd for me is someone who didn't finish the cross country course but chose to retire. Nicola Wilson had a bit of a fall at the PHEV oxer after Mirage Pond. She stayed on, and the horse managed to stand, but nevertheless the two retired and I thought it was such a brilliant thing to do. I think it would have been tempting for many to try and carry on, seen as the horse almost immediately set back off, but she put the horse first and pulled up a little bit further on. The commentators noted how the horse looked fine, and I think that in itself demonstrates her consideration. She was never going to place with her horse anyway, so the pin related penalties wouldn't have made much difference if her aim was to simply get around the course. Her compassion is inspirational to me. 

Taken from the Badminton Horse Trials website

I could name so many more riders (Mark Todd, Jock Paget, Oliver Townend, Andreas Ostholt, Emily King) but to keep this blog post somewhat concise, I'll discuss just one more. Michael Jung. What a rider! I felt very privileged to see history being made, so I'm quite envious of people who got to see him ride in person. First German and second Rolex Grand Slam Winner! Not something that happens every year, but he really deserved it. His horse is brilliant. Did you see the show jumping? Not a hoof put wrong! Many congratulations to him and the German team because they had a brilliant result every day.

Well done to all the riders, horses and teams that took part, and to everyone who suffered an injury then I wish you all a very speedy recovery. Let's hope next year will produce equally outstanding performances.

Until next time...

D+ Training

Saturday saw myself and the other Pony Club girls working on our positions and trying to remember why we do things in certain ways as part of our training for the D and D+ tests we will be completing this summer.

Going back to basics is really useful because for the most part you don't need to worry about the horse in a way you might if you were doing something more advanced. So if you were doing something like a leg yield or a shoulder in, you would have to think of yourself and the horse but things like walk to trot/halt transitions are pretty standard. The D and D+ tests require knowledge of rider position, and whilst I think we all knew what we went over at some stage in our riding life, where we haven't gone over it in a while it's falling through to the very backs of our minds.

I think my biggest problem is my legs. On some horses they don't sit in the right position, like on the horse I was riding yesterday. On bigger horses my legs will sit beneath me, but on 'skinnier' steeds they have a tendency to shoot forwards. Standing up in the stirrups would probably solve this, but as it wasn't too bad on Saturday I think I got away with it. With conscience effort I was able to bring them back underneath me, it just didn't come as naturally as it does when I'm on JD. Of course, this could also be because my stirrups were longer. It'll be something to consider next time at any rate.

In addition to answering questions about what makes a good position, how to give certain aids and how to ask for bend etc, we also worked on our jumping positions. The cross we went over was quite small, but the point wasn't for us to be going over massive fences. It was simply to show that we could actually go into jumping position.

My favourite moment of the session was when we attempted to sit to the trot. Thankfully the horse I was riding wasn't too bouncy so I could sit to it, even if I had to start cutting off corners to keep up with the lead horses in the ride. It was great fun though, especially when our instructor imitated us by showing how we kind of just collapse in the saddle. She commented on how our positions change even though they shouldn't. It was very generous of her to say I wasn't as bad as the others, but I think that was more a result of the tension I felt doing sitting trot! I didn't mention that part; it's an ongoing thing haha.

Flatwork is always really useful for me. I think I'm naturally better at dressage of the three main English disciplines, so I always appreciate a good flatwork lesson simply because it impacts on jumping as well.

I hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday weekend. The weather isn't brilliant where I am, but it's nice to have an extra day of relaxation!

Until next time...