The Weekend!

Saturday:

Taught my first lesson on Sat! Wee! I really do love teaching. I've never wanted to go to the Olympics, or even be terribly brilliant in any competition, but I DO want to teach.
As expected, they are starting me out with the kids. Around the 5-6 age group, so little itty-bittys. I like the little ones, so easy to entertain!

My two ponies I am working with currently in my lessons are Solo and Bronte. Both are around the 11hh size (so little! Ah!) and both are very different to work with. Solo is a red roan Welsh A who has had some serious training back in the day. As soon as the kids sit properly he goes into the cutest little frame- bless!
Bronte is a little more evil. Also a Welsh A, but shaped like a hippo and grey. As you put the child on her back, she bites, if the child asks her to move forward, she bites, if she is just feeling like it, she will bite. Unfortunately, with this age of child the ponies need a leader, and since I'm lucky I get the crocodile pony.
Tina seems happy with my teaching, so I'm sure I'll be doing plenty more of that in the future.

Keep forgetting to take photos. So enjoy some English scenery

My lesson on Sat was an absolute disaster, and I very much struggled not to lose it and leave the lesson in tears. I'm not usually one for a tantrum- but it was bad!
The lesson was with Tina, and this was her 'Elite' class which consisted of two of the instructors, and her son Zak (who is 15yr old competing Advanced on his Grand Prix Lusitano stallion) and then me, some random ring-in riding Romeo again.

So as we're going through some exercises (of our own choosing, Tina just made adjustments), I look around and see everyone else piaffing and passaging around, and I can't even get my horse to move forward and round up. I was trying SO hard. Panting, sweating, wracking my brain for anything that might help, now and again stopping to ask advice from Tina...and I just got no-where.
My position sucked, and as the lesson went on it got worse. I was exhausted from trying, my hands had blisters from the contact THROUGH my gloves, and Romeo was just bouncing me around like a sack of potatoes. Fail.

I really struggled not to burst out sobbing on the walk back to the stables. I very kindly asked Tina not to put me in that class anymore- I am very obviously not ready. She agreed (also kindly) and did admit I was probably riding the most difficult horse (as he is a beginner/intermediate horse, not a Grand Prix horse). Still, I bet if you put the coaches on Romeo they'd have him looking a million bucks.

I went back to the Bungalow  and had a sook, then started Sunday fresh.

Sunday there was a Cancer Research Dressage comp being run and held at Contessa. Originally I was going to be competing too, but we ran out of time to organise me a horse and practice tests. (Kinda glad- I'm so not ready to make a fool of myself in front of everyone!) Instead I did some stewarding in the warm-up arena, and some pencilling for the judge (as well as running around helping where needed, of course.)

Before the show started I had a lesson, on a horse named Regitse. Reg is an elderly (in fact, very close to being retired) advanced schoolmaster. I believe she is a Danish Warmblood, but I was almost certain she was a Clydesdale on first sight. Seriously, these horses are so big!
I have this feeling they put me on Reg to get a bit of confidence back. It took a bit of a smashing in the last lesson, so I really needed it.
She was lovely. So easy to ride, and such an excellent teacher. Started off with some leg yields and shoulder-in, which felt flawless. I had absolutely no trouble getting her collected, and even got to feel some half-steps of piaffe on her!
Wanda (who was teaching) likes to take my stirrups away, but it felt good with Reg because she was giving me her back willingly.

The big lesson Reg taught me was about precision of aids. She's obviously trained to the 9's (I believe she trained and competed to PSG level?) and she's got a bit of attitude, so Miss Regitse would not give me a canter until I had my legs placed EXACTLY right. I'm talking a matter of inches difference. The same went for collecting her. If my legs were an inch too forward, or my back not 100% supported by my core, she would just kinda hop up and down and pin her ears.
Once I re-adjusted, she delivered!

She is ancient, so it was a short lesson with only a few strides of canter, but I'm keen to ride her again.

The rest of the day was exhausting, as competitions generally are. So exhausting, in fact, that my immune system had a shut down and I am now on day 2 of a stomach bug. Bleurgh.
Think I'll be back to work and riding tomorrow, so stay tuned!!