How to Excel At Being Average

Beau Bayou Blog - May 2017 Keeping the hedgehogs off his withers! Combined Training So, in April we qualified as a team for the British Riding Clubs' National Championships - the Festival of the Horse.  I was determined to NOT let the team down in my jumping and to canter the whole course.  I was also determined not to forget my dressage test - you are not allowed a commander in Championships.  The competition was on the Sunday, and I had volunteered to help on the Saturday  which turned out to be a really good plan.  Not only could I familiarise myself with where to park, I got to walk the course and even buy a commemorative hoodie with all the horses' names on - and Beau's picked out with a little crystal :) Off home afterwards and I tortured Beau with shampoo, and scrubbed my tack clean (I love having a synthetic saddle!).  Simon very kindly cleaned and polished my boots for me - it's the first time they have ever seen shoe polish instead of baby wipes and a s

Beau Bayou Blog - Later in April 2017 Flopjogs, jumpies, Easter Eggs and finally graduating from 'Terminally Terrified' Combined Training Qualifier This has to have been Beau's favourite month with me so far!  We've been jump training with Alison to try and get my head round the whole jumping thing ready for the combined training qualifier on 9th April.  My issue has never been with the actual jumping, but for some reason cantering round a course of jumps was filling me with terror.  So we went right back to basics and used trot/canter poles, and small jumps at trot.  We then graduated to jumps fro trot with no poles, and finally hired a small course at Glebe Farm in Northants to attempt jumping more than one fence.   Beau loves his jumping.  Lots.  In fact he loves it so much he once finished an arena eventing course after his jockey fell off at fence 3!  He is also very soft in the mouth, but strong, so bitting has been a challenge.  He came with a Waterford