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	<title>arena &#8211; Equestrian from Crete</title>
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	<description>A Greek islander explores equestrianism</description>
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		<title>An Engage session at Trent Valley</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/an-engage-session-at-trent-valley/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/an-engage-session-at-trent-valley/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Jan 2016 04:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Engage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[riding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[student]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trent Valley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whip]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=1440</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[To my excitement, I received an e-mail earlier this week from the Uni&#8217;s equestrian society that I had been secured a place in the Engage session, which is organized now and then at Trent Valley Equestrian Centre. Our society is HUGE this year and, after struggling to secure a place in one of the lessons, I could not believe my luck! The much expected day arrived and, yes, the weather was perfect for riding! The sun was shining, there was zero wind and I couldn&#8217;t stop looking at the English nature through the minibus window. My father says that Crete is the best place in the world, the most beautiful etc. But, having lived in two countries and visited many more, I believe that all places are beautiful; all that it takes to realize this is an open mind and the intention to meet other cultures and appreciate their people. And, of course, a tendency in trying new things! I love the seaside and the olive tree fields. But I also love Trent river and the boats floating in its canals. About 40 minutes later we arrived and sorted ourselves out. When I opened my bag, I realized the value of being proactive; my riding gloves were disgustingly dirty; probably I had forgotten to wash them! And then, my schooling whip, always sticking out of everything! While the newbies were filling in their registration forms, I took the chance to donate 1 pound to buy the promotional wristband of the charity of the centre, named Help for Horses. In time, each of us had to choose a horse from the list. I chose Ben, a sweet oldie with whom I gave an equitation exam last year. So there we go, we had to tack up the horses and get in the saddle. When I went to sort out Ben, I found him tacked, eating his dinner. I decided to let him eat and go find the other girls who were sorting out their own horses in a nearby stable. By the time we returned, Ben had not finished, and was unhappy to realize that his meal would be interrupted. The riding session would include gymkhanas. I hadn&#8217;t taken part in a gymkhana before, and soon I realized that Ben was not the horse I should have chosen. It was a fun session, but, even with whipping, Ben refused to go any faster than a vivid walk. It was frustrating, but I like him too much to be mad at him, bless him! My riding wasn&#8217;t better either that day! Next, we had to dismount and put the horses back. Ben was first, as his stall was close to the arena. And then, it happened again; looking forward to finishing his meal, Ben stepped on me! Unlike Woody, Ben managed to step on all my toes, plus he&#8217;s heavier and slow-moving! So slow, I thought my distraught would never end until he finally lifted his hoof from the ground! But thanks to the thick straw bedding, at least I wasn&#8217;t injured and I forgot about it in about 15 minutes. After putting the horses back to their stalls, we had some stable-management training. We were asked to name the brushes (with the foreigner-me- taking notes and pictures on OneNote) try to tie the horse we were being trained on and then groom him. Have you ever seen 8 ladies grooming the same horse, simultaneously? After stable management, we went back to the office to prepare for our return. With a few minutes left, I was granted  permission to wander around and take some photos. One of the horses posed like a pro and also looked at the picture I had taken! Soon I found Smartie. I was not happy when I was told that Smartie was not on the list of the horses we could ride, because he had been used for a lesson earlier. I couldn&#8217;t resist patting him and playing with his smart-looking face! Here are the pics! PS. Have I told you that I haven&#8217;t seen any other equestrian centre with so many carrots; carrots, here, carrots there, stored carrots, dropped carrots, eaten carrots, carried carrots&#8230; &#160;]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1440</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Back in the saddle: Who says it&#8217;s always pleasant?</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/back-in-the-saddle-who-says-its-always-pleasant/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/back-in-the-saddle-who-says-its-always-pleasant/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2015 02:57:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[canter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horseback riding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stallion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stubborn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trot]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=554</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Easter break is over at last, and lessons in the Trent Valley have resumed for our riding club. I was excited and looked forward to working on my trot and also hoped I could learn how to canter -which happened unexpectedly. What is more, I planned to speak to Laura about my thoughts about getting to the BHS helper certificate over the summer. But Wednesday&#8217;s session was not ideal. When we arrived in the arena, I was given an uncooperative, old fart (old fart because he was old and was farting all the time), strong stallion. It was obvious from the first moment that it was not his day. Plus, why cooperating with a lady who couldn&#8217;t get his name right? He wouldn&#8217;t stand even my pats. Eventually, we all got into the saddle and the lesson started. My stallion was not very happy to be ridden. So, what was he doing? He started dragging me across the arena! You know, a square or triangle instead of a circle. He preferred to have his mouth broken, than opening the circle. I started pulling the reigns towards the outer side, but he was refusing. My arms hurt so much! Eventually, I started practicing my Cretan way of making the horse go to the direction I want. This way is simple, although it takes time for the brain to get used to it. When we pull the one side of the reign, we slightly lift the other side. This will make my request clear, and, if I rise my the reign higher, I will &#8220;lock&#8221; the horse&#8217;s neck, preventing it from dragging me to the opposite direction. But even this &#8220;lock&#8221; was not working, I&#8217;m afraid, since the horse I was riding was far too strong! Laura insisted that I pulled harder. Poor horse, I didn&#8217;t want to do that, but no matter how hard I was pulling, he wouldn&#8217;t give up! Finally, I found a way about that. Pulling the outside reign as hard as I could (sadly), while holding the inside reign as high as I could, leaning it towards the horse&#8217;s neck as strongly as I could. But if only it that was it. He would not trot