Emotional Happiness

Two years ago, when I began this journey with horses, after all the missed opportunities, I had limited expectations on what I would get out of learning to ride and take care of these magnificent creatures! I knew little about the horse's gaits, I knew even less about taking care of them. I had no idea what a bit was, what it was for and how to tack and untack a horse. I'd sat on a horse and had had a walk around an arena and I knew I liked it but was even apprehensive of upping a gear and going into trot. So when, almost two years ago, I showed up at the yard I am now a regular customer, on a very warm spring day, I was nervous and unsure what I would find. Walking into Harry's stable with a young lady who I found was very nice and helpful and not patronising in the least, I was firmly introduced to this lovely, pony. At the other place, we were just put on a mounting block and the horse was brought up. There seemed something family like about this yard and although it wasn't what I had expected, it surpassed those expectations. I felt safe, and even did a sitting trot. The young lady who took that first ride is the one person who has been a consistent part of my learning process. I wonder if, like me, she would have had any idea on that first day that nearly two years later she would be able to stand and hear me say, "I really enjoyed that canter, it was so collected and I was able to relax and love every minute of it." Because, those are words I spoke to her today. You heard from yesterday's post that I rode a coloured gelding friend of mine who I had previously been unnerved by with his bouncy gait, something two years ago I didn't even know horses had different styles of gaits but yesterday, I was able to ride this horse with such ease. Even a year ago, when I was struggling with my rising trots, thinking I'd never get it and I'd forever be stuck learning and hearing, "up! Down! Up! Down!" And now, on each horse I ride, I can just fall into their rhythm in forward and consistent trots. Today, after the amazing, yet somewhat challenging ride I had, I had something of an epiphany. I was walking away from the familiar yard, feeling tears form in my eyes and a lump in my throat. Not because I had had a bad lesson like I did two months ago and wanted to walk away but the complete contrary! The past two weekends, I've had nothing but positive feelings about my riding and have not only gained positive results but have also had three different individuals on separate occasions praise my riding ability. For someone who had, previous to taking up horse riding felt like I was useless and not having anything I was particularly good at, to be complimented on things that I actually believe I am getting better at is a huge stride forward not only for my riding progress but for my personal development. I've said it before and I will say it again, horses have saved my life both physically and emotionally. They have taught me so much about myself and about my strengths and weaknesses and how sometimes I have to take responsibility for my mistakes and how other times it is not my fault at all. They've taught me to keep fit and healthy as that helps me be a better rider. They've helped me see the beauty in myself and the world around me as their spirit is so beautiful and their nature so kind. I've especially learnt that not all sighted and able bodied people think I'm an incapable wreck and incompetent. Every time I'm asked to untack, brush, put a stable rug on, I feel that much happier that these people realise I'm not a health and safety hazard. And the horses; They have shown me nothing but kindness and openness. They see me as a rider and take me as I am. That makes me smile more than anything and knowing that they also see my progress is that bit more beautiful every time it happens. So today's ride was special for those reasons but also for the ride itself. It was the handsome, tall, Topaz I rode today. Another weekend of three different horses for me. We took the road route today which was fine with me as we'd done the farm hack twice yesterday. On the lane down from the yard, he was off in his own world so took a bit to get him to listen to me. Eventually he did and our trots were pretty good. We were following a smaller pony so my half halts came in very useful. But my usual instructor, who was back in charge today said she wanted me to do the route without a walker or leader. I was OK with this. There was always someone around to say if I wasn't going the right way as Topaz was sure he wanted to go anywhere but follow the pony in front. I did my best to keep following and remembered to use my arms for signals and turned him well with my legs. We approached one of the cantering grounds and my instructor asked if I felt comfortable trying to canter with him alone. She would stand at the set off point, as she has done countless times with Shadow in the past and just yell if I needed to stop/change direction. So the other ponies went off for a trot and I took a deep breath and tried to canter. Topaz on the other hand, was much too interested in