BHS Stage 1 - Back to college for some riding lessons

With the winter looming (and with it the end of the trekking season), I have been wondering what to do about riding this winter as loaning a horse last year didn't work out quite as planned.  I have been thinking about lessons for sometime and most of the riding schools only do private lessons when I am available i.e when the kids are at school.  I was feeling quite envious of my young friend off to college to do horse riding and horse care full time for two years and couldn't resist taking a peek at the college prospectus even though I can't really justify a full time course at my age with two kids I am not likely to find a job with horses that covers the childcare.

I was chuffed to find though that they did one day part-time courses for the British Horse Society (BHS) Stage 1 exam which covers horse care and riding and at £400 for the year it actually compares very competitively with the cost of lessons at a riding school so I rung up to see if I could get on the course. 

Next thing, I knew I had a riding test the following day where I was expected to walk, trot and canter in a schooling ring reasonably competently. having only had a few lessons at a walk with a small amount of trotting but never having managed it around the corners only on the long straight bits.  I didn't even have time to have a few riding lessons first to brush up and didn't know what the leg aids were or what a diagonal was or that you were meant to hold your whip on the inside hand.  Never the less, I gave it a go and when she said my riding was borderline for entry, I started up with the blagging and think I scraped through more on the gift of the gab than my riding skills.  The horse in the test was lovely and very forward although was expecting something slower but think when they said it would be an easy horse they meant safe and compliant rather than slow.  Still at least she was easy to get into a canter, something I was worried about having only ever cantered in large open spaces in a relatively straight line.  Apparently my reins were far too loose and my position not good and my riding lacks discipline, so decided definitely a good idea to get a few lessons in before I start next week to avoid making a complete fool of myself in front of the other students.

My first riding lesson, last week, was harder work than i expected after it was only and hour and I normally ride for four hours but working in the school is a different kettle of fish than a hack in the countryside.  I trotted without reins, and then without stirrups, I had a go at cantering but apparently the reason the horse kept going back to trot was because my position wasn't great.  It was fun but I was absolutely knackered after an hours one to one lesson.  Got two more this week before I start my course and have had to invest in some new kit.  I have been told gloves, body protector and hair net are all compulsory as well as the normal hat jodphurs and boots.  I never normally ride with a body protector but will probably think about wearing it out hacking now I have it as I reckon the chances of a bad fall are probably higher out hacking than in a school.

I think it will be really good for me as when i started riding I just wanted to have fun and didn't like the idea of being told what to do all the time in a lesson but have reached the stage I think my riding is as good as it's gonna get without formal tuition and looking forward to it now and feeling sufficiently confident in being on the horse, I will be able to listen to their instructions rather than panicking about falling off unlike when I had my first lessons last year.

Riding in Andulucia

I had a marvellous time riding in Spain this August.  A whole week of sun and horseriding, what more could a girl ask. (And a break from the kids too which was lovely although I was glad to see them when I got home.)

I stayed at Los Alamos Riding for a week and it was lovely.  After being collected from the airport, we drove to San Ambrosio, a small hamlet along the coast from Cadiz.  The rooms were lovely with their own ensuite and mine even had a little balcony.  The first night began with a beautiful meal on the patio for the eight of us riding that week.

Galloping on Sarita.

The following day, we went down to meet our horses and get ready for our first ride.  Due to the heat, we rode every morning from about nine returning about one.  The first day I rode a 16"2 black spanish cob cross called Sarita who was very responsive but not too forward for a fairly novice rider like myself.  Until I arrived, I was under the impression they catered to beginner riders but soon found out it was aimed at intermediate and above so was pleased to keep up pretty well with the riding.

We rode in the National Forest which as well as being very picturesque was nice and cool when the weather was hitting 35 degrees at the peak of the day.  I had a few nerves when we started the first canter, having been told we will start off in a canter and then go to a gallop in the clearing but managed it with no problems.

After riding, we dashed back for a quick shower and then out to get some tapas for lunch.  This was followed by a lazy afternoon by the pool and dinner at 8pm followed by a fairly early night.  The food cooked by Rhiannon was very good and we had a three course meal every night with not a bad meal all week.  Drinks soft and alcoholic were freely available at the villa on a help yourself basis as were snacks like crisps.  This set the routine for the week and very nice it was too.



Cantering by the beach

 The second day, we rode down to the beach although because it was holiday season we could not actually go right down to the water and stayed on the sand dunes.  Virtually all the riding was on sand, as even the forest was growing on a great big sand dune.  The views were lovely and we stopped at a cafe for a coffee before heading back.  The riding was mainly walking with the odd trot and three or four good canters or gallops each day. 



Me and Trueno

 My riding must have impressed to some extent, because on day 3, they offered me a pure bred spanish horse (PRE) as they call the Andulucian horses which was a bit more forward and much faster than Sarita.  His name was Trueno and he was about a 15"2 bay horse.  I find him quite hard to handle in the morning but by the end of the ride had got the hang of him although I did earn myself a glare from one of the other riders for being too close on the canter and a little slow stopping bumping her horse when I tried to stop on the first canter.

The fourth day was a rest from riding and we went off to Jerez to see the Royal Equestrian show display of "Dancing Andalucian Horses", along with Carriage Driving.  All the horses were stallions and it was magnificent to see the ease with which the riders controlled these beautiful horses.  We followed up with a trip to taste the local drink of Sherry.  I bought a couple of bottles to take home as a souvenir.

The fifth day, we had another ride to the beach and we were joined by two more people but in a deviation from the normal routine we went out for the evening to Vejer de la Frontier.  First stop was the stud owned by the Corales family who specialise in breeding and training Andalucian horses for Doma Vaquera.    Antonio Corales is a top Doma Vaquero and Doma Classical teacher, having trained with the Royal Equestrian school of Art in Jerez and he showed us some of his stallions and gave us a display of his horsemanship before letting some of us sit on one of his stallions and walk a short distance round the ring.  Although I have to say, not only was it the first time I have ridden a stallion, it is the first time I had got on a horse in a short dress with no riding hat!  After our visit to the stud, it was off to a restaurant for some paella.



My first ride on a stallion

 Then all too soon, it was our last ride of the holiday on Saturday.  I had a lovely ride and felt like I had clicked with the horse and was riding well.  I was sorry to leave and finances permitting would definitely go back to Los Alamos.