The Riding Club Festival is a unique and special occasion.

It is the largest annual amateur equestrian event in Ireland, and there is something for everyone to get involved in. There are classes for those interested in showing, show jumping and dressage, and the emphasis is on enjoyment and camaraderie.

The one competition at the Festival which seems to cause everything from amusement to concern for those who decide to take part in it, is the Prix Caprilli.

I am not going to lie; until recently, the only thing I knew about the Prix Caprilli came from the first line of a poem written by Martin Diggle: “Prix Caprilli is very silly.”

Despite my prior lack of practical experience, I was inclined to agree wholeheartedly. Dressage is quite challenging enough without adding obstacles into the equation. If you want to jump over things, then surely show jumping is the obvious solution.

However. I was asked to coach at a pre-Festival Prix Caprilli clinic for the local riding club last week. Hoping to appear competent and knowledgable, I obviously agreed immediately.

I then spent quite a few days after that frantically googling things like ‘what is the point of Prix Caprilli’, in an attempt to arm myself with some sort of insight.

Turns out there isn’t much information available, so in the end I had to wing it. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and I think I mostly managed to hide my bewilderment.

First Aid

I have now also completed my First Aid Responder certification. The practical day and the exam were held in a hotel in Dublin, and the instructor did not beat around the bush.

He rather alarmingly pointed out that, as an equestrian coach, I was the most likely person in the room to need to perform a neck and spine stabilisation – which he then made me practice on him.

He was complimentary about my bandaging skills, and stated that equestrians are almost always Jedi masters with a strip of rolled-up fabric.

It will forever be my hope that no one ever requires my assistance in a first aid capacity, but I suppose at least I now have a certificate stating my alleged competence in this domain.

Next weekend might be exciting. Myself, my excitable horse and my feral child are attending a two-day dressage show, and the itinerary includes a freestyle to music test. First aid might come in handy after all.