what his friends were doing. Apparently I had given him enough but he was just not interested so she had me come back and try again. The result was amazing! The flying feeling was still there but so different on this horse! He has a slight bounce but his canter is much smoother and you really feel like you're flying on him. I felt so in control and like he was really listening to me. I'd always looked at this horse in admiration at the yard. I would often stand outside his stable and pet him and deliver some yummy treats but I had never, in a million years ever expected to ride him. He was the horse the experienced riders rode! He was the horse I daren't ever dream of riding. He was the horse I would never be good enough to ride. Only three months ago, I was introduced to this incredible horse. I'd been lead to believe, nice, ploddy, cobs would be the only type of horse I would ever be able to ride. I was happy with that. Some of the cobs we have are amazing and so beautiful like all breeds I've ever met. But a part thoroughbred? Forget it! I could never ride such a majestic horse with its fast pace and long strides. Sure, he's not pure but even part was beyond my own expectations as a rider. The shock when I was told I'd be riding him and the thrill I'd felt was indescribable. But to know, only three months on and not even riding him more than ten or so times, I'm comfortably, confidently and independently riding him. This is something I never expected to achieve! Carrying on with the ride, following the lead pony and doing some more fantastic trots, I really felt like, wow, I've actually done more than I ever expected to do. Two months ago, I would have laughed if you'd said I would be sitting on the back of my lovely, tall, cheeky bay friend, having had canters of such success in the past few weeks and finally doing it on my own with him too. We didn't get our final canter but you know something? I didn't even care. My sitting trot was pretty good anyway! As we were walking up to the yard, my instructor said that my canter on him was fantastic earlier in the lesson and my position is looking really good. Her feedback always means a lot to me. And when she doesn't need to correct me means I've finally got what I'm meant to be doing! This week's post on School your Horse helped too with my rein contact. I think my thumbs have probably been pointing to the horse's ears all this time so thumbs down is now making it easier on my hands too so thanks Lorraine! I dismounted and was asked to untack him and put on his rug which I did by myself today. Another step forward and another personal achievement. They seem like little things, I'm sure but to me they're a huge step forward and not just in completing the task but merely to be asked to do it on my own. He got several polos, a huge hug and kiss and I left the yard feeling like I'd accomplished so much! Sometimes we look at ourselves and see the mistakes and downfalls we're having and other times we see how far we've really come. The latter is definitely what I felt today. And although this has turned into an incredibly long post, I'm sorry, I'd still like to just thank some people. Some you all may know and others you may not. Firstly, my mum and my mum's best friend who I have considered a second mum for most of my life. You both always had faith that I'd get to this point. To Lorraine Jennings, who's blog I refer to frequently, you have been one of my biggest supporters in the past year and your words mean so much to me. Thank you for always being honest, seeing the funny side of things and making me see I have more to offer horses than just a polo or two. To Maddi Naish. You are one of the biggest reasons I didn't quit in the beginning of this year. Your upbeat attitude and your ability to see past my visual impairment and to make me realise I'm not a terrible rider made me think twice about quitting. You have become a great friend and I love the banter on twitter. :) To Hay net admin and all the people who have ever commented on my blogs, thanks for the support and feedback guys. You've restored my faith in the non-disabled world. Not everyone sees me for an incapable blind person. To many of you, I'm just another horse rider! Thank you for that. And lastly, to the school owner and the young lady who instructs me the most at our yard and the girls who help out there, thank you to all of you! You've made me feel welcome and not like a nuisance at the yard. I'm accepted by all and without the continued support and belief I can do it, I'd never have had the confidence to even try to canter. I feel, it was necessary to thank everyone as I've come to a point in riding that I never thought possible and without all these people, I don't think I would have persevered and made it. The journey's not over but I can look back at this day and say, whenever I have another bad period, you came through it once, you have to try because the results are well worth the tears, frustration and self doubt! Thanks, if you made it to the end of this post, you're a fabulous person. Until next week and a shorter post hopefully, ;) Marie

