Deprecated: Function jetpack_form_register_pattern is deprecated since version jetpack-13.4! Use Automattic\Jetpack\Forms\ContactForm\Util::register_pattern instead. in /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6078

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php:6078) in /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/onecom-vcache/vcaching.php on line 595

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php:6078) in /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-content/plugins/onecom-vcache/vcaching.php on line 603

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/functions.php:6078) in /customers/2/4/c/equestrianfromcrete.com/httpd.www/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	
	xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss"
	xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#"
	>

<channel>
	<title>RDA &#8211; Equestrian from Crete</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/tag/rda/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com</link>
	<description>A Greek islander explores equestrianism</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2016 22:43:02 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-GB</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3</generator>
<site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">117043774</site>	<item>
		<title>UoN RDA reach their minimum goal on Jumpstart!</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/uon-rda-reach-their-minimum-goal-on-jumpstart/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/uon-rda-reach-their-minimum-goal-on-jumpstart/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2016 23:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Equestrian clubs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fundraising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nottinghamshire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[student]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[University of Nottingham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[volunteer]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://equestrianfromcrete.com/?p=1905</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[On our way back from Scropton yard, we learn terrific news! The University of Nottingham RDA group have reached their minimum target amount on Jumpstart, the university&#8217;s first crowdfunding platform. This means that they will be granted all the money they have raised at the end of the campaign, and this is exciting! As a Jumpstart Co-ordinator, I feel particularly proud of them, because their project is actually our first-ever one! I would like to thank everyone who donated or spread the word. Let&#8217;s give the team a final push to their main target, 1,000 British pounds, of which they have secured 30%. Let&#8217;s get as many cute volunteers as possible to RDA yards across Nottinghamshire! Here&#8217;s the link: https://jumpstart.hubbub.net/p/nottsunirda Again, thanks a lot!]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/uon-rda-reach-their-minimum-goal-on-jumpstart/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1905</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>March Inclusive Session at Scorpton</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/march-inclusive-session-at-scorpton/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/march-inclusive-session-at-scorpton/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Mar 2016 23:55:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Equestrian clubs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hippotherapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scorpton]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=1568</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In general, I try to stick to our RDA&#8217;s Inclusive Riders&#8217; session, held once a month at Scorpton RDA Riding and Driving Centre. This month&#8217;s session took place last Wednesday, with a really cold weather and my mood was strangely funny. I don&#8217;t know what caused this, I just remember forgetting my whip in the classroom after the Contemporary Warfare seminar and finding myself in the awkward position of having to disturb the next class to retrieve it, with the professor and his students left watching me puzzled pull a 60cm red whip from the chair which was resting right underneath the table! Maybe it was also my funny cheap, but very warm breeches, which feel too slippery in the saddle. But, as I said, it was very cold, and this pair was the warmest, so, here we go, I had to wear them -_- At 1:00 pm we embarked on our trip to Scorpton in a merry mood. After a tea-and-biscuit feast, we were parted into two groups and the lessons began. I was in the first group and had booked Babs! Her sight from the school made my day while I was waiting to be allowed in it! I was first to mount and I was behaving like a kid on a mounting block, waiting in a jolly mood for Babs to be led to me. In time, the lesson began. It was the funniest, most distractive equestrian lesson I had had in Britain! First of all, that silly smile on my face; secondly, the fact that Babs was quite willing, even if she was completely confused about where we were heading to exactly! But she did perfectly each and every corner that I had asked for, like a lady. Even if she has a problem with going in a straight line, it was evident that she was doing her very best. The instructors had created an interesting and challenging environment with poles and posts. Babs and I, who were among the most advanced in the group (beginners&#8217; group, let&#8217;s be clear about that), were assigned the most complex exercises, that required balance and steering in trot. Excepting the fact that sometimes we lost track, the incident when Babs decided to jump over the poles and stubbornly pass over them a few minutes earlier (I&#8217;m guilty of letting her doing these things of course), the moment when I found my body hanging from her right side and pushing myself back into the saddle (because I hate falling, even if it&#8217;s a controlled fall), the lesson was brilliant, with the instructor admiring my -hard-earned- trot technique. Using my right leg and left rein to go left and using my left leg and right rein to go right is still difficult for me, and to be honest, it doesn&#8217;t make that much sense to me yet. At home, I have learnt to use the left reign with the left leg and right rein with the right leg when I steer, and the horse corresponds perfectly to that, as I take myself the position that I want the animal to take. The big issue though was the number