I passed my FGASA exam! Don't know yet what the actual mark was until the results are moderated by FGASA but our trainers are allowed to tell us whether we passed, so I'm very happy! The test was actually not too bad. Our trainers have been saying for ages that if we've been passing the Bushwise tests all along, then we'll easily pass the FGASA one, but hearing that and actually believing that are very different things! But now I see where they were coming from; nothing was too complicated, there are 17 modules and for most modules you're only asked 10 marks worth of questions and for a couple it's only 5 marks. On the one hand this makes it seem easier because you don't have much to answer, but on the other hand it means you have to learn aaalllll the information in the learner manual, to barely be asked any of it! In a way I wish the test was longer to actually make all the revision feel more worth it. I think we had a pretty decent test in all, Gabe's brother also took a FGASA test a few days before us (albeit a different paper) and had some tricky questions that came from only like one bullet point in the entire textbook. But won't know my percentage for a few weeks or so, but there was nothing that I feel like I really struggled with.

Last week we were doing practice for our Advanced Rifle Handling, mock and real tests of which are in the next two weeks, and in between doing revision for the FGASA test. On Saturday we took a bit of a day off and went on a horse riding safari! It was someone that G knew from her previous stays in SA and it was only around the corner so a nice little trip out. I haven't been horse riding in probably about 13 years! And barely did it when I was a child to be honest; a few months of lessons and the occasional ride on friends' horses, but it actually came back to me quite easily. I still wasn't entirely comfortable/sure of myself, but it was so much fun! The ten of us who went were split into two groups and while the other group went first, we stayed around the house and played with the 4 doggos and the 3 week old baby piglets! Well, we weren't really playing with the piglets, just picked them up and they squealed to be honest, but they were so freaking cute. But the doggos were the cutest.

Then was our turn to go out riding. At first we just walked and did a little trot, and G and Caro went off for a canter because they're pros at riding and have done it their whole lives. I asked Tam, our guide, if at some point I could try cantering as well and so she asked if the other two wanted to try cantering as well and they were up for it so off we went! Pretty brave of Jack considering he'd literally never sat on a horse before that afternoon, and Jelle had only been once before but they both did pretty well. The rest of the ride we alternated between walking and cantering on specific straight bits, and we saw zebra and impala and took the horses down to a little dam for them to drink and splash around :) Luckily the only horse that decided to roll in the water was our guide's horse! Sadly it wasn't a Big 5 reserve but to be honest even if it had been, you're hardly covering very much ground compared to a vehicle (and we struggle to see stuff from the vehicle in Makalali) so on only a short ride you probably wouldn't see much more anyway. But it was so beautiful. All went perfectly until Jelle fell off! I shouldn't laugh, and it wasn't funny at the time, but now that we know he's OK and no major injuries it is kinda funny. It was because of the awkward bit going down from a canter to a trot, it gets a bit bumpy and he just sort of bounced off the horse. I didn't see it because I was ahead, but turned around and saw him being dragged a bit by his boot stuck in the stirrup. To be fair I also found it quite hard to ride in walking boots because you can't really feel the stirrups through the sole of the boots. But despite a pretty scratched up back and feeling a bit wobbly, he was OK! Luckily we weren't too far away and we just walked back to the house. When we got nearer, Tam took Jelle and Jack back a different way and let G, Caro and I canter back to the house which was awesome to have a bit of a longer run. Such a perfect way of getting out of campus for a bit.

But yeah, then it was just revision on Monday and test on Tuesday! Gabe had his practical drive this morning and nailed it, so he's now passed his FGASA Level 1! My drive is on Saturday afternoon so I have a couple of days to prepare a bit then Saturday evening to get really drunk and hopefully be celebrating! My ARH mock test is tomorrow but I'm not stressing too hard about it; not because I think I'll do well, but because I've sort of resigned myself to failing and so won't really mind if I do fail. You never know, I might do fine, but having never really done much shooting before I'm not sure how accurate I will be and that's what will fail me, rather than doing anything like running out of time or being actively dangerous. Also it's not anything that we need it's just quite useful to have, so if I don't get it it doesn't mean I fail the course or fail FGASA or anything, it's just an extra thing.

But anyway, my Saturday I'll know if I've passed FGASA Level 1! I'm actually pretty excited about my drive and not too nervous. Or at least I say that now, we'll see how I feel on Saturday!