Feels Like Flying!

Hurray for the spring like weather this week. Seemingly, Britain has enjoyed some rather spring like temperatures and so today's ride was set to be an ice free and snow free one. That is definitely a bonus for me. The sun was actually shining and the birds singing when I was walking to the yard this morning. Funny how a spring bird song can just put you in a great mood. I opted to ride Shadow today and was pleased on his forwardness and how much he was listening to me. My usual instructor was off riding duties today and we had another young lady. Incidentally, this very young lady had been my first leader with Harry on my first ride at this yard. She's taken only one other ride out that I can remember and so it was good again for me to get feedback from her if I needed it. We followed another horse on this ride and headed up to the farm route. We've not done this since the week I was wearing those horrible boots so I was rather looking forward to it. His walk was incredibly balanced and forward. It felt really nice sitting in that saddle this morning. Our trots were so forward and continuous. This has been an issue as I wouldn't always rise enough and frequent enough for him so he'd slow down but today we kept it going well. There is a lane that we refer to as the cobbles that is a sloping cobbled lane with trees on either side. Today, it wasn't the trees but a black bin bag that was the big scary monster. I was impressed. Shadow just walked on by like a big brave boy. A further trot took us to the back lane and there was a huge truck parked and a car unloading things. Forget the canter. Every horse trotted like there lives depended on it. But I wasn't disappointed. I knew it wasn't me or Shadow's partnership it was the big scary monster, AKA the car. I had considered doing two rides today as it was so dry and beautiful and once we got back to the yard, I concluded that would be what I did. The lovely, coloured gelding was my next choice. I haven't rode him in a few months and decided, despite how he leans heavy in your hands, I was going to see how I would adapt to his very bouncy gait. Most of the horses I ride, have a lovely smooth gait but this lovely chap has a much bouncier one. It used to unnerve me but I'm feeling much more confident in the saddle these days so decided to give it a go. I loved this horse in walk. I had forgotten how comfortable his walk is. He was full of energy today and we took the same route up. My rein contact seemed good although I've struggled in the past getting good rein contact as he is so heavy in your hands. We trotted relatively nicely. The adjustment to the bounce was relatively easy. I couldn't keep him going as much as I usually can with other horses but I suspect that is because our working partnership is not that solid. He was also a brave boy past the scary monster, [the bin bag] and our last trot was nice. We did this last part of the route slightly different which meant manoeuvring the horses 180 degrees to turn back and head another direction. This was good to check my leg directions on this handsome boy. He responded very well which was a relief to me. Always nice to see what you've learnt is very transferrable. On the back lane, where we often do our last canters, I remembered how much leg and seat this fellow needs. I guess that didn't bother me and so the young lady taking the ride said, lots of leg, and that's what he got and to my ultimate surprise, off we went, flying! I had never truly appreciated how lovely his canter was until today. And the best thing, when the young lady shouted for me to lean back a little, instead of tensing, my body adjusted accordingly and the canter was the entire length of the back lane. I've had that happen only on Shadow and Topaz before so this was a great feat for me. And today, I actually could enjoy and appreciate this horse's canter instead of worrying what I'm doing or not doing. I wasn't thinking, we're going to stop, I was enjoying it and felt my heels down, my elbows in and shoulders back and relaxed. It was amazing! I truly felt like I was flying along and when we came to a stop and walked a few paces which I was amazed to see we were near the leading pony, and the young lady running with that pony during its canter complimented me on my canter on this pony. I was shocked and somewhat pleased. Two weeks in a row I have been told my canters are looking good and a little bubble of pride did erupt inside of me. I have to be honest. I dismounted and gave a lot of the big horses some carrots I'd brought for them. So this early spring like day turned out to be a pretty lovely one for me. So until tomorrow where I shall bore you all some more with my riding, thanks, Marie

