Wonthaggi ARC and the dog hunt

Yesterday I taught at Wonthaggi Adult Riding Club. Great day! Everyone I taught six weeks ago had improved in some way despite the fact that the weather has been awful and so the riders had not ridden much. The weather started cold but warmed up. No wind and no rain. Even if they were not jumping everyone stayed for lunch. The club is a wonderful example of what adult riding clubs are all about - having fun with horses and people - and possibly learning something and improving ones skills!

As a coach it is the little improvements, at any level of riding, that keep you keen.

It is really easy to give a lesson where you give very little of yourself but make the riders keep going so long that they are exhausted. Some riders think that being exhausted must mean that the lesson was good! With riders and horses that are not very fit the lesson needs to be a combination of learning and then practicing the new skills and refinements. Seeing and feeling the difference and going home with the skills to carry on.

I have taught a lot of the riders in Wonthaggi off and on for many years. It is so easy to teach people that understand what you are saying and then have the necessary skills to get results. These are what I class as 'easy' lessons. The impossible lessons that I hate are the ones where riders are not interested and do not try to understand what you are saying and do not try to change. It is interesting to me that it only takes one uncooperative rider to ruin your day and kill your enthusiasm. There were no riders like that yesterday so the day continued to be fun as the riders 'rode towards excellence'.

Keeping a show jump rider focussed on dressage is difficult at the best of times. I knew it was a  losing battle when Andy's grand daughter was on the side lines.

Grandmother Janine was far more focussed. She needed to be as she rides a rather large horse!

Back at home the hunt continues. There is a hollow tree totally under-run with passages.

Unfortunately for Bessie she is too big to fit in. Thomas, on the other hand, goes underground and barks - a rather muffled bark. He always comes out again - in his own time! He only just manages to squeeze out of the tree.