Hello Friends!
Todays post will be a little different than my usual ones! I wanted to share with you my adventures of riding over here. It has been quite a journey and full of new experiences. I have gotten to jump for the first time, learned how to safely fall off the side of my horse to pick up a ball, and learned the basics of being a RDA Volunteer. I have also gotten to see a lot of different Yards (or barns) in the area and made a few friends too (ones with 2 legs and ones with 4). I have also learned that the Vocabulary here is incredibly different than back home. But overall i am having an amazing time and enjoying getting to try so many new things.
Horseball
It was about a week ago that I got to try horseball for first time. Horseball is a contact sport that is a mix between rugby and basketball all on horseback. I got to go to a taster session that the club was offering and had a blast! The whole point of Horseball is to get a regulation size soccer ball that has a leather harness around it (makes it a lot! easier to hold on to) through a hoop that is about 10 feet of the ground, like in the picture. during our session we got to practice passing which is surprisingly difficult when your ponies look like they want to eat each other. I really enjoyed the challenge though of working to keep your horse at pace with the others and going in a straight line with just the use of your legs. In horseball reins are optional, often they are knotted and then placed on the horse's neck and almost forgotten about as you need to have two hands to catch the ball and defend. The session finished with us learning the famous pick-up or how to fall of the side of your horse, grab a ball, and get back up again. It was terrifying but also so much fun for my horsey friends the mechanics of this include having your stirrups strapped together so you can use them as leverage to get yourself back
Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Volunteering
While I am abroad one of the requirements is that I volunteer for a couple hours a week. I am so excited to get to do this with RDA not only do I get to cuddle ponies for a few extra hours a week I get to share my love of horses with others. Last sunday I spent the day getting trained as a RDA volunteer learning safety and basic skills volunteers need. Although most of the skills I have known for years it was still fun to spend the day out of the city and meeting new people.Lessons
My final riding adventure I had was last Saturday when I had my first lesson with the club. Lessons here are group lessons with about eight people and are divided by skill level. I struggled with what level I would be because I had never jumped but have many of the other skills. So I guessed Intermediate which I would be if we just did work on the flat with jumping I was a bit over my head. Meet Louella a ex-eventer who has an extremely long stride and a love to jump. She is also the first horse I fell off while in England. Let's just say the first two jumps were fine I watched and learned a lot however on our final jump for the day if went a little less well. I lost my balance, got too far forward and alas gravity happened. I was fine and it was a really soft fall. Overall though I had an amazing time, learned a ton, and am going to drop down a level and learn some basics.
All in all I have had an amazing time exploring the horse world in England and meeting new friends along the way.
Cheers!
Meghan
"Take Every Chance You Get In Life, Because Some Things Only Happen Once."
-Unknown