Future for Disabled Riders

I usually leave my controversial discussions and opinions on my other blogs. I'm sadly known for being rather outspoken but when I feel something is wrong, I cannot help but get slightly worked up about it. The barriers that are put up in our society for disabled people is mostly misconstrued ideas about the capabilities of the disabled. Unless you know someone who is wheel chair bound, deaf, blind, or suffering ffrom a vast amount of other disabilities, you are reasonably not aware of what that individual can and cannot do. At 15, I sat in an office at my high school, being asked what I wanted from my future. I told the careers advisor, I wanted to be in performing arts and live in America for a time. They literally laughed in my face. I, as a blind 15 year old should get my act together and think about realistic goals. Career wise, I sort of accepted that. Acting, singing and dancing are very hard areas to get in and stay in but the America dream just wouldn't die. At 19 that dream came true when I went on an exchange programme, by myself, having never flown anywhere with family let alone by myself before. I didn't know who would be at the other end, I had no idea what I would find and the level of support I would receive. There were a lot of unknowns, but I did it anyway. It was a risk, but one I was willing to take. Why am I telling you all this? And what does that have to do with the equine world? Well, I've told you all before, I was refused lessons as a child to learn to ride despite me truly wanting it. I walked away from that dream once but finally came back around to it with some amazing people who've brought me farther than I ever thought possible. If anyone had ever told me I would be cantering, by myself with nothing but shouted stops or directions, I would have laughed in their face. No way, I a blind person, could be left in charge of a huge horse and go at a fair speed without doing myself some major injury. That brings me to my outburst of frustration. When I started riding, I searched the internet for information on blind riders. I learnt there were a fair few around in the national and international arenas from various countries in several disciplines. I found dressage to be the most popular, naturally with it being the main para equestrian sport at the Olympics. But I also discovered that there was a definite chance to learn to jump. A girl in my region had come second place in the European championships and she was totally blind. She was featured in our newspaper and my thoughts were, you go girl and wow, I could maybe do that if I ever got good enough. I was researching online today about blind riders again, seeing if any early events would indicate how the para riders were doing in light of the olympics this year. I stumbled across the British Para Show Jumping Association's website and I knew of their existence but had kept away due to my own focus on my own riding. But what I found there today angered and saddened me. Here's the link and I'll insert the text below for you guys. British Para Show Jumping association BPSJA has finally given in to the bullying, smears and general nasty tactics of people involved with the Governing bodies in this sport, we have fought for many years to bring Para Show Jumping to everyone that is disabled and capable of jumping designated heights. We were heavily involved and the first to set up an organisation catering solely for physically disabled riders, we took many riders to France, for there first International Jumping experience. We took pride in producing shows where you had the ability to jump against your peers and learn from each other against fellow International riders who have had many years of experience. The comradery that came out of these shows has given us a fantastic reputation around the world. But at what price, I am fed up with the constant smears, obstacles, personal attacks, and attitudes of a lot of the old-fashioned beliefs about disabled people. They have a right to compete as much as an able bodied person. Seven years I have battled and have made some great friends in the England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Spain, USA, Canada, Sweden, France, Australia and New Zealand. This may not seem professional and I apologise to all those riders and future disabled riders for not being strong enough to carry on on your behalf. One can only take so much crap and I have reached my limit the latest was an anonymous warning: " Andy please be careful and on guard you are planning a show for the summer and various organisations are not happy!! I understand certain people are trying to discredit you and the BPSJA. I'm afraid I cannot intervene. That is all I can tell you. Good luck" Just one of many I get. This web site will be wiped and I will be posting more of the above at the end of the month including minutes of meetings slating the BPSJA. Andy Lawes This saddens me that other people's ignorances are laying bear to an organisation that supports disabled people in show jumping having to give in and stop supporting and promoting the sport. Clearly, with their levels of successes and the recent adoption by the Riding For the Disabled Association introducing show jumping, the sport could have been successful. They were hoping to get it to FEI level eventually and add another Equestrian sport to the international levels. I know what some people will think, jumping is just far too dangerous for a disabled rider. But riding is a dangerous sport for anyone. Show jumping is a dangerous sport for sighted and abled bodied riders. You fall off! as long as you're physically able to withstand a fall, and have been medically proven fit to take part, why not allow disabled riders to compete? I read about an endurance rider a few months ago, Carl De Campos and I was blown away. Every time I read about someone with a disability doing a different horse related sport, I'm like awesome. I used to think I could only hack out but through chatting to others and seeing what is possible, I think there are many doors open to me if I can find the right horse and work hard to achieve something toward establishing the knowledge of the different disciplines. I don't know what they are yet, I don't even know if I'm good enough to compete but I think I, like any disabled rider who has the drive and ability, should be given half the chance. Do I think eventing should be included? I don't know. Do I think we could play polo? I have no idea. Do I think the disabled should be given the chance to prove what they can do as individuals? Absolutely! If someone's already set the president , and clearly BPSJA already has, then why shouldn't it be allowed to take para equestrianism to the next level? I'd love all of your thoughts on this and I'm open to anything. I accept there are risks, but there always is. Isn't there? If you want to know more about carl De Campos click on the link below Info on Carl De Campos

