What a fabulous day out with Bonnie on May 21st, 2017.
After having the majority of May off due to silly me being sick, Bonnie was only ridden 4 times before taking her schooling and has spent the rest of the time in the field. Despite her lack of exercise she did not once fail to disappoint.
The day started off pretty stressful when she was having a little hissy-fit not wanting to load, but after 10 minutes of giving us bother she finally loaded onto the box with her lovely friend Ollie and we headed for the one hour journey to Moira Equestrian Centre to hire their great cross country course.
Bonnie was very hyper to say the least (as was Ollie!) but they both had an absolute blast and performed so well. We tackled a lot of the ‘bigger’ combinations I have never tried before, and we made a major breakthrough – she brought herself into the water. I didn’t force her and she didn’t take a lead.
We decided that we wouldn’t even attempt water until nearly the end of the day, when I just started walking her around the water complex to try and ‘desensitise’ her to it (since she spent the first 10 minutes refusing to walk anywhere near it). Mum suggested that I just come over and chat to her, gradually taking her closer to the entrance. Bonnie then wanted her head and started putting her head closer to the water, and allowing her to do so then led to her stepping in without me even asking – a major, major shock. We then asked the question, “Will she jump in?”.
What better way to test it out than to try? Worst case scenario – I got wet.
Well, she didn’t even hesitate. She jumped in and out from every angle possible. What a breakthrough for us as a team…we may have a chance at being eventers yet!
That’s all for this blog post – but you can watch my latest videos, which are linked below. Be sure to follow my social media accounts also!
Main Channel Video – “How I Tack Up & Warm Up For Cross Country”
Second Channel Video – “Moira XC Raws”
