JRSF Day Four

This morning we watched the working students continue the lesson they started yesterday. They warmed up with a Cartwheel pattern (not to be confused with Wagon Wheels- that's a different thing entirely!) then turned 180 degrees on the haunches in preparation for doing pirouettes. It was a very important lesson in maintaining focus as James was wickedly waving a flag at them to be "helpful" but it unfocussed some of them muchley. It was quite funny to hear James rant after one of them asked James to stop with the flag and to move a cup from the top of the rail. (The correct response would have been that they didn't even notice the flag or the cup as they were so focussed on the task - I expect it's easier said than done though!)


Next we watched a "Hand-over" as James talked to an owner about the start that had been put on her horse and what her plan for the next stage should be. She went off with one of the working students to learn how to get her horse to catch her and Smoke was brought in.


He was soon saddled and James took him off with one of his team on another horse and they rode off around the farm. This was only Smoke's second ride!


After lunch we were back in the arena ready to ride. Merlina was a little foot sore so James lent her his stunning and super talented showjumper Becks to ride for the afternoon. Liz could hardly contain her disappointment!


I thought that slavery was abolished in 1833! James has obviously never heard of Wilberforce - he's a slave driver! He had us trotting for ten minutes each way again, then he had us dragging poles and barrels around and trimming hedges, in the blazing midday sun to tidy up his sand arena!


After that he sent us off in small groups to check the fencing around the farm but we snuck off with Claire Spelling and played hooky in one of the big fields behind the trailor park so she could take pictures of us cantering against the back drop of Salisbury Plain! Well Liz WAS riding Becks so it would have been rude not to!
Read about the Last Day http://carrotsinmypocket.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/jrfs-last-day.html