Week 1, Session 1

Wednesday 31st March

Today was the first day of Showing Season prep for Maguire and I! Last week his owner sent me a list of local shows and told me to get planning. I have had ups and downs with Mags, largely due to my own confidence issues. We've been treading water for 2 years, not really making any progress in either his fitness or my riding! Getting the list from Diane really made me realise how blooming lucky I am to have Mags to ride and to almost do what I like with, and it made me feel so stupid for having faffed and faffed for coming up for 2 years without ever actually getting him fit and back into proper work. I have an opportunity that loads of people would dream of having, and I really have not made the most of it. I want to do the summer shows so much, its what I've always wished for, and here I am with unlimited access to a super horse and I have not managed to get myself into gear enough to fitten him up and get him out and about. I have thought plenty times that Mags would have achieved so much more if he had someone more confident than me helping out with him, and this time I am determined that I am going to do him proud.

The wonderful Bog and Ken have helped me get a training plan ready, and I'm scheduled to ride at least 3 times a week for the next 9 weeks! The plan is centred around schooling in the arena, but I hope to be able to incorporate some hacking and maybe even a couple of shots around the clear round course at the local fortnightly SJ events. I am a nervous rider, but over the last 6 months I've had lessons with Yvonne McFarlane which have lifted my confidence more than I can say, as well as improving my actual technique more than I would have dreamed of. So I have Mags, I have a plan and I have a bit more confidence than usual. I'm all set! My end goal is to compete at the local shows this summer in Working Hunter and possibly Riding Club Horse. It will be very low level and nothing too intense, but if I can get him out doing that then I will be incredibly happy!


But anyway..that's the blather about the goals and why I'm doing this. Here's my report of how the first session went!

Session 1 was for 30 minutes. A 10 minute warm up mainly in walk with some trot, a solid 8mins working on developing the walk and then 2 mins trot before 1o mins walk again (incorporating cool down on a long rein)

It began well, with Mags feeling more forward in the warmup than he usually would be. We did our 5 mins on a completely loose rein before I gathered them up and spent the next 5 mins on some schooling figures and a couple of short bursts of trot. Just as I was entering the next 10 minute section the YO began tidying the muck heap with his tractor. This was very loud, and Mags has previously spooked a bit at this type of thing, resulting in a feeble Susan getting off him and calling it quits. (I know...pathetic!) Today I remembered the poem that Bog & Ken had sent me about singing whilst you do 'the thing that couldn't be done' and launched into 'Let Robeson Sing' (which seemed quite appropriate!). I didn't get the work I would have liked to done on the quality of the walk, as it was all I could do really to stay calm and happy and just be in the school with the noise going on. But I managed it, and it proves how much Mags reacts to me. He didn't blink! His owner is always reminding me that he is actually bombproof and I just need to be firm with him. She was proved right this evening! When the tractor was switched off and peace returned I worked on some serpentines and figures of eight. Mags seems to find this quite difficult, I think he is not at all supple and he doesn't bend properly, but all this will come. The 2 minutes trotting passed incredibly quickly and easily, and we finished off with another 5 mins work in walk before cooling down on a long rein.

I was so incredibly pleased with him, he was a star, and it proves completely that it is ME who gets him worked up. When I am calm and happy, he is calm and happy. Gave him massive pats, cuddles and too many polos before putting him to bed. For the first time I feel as if I actually have structure to my schooling sessions and that I am going to do this properly. I have had so many false starts with him, but now I feel that I am genuinely going to get him fit and out having fun! He's going to love getting out to some little shows and getting out hacking.

So today I am feeling sooo lucky and so happy!
I am committed to riding three times a week, so am going to get up tonight and then ride again on Sunday. I'll update the blog with the latest news!