Badminton Horseless Trails - a parkour challenge

We can all admit to being a bit tired sometimes, but when your horse needs to get out and about, you pull on your riding boots, don the riding hat, and give it the exercise and fresh air it needs to stay healthy and happy nonetheless.

Sometimes it's difficult to get yourself out of bed, but it's impressive how quickly you feel more awake when on a horse! I would go as far as to say that it is definitely on par with a strong coffee!
However, would you ever feel energetic enough to undertake the jumps your horse can perform so gracefully, without your steed?

One 22-year-old from Merseyside has been videoed jumping, flipping, and rolling his way through 28 fences of the Badminton Horse Trials Cross Country Course.
Challenged to attempt the course parkour-style by his girlfriend – herself a horse rider – he did complete the 6km course, but not within the usual allocated time limit given to those with equine help.

On horse-back, competitors cannot take longer than 11 minutes and 13 seconds to finish all the jumps. Without a horse it took the springy, gravity-defying 22-year-old almost four hours.
Still, we are very impressed...although perhaps he should have had a riding hat or some other form of protective gear on just in case?

Mmmm, I smell wet riding boots

So, it was a beautiful day in May for a riding lesson. Actually, it was cold, the wind was blowing, the heavens had just opened and – even though we were in the inside school – it was dark, dull, and cold. Still, L was on her horse and looked happy.

The Saturday class contained seven ponies and riders; the warm up had gone well and L had cantered a good 20 metre circle into a large circle. It went well and she looked pleased.
The riders then practised accurate flat riding over off-centre poles. They were doing the exercise in rising trot and the point of the manoeuvre was to correctly steer their pony over the middle part of each pole. L and her pony Seamus did it very well. In fact, the instructor praised L for not being distracted by her pony's grunts and general noisiness.

Next, the exercise increased in difficulty. The riders had to trot their mounts over the first pole at the far side of the school, then take the pony out to the centre of the school where they had to go over a second pole, trotting a circle back around to take the centre pole again. Then they had to steer the horses back to the last pole which was further over, toward the edge of the school at the far end.
The instructor said it was quite a difficult manoeuvre and yet almost all the riders completed it without too many hitches. Of course, one of the other girls in the class, B, on Jasmine, had a hard time as the springy little bay just wanted to run and run, and then return to the back of the ride. B managed to complete the exercise by taking her pony in the opposite direction to the rest of the horses, but it's a good job her horse tack was secure as it looked like Jasmine just wanted to shake everything free, including her rider.

The last exercise involved trotting over a pole in the middle of the school, then cantering directly away and coming around again to canter over the pole for a second time, followed by cantering large around the school. It required, apparently, enormous levels of focus and control. Seamus trotted up amiably enough, but then couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to trot or canter away after the first pole. Eventually, L gathered herself together and made him perform a good last canter.
All in all, the lesson went well. No one fell off, most of the diagonals were correct, and the exercises made the girls focus hard on where they were asking their ponies to go.
Sadly, by the end it was still cold and dull, and as we removed the horse tack, saddles, and bridles and returned them to the tack room at the end of the lesson, the heavens had opened.

Mmm, wet riding boots always smell so lovely in the car on the way home, don't they?

Thoughts on riding lessons from a non-horsey mummy

My daughter has been learning to ride for about 16 months now. At 14, we almost felt she had missed the horse-boat, as it were, but it turns out that the teen years, with increased strength and self-awareness, can be the ideal time to take up equine pursuits.

L has always loved horses, and for years and years begged us to let her have one, ride one, muck it out…etc. She would have done anything really, but although we are a sporty family, horses (animals in general, really) were not our thing. Then, we met a lady who lives nearby and has a field, with, crucially, two horses which live in it. She asked if L would like to help look after "her boys" – L jumped at the chance.

At 13, L was beginning to think that she would never have a life which included animals, let alone her beloved horses. She had spent too much time in her room while the rest of the family watched football, rugby and even golf on the TV, and spent many days at home with her step-dad while mum (me) and son went around the country to athletic competitions. No, there was never a time for horse riding.

Then, when No 1 son went off to University shortly after L's 14th birthday and, as she had shown a strong commitment to the boys, we decided it was time for her to learn to ride.
Having kitted her out with a riding hat and riding boots – joddy boots, the man in the shop told me – off we went to the stables for our first lesson. It was a dark December evening and wasn't destined to be the dream start we had desired.

Johnny Depp may need to practise his riding skills

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few decades, you will have probably heard of Johnny Depp. The famous actor has accomplished many wonderful things during his career, but he may be facing his most difficult challenge yet.
Currently, the celebrity is playing the role of Tonto in the new Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Lone Ranger', but is apparently having some problems during the horse-riding sequences. It has been claimed that Mr Depp wants to do all the stunts himself, but unfortunately, it seems he keeps falling off his mount.
He has suffered so many accidents that the film's producers are reportedly concerned his tailbone may eventually sustain permanent damage.
Horse riding is a difficult skill to master, but – much like all activities – it just requires practice. Fingers crossed that Mr Depp has been provided with appropriate equestrian clothing, such as a riding hat, in order to prevent him from developing further injuries.
The Lone Ranger should be released later this year and, personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Mr Depp's riding skills on the big screen.
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