So given the recent Prelim 1 tests I was super shocked and proud as Jack and I managed an amazing score of 70.2%, our highest score yet! Overall we placed fourth as somehow someone managed to get 72% but I was still happy enough and the ribbon is a really pretty mint colour which is always nice. With these results I have wanted to carry on doing more online competitions to get myself as many ribbons as possible over the summer whilst I have the time for it, as once I’m back at uni it will mostly be training instead of competing.

However there have been a few things bothering me lately which have resulted in not entering any dressage competitions this month sadly, things such as Jack’s availability as he is not my horse and I have to ask the owner a couple days in advance of when I want to ride, which doesn’t include weekends. Then there is the matter of having someone around to help me film, sometimes this is my mum or my sister however they are often so so busy they don’t have the time, then there is the boyfriend but he is always working and only visits on weekends being the days I can’t ride. Then there is my friend Katie and I know she will help when she comes to visit however we do live rather far apart so basically I do not get to film as often as I like. There is also the matter of Jack himself as although he is a really good boy and does try his best for you, he can also be a complete arsehole, and when he is not in the mood to do a test, that test ends up getting a score of 60% instead of the average 67% he is capable of.

As a result of all this I have found myself only hacking when I do ride, thinking of my position as well as trying to engage my core so much so that I am saddle sore the next day, but at least it means something is working! I know that Jack also isn’t the best horse for dressage and although we have had a few really good days where he works beautifully, more the case than others he just continually bucks when you go into canter, and then bucks again whenever you use a whip near him.

In the meantime I have had a lot of reading to do for university which is keeping me occupied and I have been making notes from the BHS Stage one book as I have almost finished going through that and it turns out I have been getting on a horse wrong this whole time! Well not competely wrong but when you are getting on the horse from the mounting block, you’re supposed to place your left hand on the pommel of the saddle holding the reins, then your right hand on the far side of the pommel, and then use your right leg to push up from the block onto the horse, rather than using your left leg to pull yourself up onto the horse. Seems simple enough but it felt weird putting both my hands on the pommel, I have always put my right hand on cantle.

So that is pretty much an update on what has been going on so far this month, still loving the sunshine as always! Katie is coming to visit soon so I am sure will have a few things to write about as we always do something horsey!

Recently at home the weather has been terrible and it has always rained on the days I’ve wanted to ride and then been super sunny whilst I was away. Today it was looking pretty miserable too and so I wasn’t optimistic about getting a session in as its now been about three weeks since I rode last. However I went and checked on Jack and he was dry enough despite the light rain and so that was good enough for me!

I was very undecided as to what to do with Jack now that I actually had the chance to ride, I don’t know the latest dressage test and had no one around to film it, and then I didn’t want the added pressure on myself of riding the perfect test to submit. Instead I tried to practice what Katie taught me a couple of weeks ago in terms of making him work hard and become more supple over the back. Half the time I had completely forgotten what Katie had told me and wished she was there to boss me around from the ground! In the end I got him forward which was easy enough, and I gradually tried to focus on little things to make the bend happen. After around half an hour of working him in circles and changing the rein he did begin to show some really nice bend, and I kept pushing him into all the corners and he was working lovely.

I then decided to give Jack a break and allow him to have his head wherever he liked as I focused on myself. I don’t know why I submitted myself to such torture but they say its good for you! I simply just trotted around with no stirrups for 15 minutes or so, trying to keep my legs in position engaging the muscles around the groin area as well as engaging my core. At first it was difficult and I felt pretty sorry for Jack as I was bouncing around on his back, but he kept a nice slow and steady trot for me the whole time – I think I would have come off if he were any faster! We went around on both reins and I managed to feel my muscles warming up and working hard, it was so painful at first I had to take mini breaks and go back to walk.

So now I am home and exhausted and I can’t walk that fast as my thighs hurt too much, but hey if it’s going to gradually improve my position it will all be worth it!

As I enter online competitions both from The Mane Show http://www.themaneshow.co.uk/ and from Dressage4All https://www.dressage4all.co.uk/ for some reason this month they both decided to do Prelim 1, however this was helpful as I meant I didn’t need to memorise a new test as I practiced Prelim 1 again. In the past I have sometimes entered the same video to both institutions, however given mine and Jack’s recent training from Katie I thought it was better to get some more practice in, as well as to see how Jack and I would do on our own without Katie’s help.

Last time we did Prelim 1 I found that Jack’s head was bending beautifully over his back but I then forgot the basics in that my circles looked like squares. Interestingly, the judges didn’t seem to find this too much of an error to point out in the comments, but for my own personal gratification I wanted to practice it. I gave Jack a good warm up and remembered to sit back in the saddle whenever we went into canter. Jack often spends the first 20 minutes of any session trying to convince you that he is too old to be doing this kind of work, however he is only 20, I’m sure he can manage a couple of canter circles!