Fresh Eyes

Today, I knew my usual instructor wasn't going to be there but one of the girls who has worked with me in the past took our ride out which was good. The really useful thing for me was the fact she hadn't seen me ride in around 4 or 5 months so it would be interesting to get her point of view on things. My instructor always says I'm far too harsh on myself and I know, being the perfectionist that I am, she's possibly right most of the time. I was given the chance to ride my tall, cheeky, bay friend today. I took that chance. That meant this weekend I'd ridden three rather different kinds of horses with all varying gaits. I guess in some way, this was my own test for myself. Shadow is probably the horse I've ridden the most. He's the one I expect to get the best out of myself on as I'm more familiar with him and have built up a strong bond with him over the time at our yard. I'm still amazed that yesterday, after so long out of Bella's saddle, that I managed to just fall back into her rhythm. And today, after not riding my lovely, cheeky, tall, bay friend, I relaxed into his saddle too and was able to quickly adapt myself and my aids to how we work together. I never thought I'd learn this adaptability and am glad even I'm noticing it but more so the girls who work with us. So, I walked into his stable, or should I say his new stable. He's been moved recently and was giving him a lovely stroke. Once mounted, we took the road route again. I can just imagine how boggy the field on the farm is and so was rather relieved by this. We were in lead today and I had a walker. I appreciated this as we were in front today. My trots on him were good, forward and consistent. It's one of the most natural feelings in the world to me now, rising trot. And then we went into a mini woodland and tried for a canter. I was asked if I wanted to canter on my own with him today but asked if I could have someone running with me as he and I are still building our relationship and trust. This was OK and the canter was beautiful! He has a slight bounce to his gait and yet I adore his canter as much as Shadow's. He has lovely, long strides, being part thoroughbred and covers a lot of ground but isn't exactly fast for the size of him. I kept my seat so well and I only just realised that I'm no longer comparing lengths of canters. I guess its because I no longer count the strides we do as there are so many. We left the woodland and had a few more trots. He was very well behaved for me and the young lady walking with us was good with direction. On the back lane, we did another fabulous canter. I was so happy which was only made happier when the girl taking our ride said that she was really impressed on my progress. I can vividly remember her helping me with canters during the summer months and for what she said next, I was so pleased. She said that my seat was very neat and it looked good. That meant more than I think she knew as only several weeks ago, I thought I was horrible and couldn't ever progress past this point. Being in the saddle for me now feels like something I've done for ever. Like, every time I mount a horse and walk/trot/canter, I feel in control, stable and able to achieve. Even on the days I don't get quite what I was aiming for, it's OK because in the past two years, I've achieved more on and around horses than I ever thought possible. I never, in a million years thought I would be able to canter. But now, I'm getting told good things about it and I'm feeling good doing it. Relaxing really helps! And who knows where this journey will head next? But you can be rest assured, I'll always try something new. Once our ride was over, I lead my lovely friend to his stable, untacked him and put on his rug. The young lady who had walked with me commented on that too which made me smile. I've never wanted to be one of those people who shows up for a ride and doesn't help to tack up, untack, brush or take care of the horse and now I'm not. I do, where I can help out and will continue to learn in that department too. But before I leave you all for another week, I'll leave you with this, a beautiful photo of my tall, cheeky bay friend,. So Meet Topaz! Isn't he just gorgeous? He actually belongs to our school owner, as in, he's her baby. So you can imagine how scared I was the first time riding him. But he's a pleasure to know and he's a tall boy compared to our other school ponies. :) Until next time, Thanks, Marie

