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Description
le sigh, my kaimanawa challenge journey is over for another year but i have thoroughly enjoyed taking part despite leaving all my images until the last minute
but this isn't the last you'll see of Aoife and Lola! They will continue to feature prominently at Riverwood Equestrian

Story:
The pair continued to grow strength by strength over the next few schooling sessions. Now enlisting Georgie’s help, Aoife and Lola were now jumping courses of 3ft. Tackless. Lola’s transformation was nearly comical. From the lonely, weak horse that had stepped off the trailer, this shining black beauty was a far cry from what she had once been. Aoife’s love and attention had completely bought her out of her shell and every day she was gaining in confidence in her ability and she was now confident that her best friend and teammate Aoife was never going to leave her. Aoife had changed as well. Not physically, but mentally. Only her closest friends could see the change in her. Aoife was now more confident in her abilities. She always seemed to have a spring in her step as she went about the yard, singing as she worked. Aoife was truly happy and never more so than when riding her beloved mare with her best friend Amy and her horse Dreamer.

Such was the bond between the girls’ and their horses; talk began to rise between them again of putting on tackless demos. It wasn’t just Aoife that had improved, for Amy and Dreamer had been working as a team like never before. The natural dressage Amy tried out for a bit of fun had become their most valuable training method. Dreamer was always so relaxed and could feel the slightest of cues from his rider. The girls thought it would be perfect to put on a demonstration – with Amy and Dreamer showing how tackless riding could bring a horse and rider together in dressage and Aoife showing how tackless riding can strengthen the bond between horse and rider – so much so that you can go flying over 3ft obstacles.

It was this talk that made the two girls even more determined than before to excel in tackless riding. They began to train every day together, with and without the horses. Amy would help Aoife by setting up and raising the jumps for her in their training sessions and Aoife would help Amy out by putting together dressage tests for her and Dreamer to practice. By the end of the following month, they were spectacular!

Aoife and Lola had progressed to clearing over 5ft together and flying through 4ft courses while Amy had taught Dreamer to self-carry and round his back so they looked even more professional. While Amy still rode her gelding with tack sometimes and still competed regularly, Aoife had thrown herself into tackless riding and hadn’t used tack with Lola since that awful attempt at breaking her in.

She was totally unafraid of whatever faced her – whether it be a 5ft obstacle or an audience watching her jump a course. With Lola, she could do anything and with Aoife with her, Lola could jump the moon.

Joining the Kaimanawa Challenge had been a way for Aoife to put her all into training a wild horse for a few months. Little did she know how much it would change her life, and conceivably her career. It had been fate that delivered the poor, broken mare to Aoife’s doorstep and it was love and friendship that allowed them to heal each other. Know, together and stronger than ever, there is nowhere that they would not go and nothing they could not achieve with each other by their sides.

ref: freeridingnz.com/international…

Description
le sigh, my kaimanawa challenge journey is over for another year but i have thoroughly enjoyed taking part despite leaving all my images until the last minute
but this isn't the last you'll see of Aoife and Lola! They will continue to feature prominently at Riverwood Equestrian

Story:
The pair continued to grow strength by strength over the next few schooling sessions. Now enlisting Georgie’s help, Aoife and Lola were now jumping courses of 3ft. Tackless. Lola’s transformation was nearly comical. From the lonely, weak horse that had stepped off the trailer, this shining black beauty was a far cry from what she had once been. Aoife’s love and attention had completely bought her out of her shell and every day she was gaining in confidence in her ability and she was now confident that her best friend and teammate Aoife was never going to leave her. Aoife had changed as well. Not physically, but mentally. Only her closest friends could see the change in her. Aoife was now more confident in her abilities. She always seemed to have a spring in her step as she went about the yard, singing as she worked. Aoife was truly happy and never more so than when riding her beloved mare with her best friend Amy and her horse Dreamer.

Such was the bond between the girls’ and their horses; talk began to rise between them again of putting on tackless demos. It wasn’t just Aoife that had improved, for Amy and Dreamer had been working as a team like never before. The natural dressage Amy tried out for a bit of fun had become their most valuable training method. Dreamer was always so relaxed and could feel the slightest of cues from his rider. The girls thought it would be perfect to put on a demonstration – with Amy and Dreamer showing how tackless riding could bring a horse and rider together in dressage and Aoife showing how tackless riding can strengthen the bond between horse and rider – so much so that you can go flying over 3ft obstacles.

It was this talk that made the two girls even more determined than before to excel in tackless riding. They began to train every day together, with and without the horses. Amy would help Aoife by setting up and raising the jumps for her in their training sessions and Aoife would help Amy out by putting together dressage tests for her and Dreamer to practice. By the end of the following month, they were spectacular!

Aoife and Lola had progressed to clearing over 5ft together and flying through 4ft courses while Amy had taught Dreamer to self-carry and round his back so they looked even more professional. While Amy still rode her gelding with tack sometimes and still competed regularly, Aoife had thrown herself into tackless riding and hadn’t used tack with Lola since that awful attempt at breaking her in.

She was totally unafraid of whatever faced her – whether it be a 5ft obstacle or an audience watching her jump a course. With Lola, she could do anything and with Aoife with her, Lola could jump the moon.

Joining the Kaimanawa Challenge had been a way for Aoife to put her all into training a wild horse for a few months. Little did she know how much it would change her life, and conceivably her career. It had been fate that delivered the poor, broken mare to Aoife’s doorstep and it was love and friendship that allowed them to heal each other. Know, together and stronger than ever, there is nowhere that they would not go and nothing they could not achieve with each other by their sides.

ref: freeridingnz.com/international…