A Horse Show Kids day starts at 6 a.m. …
Yesterday was my trip to Southern Pines for my lesson. It takes about two hours to get to Solo Show Stables where Jenn Johnston teaches me two times a month. Jenn works with Harold Chopping who has represented the Canadian Equestrian team in many Nation’s Cups. He has competed in three World Cup Finals and was an alternate for the Barcelona Olymic Games. It is really special for a kid my age to ride with such highly respected trainers. My mom says a good education is worth the two hour drive.
Sometimes when I see Harold around the barn and he speaks to me I get really nervous. Yesterday it took a whole minute for me to say hello when he spoke to me. I guess it is because he is really famous. I think he thought it was funny! Before I became a student at Solo a friend of my family got an autographed picture for me that I keep in my scrapbook.
Yesterday’s lesson was really awesome! Skittles was very well behaved. I was worried he would be difficult because it was very cold and windy. Some ponies get “fresh” on cold and windy days. When Skittles is fresh he gets excited and hyper and sometimes does not listen to me. We always start every lesson with flat work. That means we work on skills other than jumping. While we were trotting Jenn told me to drop my stirrups. I was surprised she told me to do that because she has never asked me to do that in other lessons. I was glad I had worked at home this week a few times with no stirrups. I got tired really fast. It is hard to ride and balance without stirrups. It takes a lot of leg muscle to hold yourself in the saddle. When I could not go any longer Jenn told me I could stop and told me one day I will have to take entire lessons with no stirrups!
The rest of the lesson we worked very hard on me sitting up tall and down in the saddle all the way to the jump and not leaning forward. It is important not to lean at the jump because the pony may refuse the jump and you could fall over his neck. If I lean at the jumps Skittles takes off at the wrong time and I get thrown back in the saddle. I do not like that so I try very hard to sit tall.
Jenn told my mom I did very well and that she thinks I will be ready for the Short Stirrup division by the time she returns from Florida in the early spring. Jenn and Harold go to the really big shows in the winter in Florida. All of the big riders and barns spend their winters showing in Florida. I am very excited that I may be ready to show with Harold and Jenn this year!
Jenn told my mom this week I should work on seeing my leads and knowing when I need to change my lead and a lot of practice with no stirrups. She always gives me “assignments” to work on in between lessons. I call it my “horsie homework”! We will not see Jenn again until January 20th, the day after my first horse show. I hope I have good news to tell her when I see her again!
Today I am working with Skittles and the junior rider that rides him. She will be showing me what she has been doing with him this week. Her name is Ashley. Skittles lives at her farm. I would like for him to live at my house but we do not have the land big enough or a ring for riding. Ashley and her family take very good care of Skittles and he has friends at their farm. She has been helping him with flying lead changes this week. Check back to find out about today’s ride!
See Video of my day…
