Gwenda Mann just shared Horseland Ringwoods post of a show jump - TopicsExpress

Gwenda Mann just shared Horseland Ringwoods post of a show jump rider in a precarious situation when his girth slipped with the caption - That kids is why you always tighten your girth! Well it brought back a memory - Yonks ago when I was teaching at Box Hill Pony Club - Yes there was one and it was in Station Street that ran from Burwood Highway to the Maroondah Highway. There was a cute little creek through the ground and we had a mini cross country course. Well one little kids pony said No to the water jump. In the end I got impatient and ordered the kid off the pony. I jumped on (mind you he was only about 12 hands) - no stirrups as the leathers were way to short. I committed him to the obstacle and he was drawing into it then all of a sudden stopped dead - Well over his head I went and into the water with a big splash. The poor kids were too afraid to laugh and underneath my bravado I was embarrased, and very wet! I thought that I needed to turn the incident in my favour as I had really made an ass of myself so remembered that wonderful little Thelwell drawing of an instructor in a similiar situation - Hands up those who spotted my deliberate silly mistake? I then quickly explained how I had my lower leg too far back and that my backside was too far out of the saddle etc., and I thought I had achieved my aim when one little girl said - Mrs Miller thats bullshit, you just fell off!. She was right but that little bastartd did not stop the second time! I kept my arse in the saddle and he would not dare to stop again!. Thank goodness the PCAV brought in the rule that instructors cannot ride kids horses at rallies - it should have been in then and I would have stayed dryer!