In an atttempt to keep costs down I asked my instructor Steven Way if there was a way I could have a XC schooling lesson for less. So…………. 6 mucked out boxes, and 2 hacked out eventers later I had earned myself a XC schooling lesson with him at Boomerang for just £10!
I took Soap in a Cambridge Pelham XC schooling for the first time, and I think it’s going to prove a good choice. The whole lesson was really a case of him and me getting used to having brakes, he had a few temper tantrums, and I need to get used to letting the bit do the work, and just keep my body position tall in order to steady him up. If you can get to Boomerang to school then do it, it’s a great course, and if you get there you can also sign their petition to stop it being closed which would be a huge shame.
Here are some videos of our day…
1st Video – Tyres to “axe” fence, finding the brakes a novelty, and seeing a short stride as a result
2nd Video – We started to string together some tyres, tyres on a bank, trakehna, house, brush, steps up/down, and through the water. Soap was still getting used to his new brakes so there was a bit of fighting from him. On Steve’s advice I just put him to the step up with a ditch infront and said “you work it out” and he did! Clever boy 🙂
3rd Video – Into water and out up a step more settled now in his mouth. (look at the crocodile fence to our left, it is fab, there’s even a plastic leg in its mouth! We jump it in the next video)
4th Video – Into water over a log on a step, and nice big jump out over the crocodile!
I think after a bit more schooling we will have these new brakes licked, so fingers crossed for Tweseldown Intro on the 15th March, just checked the ballot and we got in! Yipeeeeeeee.