of times I whipped Babs. I normally use my legs quite a lot before whipping, but I didn&#8217;t have the same patience that day; even if Babs was doing her very best. I didn&#8217;t whip her heavily, though. Just once here and there, when she needed a boost to get to the trot. Eventually, the whip was taken away, and to be honest, it was a fair decision, both in terms of my training and Babsie&#8217;s welfare. When the lesson ended, I found the chance to rub Babsie&#8217;s muscles and pose at Amanda&#8217;s camera, which had been photographing like crazy. When I dismounted and stood next to Babs, I could feel that she was relaxed and trusting. Suddenly, I began to think about my whip, which I had to collect. And, before I finished my thought, Babs raised her head alarmed. Sixth sense? Maybe. Shortly we had to put the horses back in their stalls and untack them. When I turned Babs in, she ran to her hay which was lying on the floor of her stall immediately. She didn&#8217;t even wait to approach it, she just extended her neck and began to eat. Nothing would interrupt her meal; whatever you did on her or around her, Babsie was bombproof. She wouldn&#8217;t bother. I took her bridle off while she was chewing because it was the only time when she would lift her head lol. But she had worked hard, so she deserved it. After putting the tack away, we sat and watched the next group&#8217;s lesson. When they too finished, we found the exit. I waved goodbye to Babsie while I was passing by her stall. She lifted her cute head and gave me the kind of horsey smile that I love. Her eyes were shining. See you again in April, Babsie!  And now the pics, all taken by Amanda: &#160; &#160;]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/march-inclusive-session-at-scorpton/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1568</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Equine Therapy at Scorpton</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/equine-therapy-at-scorpton/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/equine-therapy-at-scorpton/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 14 Feb 2016 05:11:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equine therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nottinghamshire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[riding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scorpton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yard]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=1503</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[  I don&#8217;t know about you, but, from January onwards, all I think about is horses and&#8230; riding them, of course! There&#8217;s more and more sunshine in Nottinghamshire and the trips to the yards become more pleasant, as I look through at the bright green nature through the window. As the drive goes, you can see the sun rays teasing the branches of the trees that are going to wake up soon, or touching the waters of Trent river. England is a country poor of sunshine. But exactly this shortage makes the sunshine so beautiful and valuable. In such a mood I boarded on the minibus that would take us to Scorpton Riding and Driving Centre for our equine therapy sessions. Mr Paul is an excellent, experienced driver and all I had to worry about was the room for improvement that my riding skills have. In about an hour time, we arrived at Scorpton and the beverages and biscuits came out of the girls&#8217; bags! Slurp! We chatted a lot -about riding mostly. I met a new girl, Gemma, who has been riding since she was five and does dressage as well. Gemma came with us as a volunteer and she would lead me throughout the lesson. Meanwhile, I had the time to take a few pictures of the beautiful premises. What I like most in Scorpton was its neatness throughout its facilities; minimum mud, hence clean riding boots! In time, the lesson began and Babs was available -and in the mood for work! Great! While I was mounting, I noticed the beautiful rope that Gemma was holding; it was yellow and blue and looked like a curtain rope. It was just so pretty! And off we go, with a brilliant Babsie that only needed a slight squeeze to get going. But she would cheat on the corners and move her head up and down. Thankfully Gemma helped me to cope with this and Babsie, in the end, would be happy to do the corners. Gemma would also teach me how to keep Babsie on the outer side of the arena. She would also teach me a &#8220;posh&#8221; way to halt; sitting deep in the saddle and squeezing the reign. I loved that one! In overall, I was happy to have Gemma besides me, as I had some native to help with instructions. In a foreign country, it is very, very difficult to train in sports in the local language, since you have so many things to focus on.  Especially in equestrian sports, where you have a living creature between your legs in a quite spacious place, with all kind of background noises, things become more difficult. But anyways, we will always find a way to cope! And, like with any lesson, funny things happened as well! I love the challenge of steering work, but sometimes it can be ridiculous! Once or twice I had to keep Babs from running away from the posts! When we moved to the poles, in trot, I don&#8217;t know whether it was Babsie or me, but I found my body swinging over her neck, with my head hanging from her shoulder! All I remember was myself taking a jump position while I was trotting. This may explain things! Thankfully, Babs knows how to do her work and soon I was back to my position with no dramas. At the end of the lesson, we needed to dismount and turn the horses in. I don&#8217;t know what kind of new phobia this is, but again, I was hesitant to dismount. I don&#8217;t know yet how to explain it. When the time comes, I feel absolutely confused and scared. While we were waiting for everyone to sort themselves out, I passed my time tingling Babsie&#8217;s chin. She&#8217;s just so lovely! Next, we had to wait for the next lesson to end, as we all had to return together. The next lesson was more advanced and the exercises were more complex and more fun, so it was nice to watch. And I had time for a photo with Gemma. We were back on campus at 17:00 sharp, and I was exhausted. But, what the heck, it was worth it! See you on 2 March, Babs! Here are some pics (with an artistic flavour)!]