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Pony Club Rally with Shadow!

Mum had to go to work on the day of the rally, so Mandy, (my scary godmother) was kind enough to take me and help me for the day. It was absolouteley freezing and I had my nervous shivers on (when I get nervous I start shivering like it's cold, and as it was cold anyway I was very shivery!!!), so I wasnt all that comfortable to start with, but soon settled and warmed up as I rode around. I had to be a tiny bit isolated, because of Shadows red ribbon I had to stick to the back. When the group changed into two "rides", because of the uneven number sadly I was forced to stick to the back of one line without a partner. We worked on our stride, on slowing and quickening our trot to match our partners, so we crossed a line at the same time but at opposite ends of the school. It really helped with our control and rythmn.

After a while they set up a course of showjumps, and let us choose whether we'd like to jump it at its set hight or whether we'd need to have the jumps put down. I liked the look of the course and chose to go along with with the girls who were happy to jump it at its current height, because I knew my lovely Shadow was perfectly capable of jumping it as it was. The first rond went beautifuly, Shadow was an angel and popped round quite happily, but it was the second round that was the true disaster!!! At fence three, Shadow suddenly decided that she wasn't a pony club horse and had a tantrum!!! She suddenly stopped right in front of the fence. Unfortunately, I didn't I kept going on my own. Without the horse. I somer-saulted in the air over the fence, landed on my feet, fell backwards, demolished the fence, but still managed to hold on to the reins to stop Shadow running off (phew!!!).

As I stood up and was helped back onto the horse, everyone laughed when I said she was bloody getting over that fence! I didn't think my voice would carry and it just shows you it's wrong to swear no matter what's happened. I was very embarrassed. On the second go, Shadow did a hupe leap I was badly left behind, and landed on her withers. Margaret Smith, (the instructor) asked whether I was okay, and my words whilsy holding onto her neck for dear life and hoping she didn't put her head down were, "I'm fine, I'm just stuck!" making everyone laugh becaue the seat protecter stopped my butt sliding back into the saddle. Eventually, we finished the course without too many more problems, Shadow went back to the trailer for a well deserved rest and her haynet and I scampered away to go eat my lunch, I was starving!!!

After lunch, we had stable mangement, where our instructor showed us how to wrap a tail, bandage legs, how to rug up, how to load, and all things that you need to know when you have a horse. It was absoloutely freezing watching Margaret doing all the work in the bitter wind, because, unlike Elsa in Frozen, the cold does bother me!!! I did enjoy it though and learned some useful things.

We moved on to flatwork in the afternoon, and we worked on the same thing as we had that morning to warm up, then Margaret made us do rising trot without stirrups, and quite alot of people founnd it difficult. I found it hard but not quite so bad because mum used to make me ride Salazar on the lunge without any stirrups or reins. Next, we moved onto simple changes through X, which I enjoyed too becaus I'd already covered the move on both Salazar and Shadow for my dressage tests, lucky me getting to do something I'd practised!!!

I really enjoyed it on Friday and am proud to be part of Badsworth pony club!!!!

Special thanks to; Mandy for driving me there and back, and for felping me so much. Maggie for teaching me. Richard for organising the rally. Kelsea, Izabel, Jess, and Lauren for keeping me company and making me laugh, it was hard having to stay seperate from everyone because of the ribbon, but you made me feel better. Everyone that helped that day. And last, thank you to my mum for lending me Shadow xxx


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