After the warm up I found that both myself and Jack were working super hard, but it all paid off as he began to work nicely which was great as I didn’t have any help from the ground, proving that every now and again I can ride! I then kept checking on my hands to keep them steady and bent at the elbow and used my inside leg to push him into the corners. Some corners were better than others, and one rein was slightly better than the other, I think it was the right? I can’t really remember which! In the end we were able to produce a nice test which I have since sent to the judges at Dressage4All, and we will receive our results towards the end of the month, so now we can move onto the next one from The Mane Show!

To see our entry click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68_4Q-IgNtM

So I am finally back home for the summer and have been so for a month now! I can’t believe how quickly it is going however I also have 30 books to read for my course, so I have been a little preoccupied!

A couple of weeks ago my horsey bestie came all the way from Essex to visit me in Nottingham, and she sure put me to work! Recently when I have been riding Jack I find that every time we go into the canter transition he decides to buck, I thought seeing Jack it would just be his naughty behaviour being a grumpy old man and all, however it turns out it was me, (and a bit of him too now thinking about it)! My canter transition has never been amazing, and so from the ground Katie could see that I bent forwards slightly, and so made it easier for him to buck me off if I was already half way out of the saddle, hence why he decided to buck in an effort to get me off. To correct this, I simply had to sit deep within the saddle and glue myself to it, keeping my back straight and shoulders back, as well as keeping my chest forwards so then it was harder for him to get me off.

After this, I found it a lot easier to work with Jack, we were able to get him working with a great energy and then allowed him to work over his back – which he was not happy about at all! In the end we had all worked really hard, as Katie warmed him up and got him going, something which I found much harder to do myself later on! We then gave the prelim 1 test a go, and Katie said it was obvious that when I knew I was doing the test I came to stiffen up immediately and that caused Jack to not work as well as he had been doing. We kept going through the test though and there were amazingly no bucks as we went into canter, or at all for that matter! Katie also told me to get into the mindset that when filming the test that this might not be the video that I submit to the judges, and so with that thought in mind I should relax more and have a better test.

Clearly all our hard work paid off as when the results came Jack and I placed nicely in second with out highest ever score together of 68.95%, it was such a shame that someone else got 69% otherwise we would have won our first class! Oh well, I am still pleased with the progress we have made compared to our shocking results of last month being a mere 60%, which was our worst score together…

To see the video entry click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6UHwR34kiM&t=14s

Will be back with more content soon!

It’s the night that everyone has been waiting for, that being Sports Awards! By being on one of the competing teams I managed to get myself a ticket for the second year running and I was super excited as its always a lovely evening.

We all got dolled up and met at Revolution where we has a quick drink before getting in the taxis to go to Derbyshire country Cricket Ground. Inside it was so pretty with the walls all blacked out and a massive buffet ready and waiting, although it was £19 for a bottle of rosé at the bar! We all sat down and split some bottles between us as they did the initial speeches and announced a couple of awards. Then we went for food which was super nice, I had a chicken curry of some sort and it came with the smallest little garlic naan bread it was so cute! However one sad part of the evening was that they only had one chocolate cake and it ran out very quickly with no replacement!

After food and getting more drinks from the bar, the rest of the awards were handed out, we won a Gold award for Club Achievement as we fulfilled an amazing 90% of the goals we set out to do this year. We were also nominated for Most Charitable Club of the Year and Club of the Year which was amazing to gain such a recognition, however sadly we didn’t win either this year. Alas it was still a great night with the girls and it was lovely to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in ages as well as chat to some people who I had never really met before. Thankfully the boyfriend was acting as chauffeur tonight and so I had a quick ride home, I was not drunk enough to make it out tonight! Just hope I get to go next year as well, it’s events like these which make me so excited to join the club next year and be more immersive within the club’s activities and hopefully get onto a BUCS team!

Recently over the Easter break I have had terrible luck with riding. The times I have asked Toni to ride it was either super hot (which made a great bank holiday) or it was thunderstorms! I popped home for the night to look after the puppy – what better reason to come home? – and asked Toni if the weather was good if I could pop out with good old Jack.

Thankfully this morning the sun was shining and we were tacked up and ready to go for 8:30! Although I forgot the joys of this time of year when they’re all shedding, I got so much out of Jack’s coat and it was blowing all over the yard, I was a fluffy blob by the end of it but Jack did look a little better, even if he didn’t look so impressed by being tacked up.

I didn’t really have the energy to go in the school and do any proper work so we just headed out on a hack just for a bit of fun. I don’t know why but I felt so strange in the saddle today, it might have been because I haven’t ridden in so long, so the fact that I was wearing my mum’s wellies and some new Aztec Diamond breeches, but I just seemed to be all over the place in the saddle, it was probably a factor of all three.

