Lesson gaffes!

Yesterday, after my exam and lesson, I found myself helping out with the new beginners’ class. These are students from the University of Nottingham who did not register with the club in September, hence they are newbies. So, I was holding Smartie, with whom I was walking and running at Laura’s instructions for one hour, as Smartie was being riden by a nervous student. I soon observed that Smartie was too energetic as well.

As it was a beginners’ lesson, halting and walking were included in the instructions. On one of our halts, Smartie kept trotting. What the heck?! I asked Laura for help. “Well”, she said, “he keeps going because you are smacking his butt with your whip”! Indeed, while I was walking and running besides Smartie, I had not realised that I had been whipping him all the time. It was so funny, everyone in the arena started laughing, including me!

So, I guess, the mystery of the energetic horse was solved as well!