Monday, February 10, 2014

Straight Pole

I trotted over my first straight pole with much cajoling from my instructor Vincent Dempsey from Blackberry Stables Riding School, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. In hindsight I do not know what all my stressing was about as he kept the pole low and Star being the trusty steady stead that he is, was WELL able to jump it. It was just my fear that was holding me back! The straight pole just looked so much more scary than the cross pole did.

So once I recovered that I was alive and well after having jumped a straight pole, I wanted another go. I had my hit of adrenaline and I was looking for another one. The exhilaration of jumping with a horse was just amazing (even though this was all at a trotting pace). Vincent told me it was only going to get better! and how right he was. However he did tell me that in order to put the jumping poles up higher I would have to be coming into the jumps in canter. DON DON DON!!!!!!! Next scary point, there seems to be an unending array of things to be fearful of in horse riding or maybe its the fact that I came to it so late and that I know that broken bones take time to heal and its longer when your older!!!!

I hear you say why is it that you need to canter over higher poles?
This is in order to give the horse/pony better impulsion to be able to clear the jump easier. Basically it would be like us trying to do the high jump or pole vault from walk.

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