Our first year

Now then, this is history and I have a useless memory so trying to capture everything will be hard. I will do my best to get it right!!

Kathy agreed to give me lessons on Herbs and sorted out a second hand saddle and bridle to get us started.

I had my first lesson on Tuesday 3rd February 2004 and after declaring the saddle and bridle fit for purpose we quickly realised that Herbs wasn't used to (correction, didn't have a clue about) mounting blocks. I can't quite remember how we managed to get me on but it certainly took a while.

Once mounted Herbs proved to be quite spooky and sharp and, typical of an Irish inexperienced horse, didn't have a clue about leg aids. Essentially, everything was about speed, and we were only walking and trotting, no chance with canter as there was pretty much no steering in walk and trot. Purely and simply, he was scared. Brought to this strange place, with new sights, sounds and smells, and different friends in the field, I didn't expect anything less.

Over the next few weeks I had lessons twice a week (for my confidence as well as his). I remember riding alone one evening and Herbs spooking awfully at one end of the school, turning on nothing and heading flat out away from whatever was scary. I felt so awful about pulling him up as this was the most pressure I had ever put on his mouth. I agonised about it afterward but of course these things happen. It was just that it was so early on and I felt rotten.

The mounting was solved over a number of weeks by Kathy kindly lending me a small plastic set of steps that we could take to Herbs and move around as he did away from them, rather than expecting him to line up perfectly next to the static block in the yard. Perseverance paid off and within two to three months; he was lining up perfectly for me to mount. Yes it took a while, but patience makes perfect and to this day he is absolutely fine, even while out on a hack, he never moves when I'm getting on.

So, the first year was a mixture of lessons and hacking. The first time I cantered was out hacking and I remember thinking then how lovely his canter gait was and time and again I marvelled at the thought that he was mine.

Had to put this picture in... its shows just how messy Herbie's tail was back then because half of it had been hacked off when he was clipped before I got him.....

It would take until January 2005 before I was confident cantering in the school, until then Herbs was so wobbly and unbalanced and couldn’t keep the pace that it was really hard work. It seems ages, but there is never any point pushing forward if you're not confident with what you’ve achieved so far and I was happy to wait until we could get it right. More about that in "Our Second Year".

So, the events of that year among the lessons are:

May 2004

I found out about a pleasure ride locally, a ride around privately owned countryside and thought Id give it a go. Helen agreed to take me there in her trailer and the week before we just checked out that Herbs would load ok. He did, beautifully.

So, the day of the ride, a few of us turned up and we rode off in a group of 5, not my ideal, to be honest I was hoping to be with just one other horse but hey ho. We set off uphill at walk and decided to have a canter up to "get some energy out of them" which I think to be honest was our downfall. After that was a fairly steep downhill ride through woods and after deciding he would have the lead Herbs lost his head and cantered it. Unfortunately I fell off whilst avoiding a tree, not a nice fall but I was ok.

At the bottom of the hill once we'd re-grouped I was considering riding on and then madness unfurled. A horse going on from us had an energy fit, bucking like a looney and chucked his rider who needed medical treatment. Unfortunately, her horse took a shining to one in our group and kept galloping over and wouldn't be caught. It was a while and many rein burns for the handlers before he could be walked back to his group and by then I'd had enough. I got my first rosette that day for falling off after 10 minutes – the back reads….. "Our first outing – beaten but not defeated".

Can't quite remember when, but....

In the summer, I decided to enter a riding club combined training competition at a nearby equestrian yard. Unfortunately most of the events near to our yard are a fair hack away so these competitions are not easy to attend on a regular basis. Well the dressage went ok. It was in a marked out grass arena and we did stay inside the markers so that was an achievement. Next came the jumping which was a 2’ course with typical show jumping rules. As we were scared stiff of the wall and the spotted poles we had enough refusals to be eliminated and were therefore eliminated from the combined competition. I had no great expectations of Herbs that day; everything was so new there was every chance he would freak out at all the activity and yet he behaved impeccably, so we rode home very pleased with ourselved and with Herbs a little more grown up for the experience.

These pics were taken on the day....

The wall - repeated

I did go back to that yard on 25th June 2005 when there was a show on and decided to enter a clear round. I think I entered a walk and trot test again that day as well??? Anyway, the organisers were great, Herbs had the usual concerns about the wall and spotted pole but they kindly let us have attempt after attempt until we came out having jumped them all clear. 6 attempts at the wall and a huge leap gave us our first successful jump of the scary plastic red thing. Yay!! All credit to that yard for giving riders and horses the chance to try, try and try again. Without this those without similar jumps at their home yards simply wouldn’t get the chance to train their horses over scary obstacles.

We got a pic of that first time over the wall, thanks to the Equine photographer at the show.

September 2004

A mini show was organised at my yard so we had a go at a walk and trot test and clear round. We didn’t get placed in the test but did come 7th (probably out of 8th but who cares) and this was Herbie’s first experience of riding within dressage markers and with a jeep in the school so I was pleased. We got a rosette for taking part but when I look back at the pictures now I cringe. As a team we look awful! All out of balance and messy! Still, if I look on the positive side at least I have those pictures to see how far we’ve come. The clear round was a success, we went clear even though the jumps were about bottom hole. I had intended to jump them small just so that when I went in later to do another round at 2’ ish he would have seen them all already but to be honest after the test and the first clear round I thought he had had enough for one day. That was Sept 2004.

November 2004

In November, I entered a local showjumping show to ride a clear round. This was rather nerve racking as my boy couldn’t cope with cantering in an arena full of jumps, partly because he got so excited and also because he was so unbalanced. Trying to get him together in a new environment was just too much to ask. So, we entered the clear round class in walk and trot – who cares?? Ok so some riders are there looking cool, calm, in control and rather posh but they still had to start somewhere didn’t they???

Well I was very proud. Herbs refused the practice jump three times at which point I gave up – I think the barrels frightened his socks off – so we just had to go for the course and see what happened.

I think there were 9 jumps. Herbs refused one and I cant blame him because it certainly looked the most scary – the bright red brick wall - again! - (ok, for all you non horsey people its all made of plastic and doesn’t hurt but its still bright red and it still might jump out and bite us if we get too close!) and I think we had one other down – a fab effort from my young man, we hacked home very pleased with ourselves and with a challenge to get him over a wall the next time.

I guess from then on we concentrated on getting through a typical British winter and just training as and when possible in the evenings. The year did end with Kathy getting drenched on New Years Eve cantering Herbs around the sandschool in an attempt to establish and maintain some sort of rhythm. I was determined that my goal for 2005 was to have Herbs cantering nicely in the school and me feeling in control.