ROCKY’S BLOG- Rocky ” Rockstar”!
ROCKY’S BLOG- Rocky " Rockstar"!
ROCKY’S BLOG- Rocky ” Rockstar”!
Hi everyone!!!!!!!
I went to the Evolution Equestrian kids Show Jumping Camp at Northgate Lodge in Ruakaka the other week, at last I could happily jump!
Nana has hunted for years, but that was 50 years ago, now she can’t stay with me over anything. At the camp Amara (who had always wanted to jump me at previous camps when she had Ponies) got to be my workmate.
I taught her how to use “draw” reins, or “running” reins as older people call them, she taught me to jump more evenly over a fence, not to “chip” in and jump extra high. After learning that, I still tend to clear jumps by miles! Look at some of my photos.
Mark my instructor, said for the umpteenth time, Rocky you are wasted hacking around with Nana, you should have a career jumping! Nana just worries that she would not be able to get something to replace me that would be as safe on the road, like me!
We did lots of jumping every day and lots of flat schooling.
Three trips to the beach, ones we went miles and miles as far as the refinery, something Nana always wanted to do, said she had been in a boat fishing up there.
We stopped and practiced “leg yielding” and “turn on the forehand” all fun on the beach, but still we had to do it correctly! Practicing these moves on the beach, on the road (Nan and I leg yield along the centre line) not just in the arena, tell your riders this!
Hope the photos show the different jumps and combinations at the camp, a grid – 5 crosses and a wide oxer to follow, with just a bounce between, I really enjoyed that one.
Nana has included some photos of the facilities at the camp. I think some of my mates would like it there, and their riders would love it!!
Upstairs a dormitory room and TV lounge. Several cabins for more luxury.
Lovely spacious yards and nice paddocks too with a covered shelter at each end. I got out of the rain and wind before and after my lessons. Deep sand and big enough to roll.
Nana soon learnt to let me roll before she washed me.
In the yards us horses had great talks about “life” and the stuff we had learned! I saw horses at the camp jumping better than every one, including them who thought they could.
Back home a rest for a few days then off to the forest with a mate. Down a track to the beach, came across small tree across the track – can you guess what happened next ? Nana asked me to “pop” over it, but one stride away, to her horror, we saw lots of branches on the landing side, put there so motorbikes could not get over the tree trunk! Guess what ? I did a huge jump over – Nana fell off! Nana’s pride was hurt, nothing else was hurt but she said she is too old to be falling off!
I reckon I could jump a house I just need someone to come with me!
Come on anyone love jumping ?
ROCKY.
P.S. I’m called at show jumping camps (nick name) “ROCKY THE ROCKSTAR”
