Taking Chard RDA Monday evening sessions.

I was asked if it was possible that I could cover  the Chard RDA rides on a Monday evening for the last few sessions before they finished for the winter, as their normal Instructor had had an accident and wasn't going to be able to do these sessions.

This gave me the opportunity to work with Jackie,the trainee Instructor with that ride.

I started the riding sessions and then Jackie took over, I was then able to point out different things to watch out for during the riding sessions and also covered various scenarios that could happen and possible solutions that could be done.
 

I then got Jackie to think about what could be done to get the riders progressing. It was quite good as I have taught these riders when they were younger at Forde Abbey so I know their disabilities and what riding they have done.
 

With the first week we got the riders doing steering through blocks, stopping at buckets, placing items in them. We also laid out poles,making a zig zag road so the riders had to steer through them.
At the end of this session Jackie and I discussed what we could do next session, we thought that with a couple of the riders we could get them riding off the lead rein. I agreed that I would show Jackie the progression of getting riders off the lead rein.
 

At the second session a couple of weeks later, once the session started and the riders had settled into their riding, I explained to Jackie how we get riders gradually off the lead rein, I then showed her how the leaders should hold on to the lead rein through the various stages, until the lead rein is removed from the head collar. This not only showed Jackie what she would need to tell leaders, but helped to remind the leaders themselves.

 

We had set the school up in a similar pattern to the previous session,( as pictured above, the squares are the blocks to bend through, the circles are the buckets and the lines are the poles to walk through.) Jackie thought it was better to keep it simple for the riders. We got the riders going through the various obstacles once they were happy going through them, the leaders gradually let the riders ride more independently, until we were happy that they would manage to control the ponies off the lead rein.

       Then the big moment came for them to come off the lead rein, the leaders took the lead reins off and walked beside them so they could take over if the need arose the riders then did the obstacles which they managed to do without any major mishaps.

The expressions on their faces, knowing that they were riding on their own said it all.

As it was their last ride before Christmas it was nice that they could feel that they had achieved something.

We had got all the riders off the ponies and were just clearing away the equipment when I felt a tap on my side and turning around to see who it was,found it to be Ella,one of the riders,standing there with a small box of chocolates in her hand, she wished me a happy Christmas with a big smile on her face, I said that I didn't know if I should really be having these chocolates as I had only been instructing them for a couple of weeks, she replied that if I hadn't of come,she wouldn't have been able to ride so I did deserve them. So I smiled and said 'thank you' to her.