As we went around the fields though I only did walk and trot, mostly because I knew Jack was full of energy and super excited, he kept going faster and faster in the trot like ponies do which was super cute, but I didn’t want to canter seeing as I wasn’t feeling very secure in the saddle and if he spooked I would definitely be off! Instead I tried to focus on my position with my hands and legs when trotting and that worked a little, but really I needed a session in the school to focus on that. But it’s only a week until I move home for the summer and hopefully I’ll be riding Jack all the time as well as doing more dressage competitions over the summer!

Despite my recent loss of Bella, I am of course still in love with horses and somehow my boyfriend has wanted to get that same horsey addiction! So today I managed to get the trusted Jack and let Luke have a go at riding and let myself have a go at teaching.

It was a little daunting at first, like those moments when you read or use a certain word so much that it no longer begins to make sense as a word. As a literature student I have experienced this a few times. So Luke got on and I showed him where to have his hands and feet, as well as reminding him to have a straight back – he has such bad posture from sitting at an office desk all day! Then I told him to kick Jack on to make him walk, which was quite funny as of course Jack didn’t walk, he was looking at me as though asking if I was serious about placing a beginner on his back.

After a few goes Luke got Jack walking which was great, but Luke of course was a little wobbly and got a little frustrated in the lack of control he had over Jack. Instead of putting him on the lunge or anything, I placed out four poles to mark out the four points of the circle. This way I gave Luke something to aim towards as he went around all of the poles, and over alternate poles. This way I was able to help him with his turns as he made them very sharp, this way I tried to encourage him to take nice and big loops to make the turn smoother. He did get the hang of it eventually however he kept letting the reins slide through his fingers, I had to tell him so many times to shorten the reins!

Then Luke wanted to be adventurous and try out trotting. So at first I ran with him (a great reminder that I am terrible at running) and so told him to rise and fall in his seat counting the beats out for him, Jack was so done! Luke didn’t get the hang of it the first time so instead I got him to practice rising and falling in his seat whilst standing, and then progressed to walking. With this Jack was being a little slow and so made this difficult for Luke to keep him going as well on focusing how to trot. So I grabbed a whip and just made Jack aware it was there, this way he kept up the pace and so Luke was able to focus on his trot more. Eventually he did really well and got the hang of the rise and fall which was really good for his first lesson. However I couldn’t stop laughing because as he was trotting he started rolling his shoulders and elbows which looked so funny! So that’s a habit we have to nip in the bud!

Either way despite me moaning at him a load he felt like he accomplished something and we ended on a good note which is how it should always be done. He wants to ride again in a week or so where I shall be on Jack’s fieldmate, Diamond, who must be about 14hh and seems so tiny! But I have never ridden Diamond before so it will be fun to try him out as well as trying to teach Luke at the same time!

Well today was the end of an era. As sadly I have come to no longer loan Bella. I had plans to ride with my boyfriend, teaching him on Jack whilst I rode Bella. I went and caught Jack fine and set my boyfriend up with some brushes whilst I caught Bella. However the thing was I wasn’t able to actually catch her. I went into the paddock and instantly she wouldn’t come near me, and the other horses were getting in the way which didn’t help either. Bella would come near me for a treat which I gave her to try and earn her trust, yet as soon as I went to go near her neck she ran off. After bringing in one of her field-mates she still wouldn’t come near me. At one point I did manage to get the lead-rope around her neck but she instantly got defensive and began to struggle against me, I tried to control her as much as I could but in the end she was stronger than I was, and so she ran off with the lead-rope dangling about her neck.

It got to the point where all three horses were galloping around the field and I just really didn’t feel safe being in there. Plus she shouldn’t be that hard to catch. I don’t know whether it’s a problem with her tack or maybe if she needs getting check out by the vet to rule out any pain issues, but Bella clearly doesn’t enjoy being ridden or being brought in to ride, however I can’t really do anything about it. It also brought up some really bad memories for me as my old pony Star would be annoying to catch sometimes, however I always brought a bucket of feed and that always did the trick, plus she was in a field on her own. The situation with Bella is a lot harder as with two other horses in the field they all come to crowd around the bucket and to shooing them away made Bella more cautious. This is why I always consider placing more than one horse in a paddock together, as it creates a lot of problems.

So I messaged her owner and explained the situation. I tried to schedule a day over Easter break when I could meet her and show her what’s going on. However she then decided to pull the plug on the agreement as she didn’t want me getting hurt as it never happens to her. I’m not sure why it happens to me but I’m pretty gutted overall. I also spoke to another girl who looked after Bella and her field-mates and told me she struggled catching her too.

