Stand Up.

As I've mentioned, at the moment, I'm on a work experience placement at Castle Leslie, in Glaslough, Ireland.  Much as I love this placement, I'm finding it very difficult to get anything.  I'm the only student who is not being paid; I don't get anything that I ask for; and they expect me to pay €10 every time I want to jump over about 30cm high.

So, once again, it is action time.

Not entirely my point, but I have it stuck in my head after writing this post, which seemed like a sign from God.

Last night I got to ride my boss's horse, so today, when I go into work, I'm going to try to find said boss and tell her that I'm going to ride him tomorrow, and Sinead, who is another student, will help me.  Because I think that I can learn loads from that horse and that girl, who has been trained by professional showjumpers for a very long time and knows her stuff.  I'm a good rider but I'm not as good as her and I don't get things laid out for me like she does.  I say that, she doesn't get things laid out.  She came here knowing precisely what she wants from this experience and knowing exactly how to get it, so now people don't bother talking against her and they just go with it, understanding that she knows what she's capable of.  So obviously, I need to do that.

While I'm talking to my boss, I'm going to tell her that what I'm interested in and want to have a career in is schooling and training young horses.  I've backed a horse before and have retrained young horses who are entirely green and have retrained racehorses until they're round and supple, and I think that I could train a young horse and want to try my hand at it.  I have my own insurance and would hold no affiliation to castle leslie when I do it because it's mine and Dermot's (who owns the horse) decision.  I think that I can do this.  I think that I WILL do this... Because I don't want to walk away complaining that someone's stopped me from doing what I want to.

Stand up and fight.

Today I will also go to my slightly less senior boss and tell her that I want to do proper jumping and I don't want to pay for it because they're not paying me and I can barely afford food let alone €10 per class.  I won't ask for the money because actually I have parents who spoil me rotten and help me out with money, and I just got my deposit from my university room back (£95 out of £100 - because Rachel and I went to the university and claimed no responsibility for the state of our flat and fought to get our money back.  I genuinely feel inspired by the fact that it worked.) - so I can afford to survive, I just can't afford to chuck money at what I should, by right and what I was promised before I came here, have.  This is happening.

Stand up. We shall not be moved.