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/equine-therapy-at-scorpton/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">1503</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Inspiring people in inspired places: A trip to Scorpton RDA centre</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/inspiring-people-in-inspired-places-a-trip-to-scorpton-rda-centre/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/inspiring-people-in-inspired-places-a-trip-to-scorpton-rda-centre/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Oct 2015 01:17:22 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lesson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scorpton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[student]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[university]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=969</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Hello again! I would like to write about the exciting trip I had with the RDA group of the university&#8217;s equestrian society last Wednesday, 7 October! We went to Scorpton for an equine therapy session, organized by out equestrian society in partnership with our disabled students&#8217; officer. My first-ever equine therapy session! The day hadn&#8217;t started very well. After many brave attempts to get up from bed (as I had exhausted myself up trying to fix my politics blog the night before) and the realisation that it was raining, I made it to the library and afterwards to our meeting point, outside Portland building. Our companion consisted both of disabled students and volunteers. We waited for a while, meeting and greeting and chatting merrily! Soon Mr. Paul, our driver, was there and we popped into his university minibus. We felt like VIPs, lol! My bag being HUGE, I had to sit at the back, but it was nice. After a 40-minute trip, we were finally at the equestrian centre, which has two big arenas (one indoors and one outdoors). We were offered cookies, tea and coffee and chatted a lot! And some ladies also posed at my camera, which was sweet! We would be separated in two groups; beginners and advanced. After the cookies, we put on our stuff and headed to the stables, where we waited to be separated and be shown the horses that we would ride. I was on Babs (from Barbara) who was the first mare I had ever ridden! Cute, but a bit lazy! Anyways, I would ride at the advanced lesson in the indoor arena. The odd of the day was that, I had to use those rubber stirups (please remind me how they called) that are made for the disabled. They looked like massive shoes, each of them having enough space for both my feet! The lesson was like a normal riding lesson. No balance exercises or anything like that. It was just normal exercises with walking-halting-trotting-cantering. Babsie was not in the mood, really, she would go where she would like, pretend that she could not see the corners, and other tricks! Finally, she familiarised herself with my whip, as she was making life difficult for others too! The instuctor managed to fix my leaning-forward problem, explaining to me that, if I lean forward, the horse will slow down. The problem is still cantering and I even missed a whole round trying unsuccessfully to get into the canter. I don&#8217;t think this had to do with the horse, though. The problem I face is that I still can&#8217;t kick the horse while I&#8217;m trotting. My heels simply wouldn&#8217;t reach the horse&#8217;s sides and this made me upset, but the instructor said that all is needed is practice. I hope she&#8217;s right! After the lesson, we helped the staff put away and untack the horses, before we got back to Mr. Paul&#8217;s vehicle for Nottingham. What I enjoyed the most, most, most? First, the excitement of my sight-impaired tutee who was cantering like a pro, and, secondly, Mr. Paul&#8217;s lovely attitude! Too many smiles for a day! And now some pics:]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/inspiring-people-in-inspired-places-a-trip-to-scorpton-rda-centre/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">2403</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Volunteering with RDA at Dukeries Leisure Centre</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/volunteering-with-rda-at-dukeries-leisure-centre/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/volunteering-with-rda-at-dukeries-leisure-centre/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2015 22:12:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tack]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[volunteering]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=647</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Last Saturday was a quite interesting day, as we volunteered at the RDA centre in Dukeries, Nottinghamshire. The day would be interesting, with a lot of running; I ran like crazy to catch the bus and, after getting wrong instructions, I got off quite earlier, thus having to run through the premises of the university&#8217;s hospital (huge hospital, by the way), I finally met the girls. And, of course, we were late. The route from Nottingham city centre is quite long, about one hour by car. So, while Rowena was driving us to the place, I had plenty of time to gaze around the all-green scenery. The weather was just ideal for equestrian activities. Who said that England is always cloudy, anyway? About the centre, I didn&#8217;t have the chance to see everything. It is quite small, I think, with few horses, but the arena is of a decent size. The atmosphere ie quite cozy as well; I could stay there forever! The centre offers training sessions both for children and adults and I find that quite nice, as adults suffering from disabilities deserve some help too. Also, I was informed that, if the disability is not too severe, adults get a regular training session. Very attractive! When we arrived at the centre, we were welcomed by Linda, a senior lady around her sixties, who offered us tea, coffee and British goodies! She spoke us about the kids&#8217; summer camp they were organizing and said that they considered freshening up the old tack for the kids to practice. So, our job for the day was to clean and polish that tack. So we did, joined by two lovely little ladies! I had not cleaned tack before, so that was my chance to learn new things! We finished with the old tack quite fast, so after that we moved to tack that is in use, such as the saddles and some newer bridles. I don&#8217;t remember what time we finished, but I enjoyed every minute of it, even if my nails looked disgusting afterwards! Here are some nice photos. There would be more if the SD card of my smartphone hadn&#8217;t broken! Pff! &#160;]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/volunteering-with-rda-at-dukeries-leisure-centre/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">647</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why I abstained from