Back in Rhythm

I didn't have the best ride last week due to those evil boots and the horrible ice. This week, the ice has gone so Jodhpur boots were able to be worn again. Hurray! My dad was being very kind this morning and gave me a lift to the yard. Well, not exactly the yard, he's precious about his car and dropped me at the bottom of the lane and I walked the rest of the way up. I was early and decided to ride Shadow today, AKA, my tall white friend. I hadn't had a great ride on him last Saturday and I felt I needed to get on him again so I could remember the last ride on him if I switched horses was a good one. He was very forward in walk and I just knew that the energy levels were good enough to have a really good ride. My first trot was amazing! My legs stayed in position and I was rising up through the thighs in a lovely, forward trot. Sometimes, he gets a little complacent in the way he'll stop because he thinks he's done what you've asked but I rarely needed to keep him going today. His trots were wonderful and I was in a good position on him on all of them. On the back lane, we attempted a canter but got a very forward trot instead. I didn't give enough to get him going. So my instructor yelled for me to come back and try again. He was being very awkward. He wanted to go with his friends and he kept trying to turn but my instructor firmly told me not to let him and I didn't. He lost the battle. So we tried again and I was on my own as we both agreed he's better in canter without a leader and I have enough control over him to be by myself. I gave the biggest squeeze and off we went. It was a beautiful and rhythmic canter. I was told I was very much in my seat and it looked great. This is a huge thing for me as you all know I was freaking out about not getting the canters a few months ago but here I am, able to say, especially on the horses I'm used to riding in canter, I feel more confident about getting them going. It's been a few weeks since we've actually done cantering so I was really pleased about this. My position is feeling more and more improved. Its like, I hardly have to think about sitting up and back and staying balanced, heels down and hands forward anymore. It's just happening. Guess muscle memory has a lot to do with it. As we were walking back to the yard, I asked if I could ride on another ride today. I'll still be going tomorrow and wanted to ride again as I'd missed a ride last week due to my scary boots situation. I decided to ride the bay beauty, AKA, Bella. Here's a photo. She's a sweet mare who I learnt to rise trot on and she's also a stubborn mare at times. I therefore, of course, love her to pieces. She was on rest for a while late last year and it's been a long while since I rode her so decided to take the opportunity to ride her today while I was on a high. We followed another horse on this ride but it was a smaller pony so in some places wasn't always easy to follow but as on the first ride, I didn't have a leader/walker today. She walked lovely. I had forgotten how slow she was in her gait. But the trotting, wow! That's all I can say! It was instant. I just rose and fell with her like I'd ridden her in the previous ride. For a long while, it had taken me a few trots to get into a new horse's rhythm or even a horse I hadn't ridden for a while. But there I was today, just feeling her rhythm and going with her in a lovely forward trot. She has a slower gait but her trots are so smooth. It was so lovely to be finally reunited with her. I realised today too, how far I've come since I last rode her. I'd never felt confident about getting a horse into canter when I'd last rode her but I am confident of trying now so I have definitely progressed as a rider. I think she sensed this too. We did try for a canter, I wasn't expecting one and I didn't quite get one. Because I've never actually cantered on Bella before, my instructor ran with me so she could take over if I couldn't keep control. It was the fastest trot this lovely mare has ever done and I felt on a few occasions, she was almost there. Even my instructor said that she was impressed that I'd almost got her there. I will happily tell you, the day I get Bella to canter for me, will probably be one of the happiest days in my riding journey so far. She's notorious for riders to get her to do something for them initially but once she knows you can get her to do it, she becomes easier. I did struggle on one trot during this ride. It was my second and it was all my fault. Who knows where my hands were going, I didn't know and neither did my poor horse. But every trot after that was amazing. We did take a little adventure. On the way back to the yard, I was still following the other horse but there was running water down the lane and I lost my hearing for a while. So Missy thought we'd go another way. She was definitely testing me on keeping her straight but it was good. I like being challenged and it just gives me another tool to add to my horse rider's kit to work with the horse. So, even though I've had two rides today, I'll be up tomorrow for a third so wish me luck. Thanks, Marie

avoiding Skating and A New Technique for Me

I called our school owner this morning to see if we would be riding on account of the immense amount of ice still hanging around. She said, the lane, where we ride was OK but the yard was like a skating rink but yes, riding would be on. I arrived and asked to ride Shadow, you guys may have met this tall, white friend of mine on a video I posted here last week. He was eventually led out and the mounting block had been moved to outside our yard so we and the horses remained safe. There had been a path cleared and salt put down by the horses stables so all the horses were being led along there. I did have visions of mounting off of the ground and even though the tallest horse I've ever got on from the ground was 14.2 HH, I was actually not concerned by this at all. I know at some point, I'm going to have to learn to mount all kinds of horses from the ground in case I fall off at some point. We rode up the lane, along the farm route with another horse in front of us. She's being broken in I think and wouldn't go a few times so Shadow and I went in front. There was patches of ice but overall it was pretty clear. We did a first trot and I'd been a very sensible girl today and wore my winter riding boots that are a cross between a riding boot and a wellington boot. They're very nice boots, with a fur inlining but for riding, I find them too heavy and can't feel my legs on the horse properly. I don't know whether i'm depending far too much on feeling my legs through my jodhpurs on the horse's side but I really just don't feel comfortable in these boots at all but knew with the ice rink of a yard, I would have to endure them. I did find them clunky though and not as in tune with my horse today. My seat contact was good but I kind of felt my legs were flailing for some of the time. On our second trots, my instructor asked me to demonstrate trot transitions. I've missed doing these so much and was happy to try. My lovely pony wasn't as responsive but I had felt I wasn't able to give him what I usually can either today. Those hideous boots! At one point he decided he was going to turn around in walk and go home. I managed to win that fight but again felt little contact on my leg and I guess wasn't able to deliver the precision I'm used to being able to give when using leg aids. After our haphazard trot transitions, we had to try something new. Ask our ponies to walk on without giving any leg aids. Yes, a new challenge. I thought this would have been pretty hard but when I think about my lovely friend, he's quite responsive to the seat so I shouldn't have been all that surprised. I used my seat and only after one ask through the seat did we walk on at a lovely pace. That was definitely my highlight of today's lesson. As our second set of trot transitions were even more appalling than the first. I enjoyed our little walk home and just kept him at a nice steady walk, keeping my ears out for the new pony in front. I don't feel stressed or disheartened, probably because I know what part, if not all of the problem was today. I'll be heading up in the morning so lets hope tomorrow is a better lesson, although those dreaded winter riding boots will be on my feet to avoid doing a spectacular impression of a baby penguin. Until next time, Thanks for reading, Marie