either. Every attempt for a trot took countless strong kicks. In one of my attempts to get him moving, he got angry and started cantering across the arena. I yelled &#8220;whatever&#8221; merrily and enjoyed the ride! The terrifying thing was that the horse wasn&#8217;t wearing his extra and it was the first time I had cantered properly, without assistance. But I managed to stop him at least. Ah, yes, I forgot about the farts. Oh, my God! He was constantly farting. Each fart would be as long as an eathquake and would smell like, well, I can&#8217;t describe it. I felt that we were going to take off like rockets or something! Laura eventually gave me a whip, which I used and also took the long whip that trainers use in order to&#8230; you know, &#8220;motivate&#8221; the horses, as none of them could bother! Of course, mine was the laziest! In the end, finally the horses started moving, we started practicing the canter, which had been my desire for so many months. And while I had been quite relaxed earlier, when my stallion was crazy, when I realised what I was going to do when my turn came, I got terrified! The distance we had to cover cantering was not so long, but I just panicked! The only thing I remember from that canter was myself grabbing the front of the saddle and holding on! The whole thing ended in so much pain for me! Even now, 40 hours after the lesson, I am in terrible pain. My thighs, my arms, my shoulders, my neck and my my back had been hurting since I got off that damn saddle! That&#8217;s for now! Time to go to bed!]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">554</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Are horses more responsive than we think? Ben&#8217;s self-esteem</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/are-horses-more-resoponsive-than-we-think-bens-self-esteem/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/are-horses-more-resoponsive-than-we-think-bens-self-esteem/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2015 01:36:16 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[class]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[riding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[school]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[training]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trent Valley]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=413</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t know how many times yet I will speak about last Wednesday&#8217;s lesson and exam at Trent Valley, but anyway, here is another story that proves horses&#8217; responsiveness to humans in situations that have nothing to do with training, instructions and circles around the arena. So, we all had done our stuff and we were holding the horses until the next class arrived. The next class was 20 minutes late, therefore we had to hold the horses in the arena for just as long. I was holding Ben, whose winter coat had started falling already, plus he had not been groomed, or this is how it seemed to me. So, I started rubbing him with my hand, trying mainly to remove some mud and hay from his neck and face. While I was doing that, I said: &#8220;Ben, in the summer, without all this fur, you must be a very beautiful horse. What do you think?&#8221; He looked at me and nodded positively, like a human! No I did not move Ben&#8217;s head up and down myself!]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">413</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Off we go to the equitation exam!</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/off-we-go-to-the-equitation-exam/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/off-we-go-to-the-equitation-exam/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2015 03:51:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ABRS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arena]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[certificate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equitation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trent Valley]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=392</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[March 2015 has been an exciting month for me; I went to my first para dressage show, I am probably going to next week&#8217;s dressage show at Trent Valley, and today I had my first equitation exam. So, today I woke up quite excited. I had a healthy breakfast with yogurt, honey and oats, did my workout, got dressed (wearing that polo-neck blouse to keep myself nice and tall in the saddle), picked my whip and got out. No stress, just happiness and pleasant impatience. But this changed, as I went to the hall&#8217;s shop to grab some healthy snacks. The shopkeeper asked me whether I felt nervous. And then I felt it; how would I demonstrate ten months of work to foreign people? I learned the first basics at home, in a different environment, on different horses and I had to do these things differently. And, yes, I admit it, that I wanted my 10-month experience to be visible comparing to the other beginners having 4 months of experience. And, no matter how selfish it seems, I was feeling quite anxious about that as well. So, with my psychology changed for the worse I ran for the bus and then for the train station. I can say that for once more, I felt that I looked like a terrorist to some. As always. Is it because I&#8217;m foreign? Or is it because the whip is long and red (which many men connect to&#8230; well, naughty things and tease me all the time)? Maybe the fact that I can&#8217;t sit still for too long? Whatever it is, the station process feels unconfortable every time, with security officers checking on me discretely and passengers looking at me funny. I hope they will feel safer once I start insulting each person that treats me like that. Because I&#8217;ve had enough of it already. Anyways, I had my tablet with me (a potentially explosive device, for some, I guess, as they went even crazier when they saw me pulling it out of my bag) and read a bit for my Grand Strategy essay, until my peers arrived. As we were heading to Trent Valley, I was feeling more and more nervous. And the thing is that I couldn&#8217;t concentrate on my reading and forget about it, since the ladies around me were gossiping. So I just enjoyed the trip. Finally, we made it to the centre, sorted out ourselves, got the horses and did all we had to do; taking the horse out from the stable and leading it to the arena, fixing the girth and stirrups unmounted, mounting, checking and fixing the girth and stirrups mounted, walking, dismounting, leading the horse accross the arena. Between mounting and dismounting, we had also the chance for a lesson, that went well for me. A big problem for today&#8217;s trot was the stirrups again and the fact that I couldn&#8217;t sit properly on the saddle, but thankfully Laura fixed it for me. Today I had Ben, a quite willing horse. But as I was nervous hence clumsy, he got impatient, starting hitting his legs on the ground. The good news is that we all passed the test. But, since we, humans learn from our mistakes, today all the class -including me- learned that, when we lead a horse, it is important to keep his head away from our body. PS: I can&#8217;t figure out which equestrian body will award us the certificates. I will know in a few weeks, when I get mine. But, after a search I suspect it&#8217;s the Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS). But, as I said, I&#8217;m not sure.]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">392</post-id>	</item>
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