The way to heaven is on horseback

Yesterday morning I had been at the stables and was finding it really calm and relaxing before my university trip. However when I got on facebook late last night I saw a friends status about two horses having to be put to sleep it turns out that during the afternoon Fiona had to make the decision to have one of the horses called Corrie put to sleep. Not only that but Daisy May's owner also had to make the hard decision to have her put to sleep as well. When I first found out it seemed so strange because it was only yesterday morning that I'd been giving Daisy some fuss and then turning her out.  I haven't got any pictures of Daisy or Corrie that I had taken but I do have two photo's that I got off West Hallam Riding Centre Facebook Page. All though I do not know these horses two well I did enjoy the time that I spent with the two of them, I didn't know them very well but they will be sadly missed.  This is Corrie and Rosie spending some time together Corri...

Why is it when you think that you are going to do a dressage test, your brain freezes up, you can't think and you tense up? Well that was exactly what happened today. When we got there we all got given the tests that we would do I got to do a British Young Riders Dressage Scheme 'C Squad' test. This test included Walk, Trot, Canter, serpentines, 20m Circles and half 20m circles. We walked through our tests first and I noticed just how much canter work I would actually be doing and I think that this is the thing that I was most nervous about. When we had walked the test, we then tacked up the horses that we would be riding, we tacked up Gatsby, Rascal and Rocky. I rode Gatsby, JaimieLeigh rode Rascal and Mollie started off riding Rosie but then later switched to riding Rocky and JaimieLeigh got on Gatsby.  In walk all the horses was fine, Gatsby was active and stretching, he was responsive and listening well. Rascal and Rosie were also fine. JaimieLeigh and I are used t...

So more information on the dressage clinic, it amazed me how much my riding changed the minute that people mentioned test to me, it was like I immediately became nervous even though in my mind I knew that i had got no reason to be nervous. Below I'll put the movements the score I got and the comments that I got:- A - Enter working trot rising. Score 8/10. St Cl Active.  C - Track Left. 7/10. Active paces. E - Circle Left 20m. 7/10. Could have been rounder.  Between K and A - working Canter Left lead. 7/10. Good Balance.  B - Circle Left 20m. 5/10. Broke.  Approaching B - Working Trot. 6/10. Could be safer.  C - Medium Walk. 5/10. Jogged.  HXF - Free Walk on a long rein. FA Medium Walk. 8/10. Good stretch and length of stride.  A - Working Trot. 8/10. No comment  E - Circle Right 20m. 7/10. Becoming Softer.  Between H&C - Working canter right lead. 5/10. Late to Canter.  B - Circle right 20m. 5/10. Broke.  Appro...