At the risk of boring you all, another little Ben update!

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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Sorry for my overly frequent updates, I just had to share this one.

Ben has Wednesday off and then we did some proper schooling on Thursday, we had a fun polework/mini jumping session on Friday followed by some more school work on Saturday. Today I wanted to give him a break from the school so off we ventured into the fields.

We went into a smaller field (where I feel safer) and just ambled around. I could see my RI cantering her horse in another field and another livery having blast in yet another field and I started to feel very jealous. I felt that I wanted to join in but I felt I couldn't because my nerves wouldn't let me.

After half an hour of walking with little bits of trot I was getting bored (and so was Ben) so I thought we would have a wonder round the yard and see where we could go. We walked up and down the lane, in and out of the car park, did a mini walk round another field and walked in and out of the school. I then thought 'SOD IT', went into the huge field where my RI had been hooning around, and with the encouragement of another livery I cantered Ben all the way across it. It's about 20 acres so pretty big. We stayed in there for another half an hour, mainly in trot with little bursts of canter. Ben was so well behaved and he enjoyed himself. He didn't call to anyone else (even though there were no other horses in sight), he listened to me and although he napped a little towards the gate, he was great.

I feel fantastic because I when I was in the little field, the concept of cantering over the big one felt impossible, but half an hour later I did it myself!
 
Thank you everyone. I am going to ride straight out into that big field tomorrow and we are going to do it again!!! I have then arranged to go for a hack with another livery on Tuesday. I have been with her before and she understands my nerves and doesn't try and push me. Her horse is difficult to hack alone so she says that I am doing her a favour as well.

It such an amazing feeling from going to that really 'down' feeling when I felt I couldn't do it, to going to the 'high' feeling when I actually did it. This week we are forgetting about schooling and concentrating on hacking. Before I know it the nights will be dark and we will be forced in the school every evening. I'm going to make the best of the light nights while I can.

The livery that helped me today was great, but he is one of these very honest people and he told me that I need to stop flapping with my legs and I am risking making him dead to the leg. One of my 'nervous' things that my body does which I can't control when hacking is to flap with my legs. Ben hates this and it's very bad riding so something that I really need to work on.
 
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