equestrian volunteering</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/why-i-abstained-from-equestrian-volunteering/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/why-i-abstained-from-equestrian-volunteering/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:14:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[illness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[university]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[volunteer]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=443</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[When I registered with my university, everything seemed promising, both in terms of academic progress and equestrian activities. When I registered with my university&#8217;s riding club, I was very happy. I could ride and also volunteer, hence developing my stabling skills. I liked both Trent Valley and Riding for the Disabled. Everything appeared normal and in accordance with my ambitions and expectations. Until I started getting ill. More and more. My condition had been ignored so much by the University&#8217;s GP&#8217;s, that last January I needed to call 111 to report faint, dizziness, sleepiness and other nice stuff, that had to do both with my disability and anemia. I had to hide this at work and only revealed it in January. And, of course, I abstained from riding for about 3 months. Since the beginning of my new MA, I have volunteered only twice at the RDA. It&#8217;s not only stress about work that kept piling up while I was sleeping. It was the fact that, if I felt unsafe, how would I ensure the safety of a disabled child? So, I abstained, although I like it so much. So, that&#8217;s for now. It feels a bit weird, but at least I&#8217;ve shared it with somebody.]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/why-i-abstained-from-equestrian-volunteering/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">443</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>My first horse show ever</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/my-first-horse-show-ever/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/my-first-horse-show-ever/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2015 21:48:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disabled]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dressage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[event]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horseback riding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[para dressage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=376</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Yesterday I attended the Winter Para Dressage Championships in Nottinghamshire, with other members of the University of Nottingham Riding Club. I had not attended a horse show before, so I had been excited for weeks! Thankfully, the weather was not so bad, and the road trip was pleasant. It&#8217;s always nice in the Nottingham countryside! When I see all this green and bushes, I wish I had a horse and keep riding and riding accross that beautiful scenery, for many, many hours. So, we arrived at View Valley in time for the show. We found out that this was the third and last day of the championships, which consisted of 26 (or so) warm up classes. We watched the first session, then we spent some time at the equestrian shop (first time ever in an equestrian shop as well) and wandered around the equestrian centre, watching athletes warming up. Some of them did not suffer from anything visible, but others were in wheelchairs, had prosthetic body parts, or suffered from dwarfism. There was a lot to see around, as the centre has got two indoor and two outdoor arenas, all in use. We also visited the cafe area, where I had the chance to read some Horse&#38;Hound issues. Although I hated the background music (the same track was playing all the time), I enjoyed watching all those disabled people, shiny like any other dressage rider, taming mares and stallions. What triggered my attention was the fact that each of them was holding two dressage whips, of which they were using only one. This is something I could not understand. Because, if holding and controlling the reigns is a challenge, how helpful is it to have both your hands busy with huge dressage whips, plus the reigns? Anyways, this was a nice experience and I hope to attend more such shows in the future! Here are some pics:]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/my-first-horse-show-ever/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">376</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>British Para Dressage Winter Championships, Nottinghamshire, UK</title>
		<link>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/british-para-dressage-winter-championships-nottinghamshire-uk/</link>
					<comments>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/british-para-dressage-winter-championships-nottinghamshire-uk/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[chriszygakis]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:42:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My adventures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[horse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[impairment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nottingham]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nottinghamshire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[para dressage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RDA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[show]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://equestrianfromcrete.wordpress.com/?p=263</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[On 15 March, I will hopefully go to Vale View Equestrian Centre in Nottingham, to watch my first para dressage show (actually  it&#8217;s my fist horse show, and I am proud of this as a person with a disability). It is a very inspiring thing to see a disabled person who, starting from a local Riding for the Disabled centre reaches the point of representing their country in a difficult discipline, such as dressage. I am going through my university&#8217;s riding club, so I don&#8217;t know much of planning stuff, but if you would like to attend, you might want to contact the centre (Click here to visit their website). And if you would like to meet me there, then please comment below 🙂 I&#8217;m so excited!]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>http://www.equestrianfromcrete.com/british-para-dressage-winter-championships-nottinghamshire-uk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">263</post-id>	</item>
	</channel>
</rss>