PONY bloggers: Flora’s diary part three

Hello again, PONY mag readers! It’s nice to see you! If you’ve been following my blog then you will know that last time, Bramble and I were working towards our 60cm Regional Championships! I will tell you how we got on in a bit…

First off this month we had a Pony Club rally. I really enjoyed it as we were trotting a line of bounce jumps, but there was a twist! Near the end of the rally, we did it one-handed, we did it with our hands out AND we did it no-handed, as well as doing it a few times with our hands on our heads! It was so much fun, and I loved having a friend there with her pony, as I didn’t know most of the people in my group.

Okay – let’s talk about the Regional Champs! We cut a few corners, went as fast as Bramble would let me, but, even with that, unfortunately we didn’t get placed. I’m okay with it – I know we tried our best, and there were loads of super speedy little ponies in there. But also, I’ve got to be honest, there was a terrifying puddle just in front of numbers 7 and 8. Not terrifying to me – but Bramble is a quirky mare and she told me that she absolutely couldn’t canter through a tiny puddle! I mean, she’s a cross-country superstar and gallops through the water and jumps out again! But canter through a puddle near a showjump? Apparently not. Honestly!

We’ve also been working on our flatwork, working on our trot to halt and our halt to trot, our corners, and me remembering to check which diagonal I’m on…oops! We’re working towards another dressage soon and I’m hoping to keep improving our marks.

The long and super wet winter has left us with a reminder of just how much rain there was, and how bad the mud got. The battle of winter 2025 vs Bramble’s turnout rug was a won by the weather, and one of the Velcro straps on her hood is hanging on by one sad little line of stitching. Every morning when I check on her I have my fingers crossed that it’ll have survived the night. It will take a week to get cleaned and repaired, and she doesn’t have a spare, so all I can do is hope that the weather keeps improving and we can drop it off to be fixed soon, ready for next autumn! I really can’t wait for the sunnier, longer days that are just around the corner.