Showing posts with label 80cm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 80cm. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Sunday, 6 October 2013
College Week 4
(..As you can tell I'm struggling to think of an inventive name for this post..)
Monday 30th September
Monday 30th September
I rode Chancer a 14.2hh blue & white Cob X gelding (needless to say I looked massive on him!) We spent most the lesson doing sitting trot without stirrups to improve our lower leg position. I had the additional challenge of getting Chancer to bend round the corners, which he wasn't to keen on! After bending round a few corners he thought it was a better idea to bend so much that I went into the wall, or not at all. Then we
when I continued to ride him forward he decided to have a cheeky prance about & tried to rear. He tried it on a few times, but fortunately I could use my height as an advantage till he stopped playing about!
when I continued to ride him forward he decided to have a cheeky prance about & tried to rear. He tried it on a few times, but fortunately I could use my height as an advantage till he stopped playing about!
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| Chancer |
Tuesday 1st October
Instead of riding on Tuesday we worked on lunging the horses. I have only ever lunged once before (a cheeky exmoor pony that liked to buck when on the lunge..) so it was nice to lunge Charlie Brown, commonly known as the slow one on the yard! I've still got a way to go as my coordination is all over the place, but I think it was a good start to lunging.
Wednesday 2nd October
In Wednesday's riding session we were filmed riding the horses in walk, trot and canter, so that we can analyse our positions on the flat next week. For this I rode Flash, a flea-bitten grey gelding, who is known for being highly strung when in the school, but with me he seemed ok, apart from going slightly sideways in canter.
Friday 4th October
We were at the college for jumping academy training this week, so I rode Sadie, a bay 15.2hh cob X. We worked on strengthening and securing the lower leg by riding with our stirrups 3 holes higher than jumping length (a total of 5 holes shorter than for flat work) and later without stirrups, both in rising trot, jumping position and also standing straight up in the stirrups. During all this I had to keep the reluctant Sadie in trot - needless to say my legs had a work out!
I'll finish with this post with this picture of Hannah, that I took while on the yard, Monday morning - it's a hard life being a horse!
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Friday, 27 September 2013
Week 3 at Equine College!
Monday 23rd September
I rode Sprockett, a 16.3hh thoroughbred cross, gelding, he was such a nice ride, now I understand why my friends were raving about him before! In the lesson we worked mainly in trot, riding 20 metre circles - ensuring it was actually a circle rather than the all too common square! As well as getting the horses to bend, round the turns. Sprockett is quite the schoolmaster at dressage and has evented in the past, so gave me quite a good idea of what I should be looking to achieve with the more novice horse.
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| Sprockett |
Tuesday 24th September
I rode Storm a chestnut gelding for this ride session, we continued to focus on riding circles in trot; this time more on accuracy too. The instructor set up blocks that gradually grew narrower at 'A' and 'X'. Storm didn't seem too phased by this, until they were as narrow as possible, when he did a few little hops over the blocks at 'X', rather than lift his knees higher. However after a few goes I think he improved, as I rode him in a more forward and positive way.
Wednesday 25th September - The Day I Died - Joking!!
Wednesday started with an oh-so-glorious strength and conditioning session in the weights room! (Trust me if it wasn't compulsory for academy members it would be the last place I would be!!) However as we do have to do it, I'm taking it seriously in the hope it will have an effect on my riding especially after how much I've been aching since as I have been feeling the 'benefit' since!
After strength and conditioning I had a riding session, this time on Vita, a 16.2hh grey mare. She was slightly excitable to say the least! I continued to ride her forward, despite how nerve-wracking it seemed she messed about less and I enjoyed it! We continued to work on accuracy and started to get a feel for the horses in canter, which was slightly amusing when Vita decided it was more fun to go sideways...
Needless to say my legs are now killing me! (but I'm looking forward to riding Vita again!)
Friday 27th September - Showjumping Academy Training
Today once again we went to Brampton Stables for the showjumping academy training. This time I rode Finley, a cob-type coloured gelding.
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| Finley |
We started by getting to know the horses while working them in on the flat, while trying to soften the contact and asking them to round themselves more. The jumping exercise we followed this with was a cross pole, with a placing pole, approached from trot. Then on landing we were required to ride straight while doing a simple change (canter-trot-canter transition) this meant as riders we had to think ahead - as we would when jumping a course. Finley was a nice ride; I found he required a bit of encouragement to prevent him falling out of the trot or canter - different to what I'm used to, but no less enjoyable!
For more photos of Finley & I at academy training look on my Facebook page.
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Saturday, 7 September 2013
Moving On...
If you follow my facebook or twitter pages, then you may know that I am going to study for a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horse Management (Riding &a Coaching) - just a bit of a mouthful! - at college for the next 2 years. As I am going to be residential at college I have had to leave my shared horses behind. I have had the best 2 years with them & the people I have met, however it does feel the right time to move on.
I am hoping to keep this blog updated (as I've only just started it!) so please follow my progress. As in the next 2 years I have numerous goals and aspirations, the first being to buy my own horse!
So watch this space!
As I say in this video....
...This is only the beginning.
x
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Training & Keysoe Intro British Showjumping - 17/08/13
This week I had a jump lesson for the first time in ages! I have been researching technique for my riding and exercises to improve the horses performances; however the lesson helped us to improve further. I realised that sometimes something as simple as my line into a fence can help Maddy (Shauna's Mymwood Maddison) to have a disobedience, that would in the ring cost us 4 faults. Nevertheless, by the end of the lesson we were confidently 'popping' a 1 metre course - needless to say I was delighted!
That weekend we followed the lesson with a Intro British Showjumping competition at The College E.C, Keysoe. I jumped Maddy round both the 70cm and 80cm open classes. She felt so much more willing than previous times there (almost all have which have resulted in Maddy and I parting ways somewhere on the course!) However this time she was much more forward into the fences, partially from the relentless flatwork we've been doing this year. We ended up just outside the placings (again!) due to one fence down in the treble combination. If we hadn't had that down we would have been 2nd!
We bounced back in the 80cm open, I felt more determined than ever! We completed our round with a 'flyer' to the last fence (a square oxer with solid looking checkerboard fillers), finishing with a double clear. We then watched the rest of the class, while hoping everyone had one down or was riding on a ticket. After an agonising we finished 3rd! - My first British Showjumping placing, and it was even more worthwhile because I had done it not the easiest pony'!
Patchetts Intro British Showjumping - 11/08/13
Two weekends ago I competed at my first British Showjumping competition (in what seemed like forever - really it was a month or so).
I took Sienna's Renkum Shauna in the 70cm clear round as a warm up for her later class with her owner. She jumped everything from whatever stride she was on (she doesn't like to be interfered with at all when jumping) resulting in a clear round for us!
I followed this up with a round on Laroue in the 80cm open, in which we jumped clear on the untimed section, in the second phase against the clock Laroue went so well, but we had an unlucky 4 faults on the second from last fence, that put us just outside the placings!
Overall I had a really good day, it was so nice to be back out jumping (almost) double clear!
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