So yes this is an end of an era, as I started this blog when I got Bella and even named it after the show name I thought of for her, however I might have to change things up now. I’m pretty sad still as the owner didn’t seem like she wanted to help me out with the problem even though she needed my help really. Plus now I have to re-think my summer plans a little as I was hoping to ride her more often. It’s just a big shame as I was just starting to get to know her too, but I really shouldn’t have to struggle that much to catch a horse. I know that at least I will have Jack to ride over the summer so at least I have someone to ride and I can continue doing my dressage competitions on him too which is great, plus I get to ride Jack for the cost of one barrow of poo picking so it’s much easier for me!

Today I headed off on another hack on Bella seeing as it was such a sunny day again, it’s truly beginning to feel like summer which I’m so looking forward to. I found that she was pretty hard to catch again as she genuinely seemed scared when I put the headcollar over her head as she was trembling in her neck. I managed to catch her using the leadrope tied around her head and neck but I am concerned as to why she doesn’t want to be caught, plus the fact she is also reluctant to have the bridle put on as well. It might be something to do with her tack but none of it seemed ill-fitting, so maybe it is a behavioural problem. However this will be pretty hard to solve seeing as I only see her once a week.

When riding she seemed a lot calmer and a lot less spooky today which was great. She also did not rush as much and I made use of my seat the whole way around which was good for my muscles, although I bet I’ll be saddle sore tomorrow!

We went around the local XC course which was really nice as I hadn’t been up there in years. There are a few gates to work through as well but they’re quite advanced with long handles which you can use from when on top of the horse. Bella was pretty good with these too and she seemed very eager to get through. I didn’t try cantering today as the ground was already pretty hard from all the sun recently, but seeing as she was so strong last time I didn’t really want to risk it until we get to know each other better. We went down the same hill as we did last week and this time she didn’t work herself into nearly as much of a stress! In order to counter her wanting to go to the right, this time instead of using my leg to move her over, I blocked the right rein and opened up the left, this was much more effective in lacing her toward the middle of the hill. She did again try to rush, however I half-halted and used my seat which did manage to slow her down, killing my thighs in the process.

We got to the same field which we cantered in last week, and Bella clearly remembered us cantering around in there last time as she was bouncing on the toes rearing to go. Instead we kept to a steady trot which we had been achieving all throughout the hack which was great as I felt I had more control.

Overall this week was a much better improvement from last week and I am looking forward to getting to know her better, next week we are doing something a little different as I’m riding her in the school as well as teaching my boyfriend how to ride on my friend’s horse Jack; 22 year-old piebald cob who is just like a grumpy old man but is good as gold really, so it should be a fun ride.

Tonight I headed back to Hartbury’s beautiful arena to see the legendary William Fox-Pitt running his own clinic. He first went over some aspects of dressage and pointed out what many riders do wrong regarding centre lines and circles. With the centre line he said you have to look the judge straight in the eye and dare them not to give you anything less than an 8! You also have to make sure that not only is the horse straight but that your own body is straight too, as if you’re crooked or bending to one side it makes it more difficult for the horse to follow through.

Regarding circles, William demonstrated how people usually put in a bit of a bend, then go straight, often staying at the markers for too long, or if the circle is at C or A, then people again fall into the corners and causes the circle to appear more like a square. With the circle, it can be good to place out some ground poles so that they hit each point of the circle. If you imagine the circle has four points, so one at X, one at C, (if we’re doing a circle at C), then you want to just touch the track at either side. Ride around the poles so that you touch the track at the points and then immediately come off the track again, and don’t go deep into the corners of the arena as it appears that you’re going large. This way the horse is bending more throughout the movement and you ride an actual circle instead of a curved square.

William also said that the art to dressage is to treat it like a conversation with your horse. Each movement needs to be thought of like a sentence. Beginning with a capital letter, then the words, and a full stop. So with each movement you need to initially prepare for the movement (the capital letter) then follow through with the movement, and finish the movement (full stop). However in turn by finishing one movement you always need to be preparing for the next, and in turn with all dressage tests you need to keep the horse distracted and busy so that he doesn’t begin to get distracted.

Another tip was to always film yourself if you can when you do a dressage test, being able to see what you’re doing from the ground can really help and you can see as to why something went wrong or where you could improve. Personally I hate going through my videos as something like my legs or hands are behaving terribly! However even if you go through it once you are aware of the problem and so can take action against it next time.

Onto the jumping part William showed us some XC tips. For when introducing strange fences to the horse just make sure that it is really obvious to them as to what they need to do. This can be helped by making a wide skinny, and then gradually decreasing the width, or placing poles on the ground in a ‘V’ shape to guide them into the fence. This way the horse becomes more accustomed to jumping strange objects and so builds up his confidence.

He also did a little showing off towards the end by throwing himself round these crazy angles, but this too is something good to practice at home ready for the complicated combinations on XC courses, although I don’t see myself at Badminton any time soon! Overall it was a great night, it was probably a little less exciting that Ben Hobday but I still learned just as much, I even treated myself to a signed copy of William’s autobiography, so I’m looking forward to reading that and learning more.