HI there everyone!!

Remember me AGES ago saying that I'll tackle that 1.20m jump?? Well I've done it and been practising it and now I've got PROOF!

 WOO!

Guess what I did today??

Well... I am helping my trainer sell his horse Baby (you may have seen previous photos of him) and some interested potential buyers requested a video of him jumping (as they live too far away to come and view him). Guess who starred in that video?? ME!!!

AND I jumped 1.20m for the first ever time!... we caught it on film, too! Far... I'm only used to jumping 80-90cm...

When I get a copy of the film, I will post it up for you's!

ANYway, 

see you!

I rode my bucking bronco today after work. I took him down the farm for the first time. I took my mare down as well as I'm teaching my lil bro to ride. I lunged him down there (found a hill to wear him out on first). Then I piled on him. We trotted around for a while (it's all he knows how to do without freaking and going into a buck-attack). Today I really felt that we were finally clicking. After almost a year of owning him (May 14), I can finally put a bit of trust back into him. Next, I will find a nice big hill where I can teach him to canter (with me on him) so he can't buck me off as bad.

My brother cantered for the first time today (his second ride ever). Charmy (my mare) took off on him because Blaze and I were too far ahead for her liking. And my brother stuck on like a true blue natural! Back straight, lent forward a tad and stuck to the centre of the saddle. He didn't even fall off!

Usually I wouldn't brag for my brother, but this is an exception. Teaching him to ride is a way for us to bond.

Anyhoo, I hope you all had a good day!

 YUS!!!

I had another lesson today!! It was just as good as the last one, truth be told =]

I'm so proud of him!!

For the warm up, I visited down the back of the property for the first time ever (I ride at my trainers house). It was so cool down there. The paddocks are awesome to have a good gallop and jump the gause and drains ;) ... so I heard... *coughcough* Not really meant to.
 
AAAAAAAnyway,  then we did some dressage. I had to keep him at a controlled trot (excruciatingly slow for him), and on the bit. I have this bad habbit of holding my hands horizontally when I ride so I need to keep my thumbs on top, and I need to work on keeping my heels down and using my calf muscles to stay on than using my thighs. So I have a lot to think about, don't I?

Then we had a crack at jumping (still doing all the things above). So I had to try and remember more when jumping. To look up, not to look at the jump "the jump will come to you, you don't need to look at it", when going over the jump, I have to be looking towards my next jump and take my reins back slowly after the jump.

So when I'm doing all that, I often forget about my legs and I loose my stirrups or my legs/arms move too much.

I managed to even keep him in a controlled canter, too, while doing all of the above (during jumping).

I am so much better now. And that was only my second lesson!

I just need to remember everything all at once... and hopefully moving on to not even having to think!!!

A good days work/learning I'd say ;]

 I had a riding lesson today. And I met my instructors identicle twin and her baby also.

So, today, she taught me how to do half-halts. It's when you have to sit deep in the saddle and wiggle your fingers to "pause" the horse when he gets too speedy. At first I couldn't get it. But ten minutes later, I had him in a perfectly slow, controlled trot and completely on the bit. I had to do changing leads, transitions, twenty-metre circles and figure-eights with him completely controlled and on the bit. It was amazing... for the first time ever, I REALLY connected, you know? Usually he's just a speedy lil pony... and you could be hauling on his mouth for all the effect it had. But today, we turned over a new leaf.

Then we tried jumping, while keeping him still at the trot and controlled. And I must say, he was absolutely perfect. Okay, a couple of times I lost my stirrups and I set him off balance trying to get them back. But that didn't stop us, I did a whole jumping circuit with no stirrups at all and I still mangaed to stay on.

What bliss... to be so conected to each other.

1) We have 4 speeds and many positions
2) We wear tight pants and tall boots
3) We love getting dirty
4) We know how to ride our mounts
5)We perform well with animals
6) We like to be in control
7) We’ll ride it for hours
8) We know how to handle a big girth
9) We get off easy
10) We're always on top
11) We like it rough
12) We have our legs spread all day long
13) We love using whips
14) Straddling is our natural position
15) We don't mind being bucked around
16) Event riders do it for three days
17) We can ride standing or sitting
18) We wear leather chaps everyday
19) We think the fast ones are the most fun
20) We're used to having hands between our legs
21) If we fall off we get back on and ride harder

 Yesterday after school I went out to my horse trainers to go for a ride on Baby. He was really responsive. I went jumping and picked up some pictures...

 Here's a few photos I found that look better than what I posted a while back.

I finally got them! Thy're not the best photos but they will do!!

 
So, really, my first official show was a bit of a disaster. Hopefully we will do better next time.

Ok, so last night I rode a huge horse called Ginger Bread Boy. It was his first ride in a year and a half. Previously he was broken in, then left in the paddock to finish his growing and maturing. He was fine. I even managed to canter and jump him! But he's forgotten his mouth! I can't steer him or stop him!!

Then we got to the show. He was all eyes and everything. I have blisters on my fingers from trying to turn him!  He was flighty as! When the lady was giving me my dressage test, she passed me the piece of paper to memorise and she flittered it in his face. Man, did he get a fright!! He was rearing and all-sorts! I fell off... almost into the drain! And he was off. Next, when I managed to get him into the ring, he did beautifully! Then when we were nearing our finish, he wouldn't turn at "K" and stepped over the arena! I backed him up and he toppled the whole thing over!!

THEN I rode his paddock mate Baby (Quick Silver) for the jumping part. This other girl that rides him is useless and is too scraed to jump him so she pulls him out of the jumps. So now he's learnt bad tricks and wasn't listening to me. The owners had to drive home and get me the "power-steering bit". That did the trick. We even managed to make a third in the 6-bar jump! We got up to a metre.

So... that was my first show!

My friend has all the photos on her camera so when I manage to wangle them off of her, I will post the pictures up.

Ciao :D