A couple of weeks ago my riding club got to visit a local event rider’s yard for a demo.  I jumped at the chance to go as I love watching how other people ride.  You can learn so much from them – one of the most interesting parts of the Wilton Horse Trials was watching all of those very famous riders in the warm-up ring and seeing what they were doing.

It was a fascinating evening.  We had a little course walk and were given some tips about working in the warm-up ring at competitions.  We also watched two horses being ridden – one much greener than the other – and it was very interesting to see the way they each developed.

As you can see, the light was not great for photographs!

It was a freezing cold evening so I was very grateful for the hot cup of tea in a warm room halfway through!  I was also encouraged when things went wrong – not the fact that they had gone wrong but the way any errors were explained.  For example, when a pole was knocked down we were told that it was because the horse hadn’t been presented quite straight at the fence.  I always appreciate riders who don’t blame the horse for any errors and of course it is always good to know that mistakes can happen to anyone.

It was a great evening and I do hope we will have more like it.