JRFS Day Three

The day you have to trot for ten minutes on both diagonals (and if you break gait another minute gets added on for everybody) is not the day to discover you forgot to put on your shock absorber bra! Every body has been dreading this ordeal but it really wasn't that bad - I must be fitter than I thought. Liquorice was pretty puffed out though, and he DID break gait briefly to do a poo but James didn't notice despite saying he's got eyes everywhere. Liquorice kept breaking into a canter to try to solve the puzzle of what it was that I wanted then James did ask us to go into canter a couple of times. He showed us how, if we practice this every day and really improve our horse's fitness, it wouldn't be long before we would be able to do the level four freestyle tasks.



First thing in the morning we watched some of the working students get a lesson on leg isolations. They did the "cartwheel" in walk which is certainly one we can begin to practise at home, and another pattern which involved turning their horse using the outside leg and going through a squeeze. Then we watched Smoke get warmed up in the indoor school . Kim was being coached in the online warm-up by James and it was fascinating to see how where her bellybutton was pointing was shutting him down. James then rode Smoke and took him quickly through walk, trot and canter.


James wanted to see us back in the arena ready to ride at 5 o'clock when it would be cooler, and we would need it to be! So after the "ten minutes each way" we went out for another trail ride. James was riding a horse that, every now and then, refused to go forward and would try every trick in the book to avoid it including careering into all the other horses, so that was interesting!


We ended up back at the Royal Oak for drinks again and the manager brought us out carrots again - but little ones this time. James was impressed at how good Liquorice was at being led to a stone and standing still so I could remount. Liquorice hadn't brought his ipad so couldn't use the WiFi!
Read about Day Four - http://carrotsinmypocket.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/jrsf-day-four.html