On Saturday Vin and I went to Lincomb for cross country schooling.
The instructor wasn’t the advertised; owing to circumstances beyond everyone’s control we had a last-minute stand-in.
I checked out her achievements before deciding to go ahead but I resolved that if she asked anything I felt uncomfortable about I’d duck out – which is fair enough.
I think if Matt Ryan had asked us to do anything I’d felt uncomfortable with, I’d probably have ducked out there, too.
Unusually the session began over obstacles in very slow-paced walk.
Steps up, steps down, ditches, sunken roads… all in walk.
What I found interesting this morning was that these exercises are all described in this month’s Eventing Magazine – but at the time I thought it was very peculiar.
Then we moved on to water; to establish canter rhythm into, through and out of water and over an obstacle (suspended log) on the away.
Then we reversed the approach: hanging log, in to water, through water and out the other side.
Then barrels.
There are three sets of barrels on the portion of the cross country course we worked on.
Set one is a single wooden ‘cask’-type barrel on its side.
Set two and set three each comprise two end-to-end barrels of the same size and type.
I would have put Vin to either of the latter ‘double’ barrels but the single barrel in isolation?
No way!
However without much time and effort (and with a lot of mental bravery pills on my part) Vin was trotting up to then jumping – and then cantering up to and jumping – the single barrel very nicely.
Then we were allowed to go off and play by ourselves until our tutor brought us back to jump increasingly steeper angles across a palisade.
I wussed out here.
At our level of Eventing (Intro) angles aren’t allowed; I’ll take them in to our educational cycle if and when we’re ready to progress beyond Intro but for now, that’s that.
On our tack and position the length of Vin’s martingale was questioned; I saw the logic in what she was saying and have now put another few inches in to it.
But length of leg and upper body position she encouraged was significantly different to the words that Matt Ryan gave us a few weeks ago.
As with all things equine-related, it’s a subjective sport. One person’s opinion may significantly differ from that of another.
I did like our instructor, I thought much of what she had to offer us was beneficial; things I accepted – either outright or decided to adapt to suit our own circumstances.
But there were one or two very minor things I was – and remain – unsure about (either because the conflicted with things other people have given us, or because I was just not sure), and won’t be adopting everything she offered us.
And that’s what this game’s all about.
You take what you want from who you want, adapt other things and reject one or two things (perhaps reject them for now to accept them later on in life).
It was a brilliant session.
Vin showed his star qualities once again.
And I’m chuffed to bits (with him more than with me).
But completely knackered.
In a good way.
B.