Three pairs of Socks Couldn't Save Me

Snow was forecast today and not just a flurry of the white stuff, big heap, sheets of it. I had checked the weather and it had said, snow flurries from 2 O'clock and then snow from 4 O'clock. I decided that if that much snow was going to fall that there would be very little chance of a second ride tomorrow. I asked when I got to the yard if I could have both rides today and it was absolutely fine. I decided to ride my tall white friend. He was raring to go this morning which didn't bother me in the slightest. I had a walker today because of the ice that was in patches along the road route but at this point ice was very sparse. We were following another horse in the beginning that was not one of our usual horses so a lady who owns one of our school horses was riding him to get him used to being ridden in a group like ours, I guess. He wasn't for going, no matter what so a crop was called for. My lovely tall, white, friend decided to back away from the crop but he was OK. We carried on for a walk until we'd got off the farm and onto some roads that were not patched with ice. We did some amazing trots. I really felt like I was pushing up through the thighs and keeping my heels down. During walk today, I noticed how stable I was in the saddle. I didn't feel floppy and could feel him more through the saddle than I ever had previously. There wasn't much good ground for cantering today but we had two possibilities on this ride. The first, all the horses seemed a little spooked or just crazy about something. It didn't happen but I wasn't surprised. Some more great trots were had and we got to the back lane to try for our last canter. I got a good solid one. I'm seeing more and more now that the canters are not just a few strides but lengthy and continuous. Just needed to stay in my seat a tiny bit more and relax but I'm blaming the cold. I was almost frozen by this point. I gave him a huge pat and was pleased by our result anyway. I did notice something today. The pulling down with his head and generally being a little fidgety with his head seems to have something to do with his reins. Apparently, our school owner says it is something to do with when his neck is hot, but I noticed as he was doing it today he's rubbing his reins along his neck which ties in to what she said. I know if I'm hot, we sometimes rub our necks or faces and can get a bit itchy so guess this is what he was doing. We got back to the yard, I took his bridle off and loosened his girth. Then decided to ride him again so I put the bridle on myself and lead him out. Neither I, nor the girl with me remembered to check the girth was tight again and when I put my foot in the stirrup, his saddle slipped. He was a good boy and stood waiting patiently while I untied it and we reset the saddle again. Poor thing must have thought, what silly humans these are today. And as I mounted, successfully, the first flakes of snow started to fall. We opted for the road route again but had a bit of a variation. Apparently my rising trots look pretty awesome now and I have fantastic posture while doing them. I feel as though this is true and my heels are down, my posture's good, elbows are in and shoulders are back. It's a good feeling. The snow by this point was sheeting down and we only managed a further few trots. My tall white friend had stopped itching his neck and was quite happy trying to catch the snow instead. He was amazing today and I felt amazing on his back. Because the snow was coming down so badly by this point we didn't even try for another canter but I know I could have got one if the weather had stayed stable until the end but the snow was coming down thick and fast so our priority was the horses and humans safety. After returning to the yard, I dismounted, my feet like blocks of ice and tied up his stirrups, took of his bridle once in his stable and put his exercise sheet over him and his stable rug. He did look funny with snow flakes in his mane. Lots of hugs and I went outside to wait for a taxi home. Even the three pairs of socks hadn't saved my feet from freezing! But it was well worth it. I'd be surprised if there were any rides tomorrow from our yard. It's still snowing now at gone five PM. So lets hope the evil white stuff has vanished by next weekend. I can't wait to see my lovely horsey friends again. Thanks for reading, Marie