Showing Bursary Winner: Phoebe Whiting March Blog Update!

Hi everyone, hope you're all well and your February is going well. I cannot wait until I can get out competing again as both the ponies and I are getting a little bored going on the same hacks and going in the same school!

On Friday I got to use my HorseQuest numnah for the first time as I had a lesson on both boys (they looked so super smart) and I was so happy with them, I was especially happy with Sox as he finds everything so easy and when I ask him some questions such as leg yielding he will usually figure out how to do it using the least amount of effort, but on Friday he really worked hard and listened to me.

I was lucky enough to have a lesson with AB Williams. Before becoming an instructor, AB won the WHP title at the BSPS champs and she won the open WH title and ridden Arabs at the RIHS so she knows what she is doing and she’s so nice 👍

My lesson with Sox was 1 hour and practiced spiralling in from a 20 meter circle and then leg yielding out to try to encourage a more forward trot to then further encourage a more forward transition.

I found this really helped him open up his stride, I could feel him working underneath me which was so nice to feel how he is using himself! We also practiced leg yielding back to the track and leg yielding into canter, I found this made for a better quality canter.

Next up is Jerry who was also a super star in his lesson, we only did 30 minutes as that was all he needed. I find Jerry really struggles with his flat work -he can find it hard to relax into the contact, however he really excelled himself especially in his trot, he is slowly getting stronger and is building up much more top line which is definitely helping, I think having him in a grackle helped him and me which is fab!

We mainly worked on the basics such as getting him more in front of the leg, getting him in a more rounded lower contact and keeping him on a inside bend. I’m very proud of how much he has improved and how hard he worked. Concentrating on flat work but cannot wait to get back into jumping ASAP and off doing arena hire etc.

Finally thank you to HorseQuest for my fabulous rug. I love it - don’t want it to get all hairy so keeping it for special occasions.

Flatwork lesson video: