Episode 10 Turbo Boost

The country's jam-packed full of kids with amazing,

mind-blowing talents...

Take one!

..and they're about to be pushed to their limits by me

-and my top team of experts and stars.

-Woo!

I'm Turbo - street dance king.

And this is Turbo Boost...

-Awesome!

-Yay!

..where talented kids are set

a tough Final Challenge, and just four weeks to train for it.

I'm really excited.

It's bigger than anything they've ever done.

And there's no guarantee of success.

Buckle up - it's going to be a bumpy ride.

For today's Turbo Boost, I'm in Cheshire. Let's go!

Saddle up, because this is going to be one heck of a ride!

There's only four weeks to turn this horse-loving girl

into an equestrian thoroughbred.

It's a massive challenge and there will be bumps along the way.

Disaster.

Will she be able to keep a steady head

and clear those fearsome fences?

I'm at a riding stables, where I'm about to surprise a girl

who loves everything to do with horses.

Her mum has just dropped her off,

and she thinks that she is here to clean and tidy up the stables.

Hello!

She has no idea that she's about to get the boost

that she's been waiting for.

-Hi, Laura.

-Hi.

I'm Turbo, and I'm here to Turbo Boost you and your horse riding.

-OK! I'm just so shocked.

-Were you expecting this to happen at all?

No, not at all.

Over the next four weeks, you are going to receive

expert coaching from a top Olympic equestrian star,

and at the end of that time, you are going to take part in

your first ever showjumping event

with some of the biggest jumps you have ever tried.

-Wow!

-Are you ready to kick-start your Turbo Boost?

-Definitely!

All right, then, let's go. Come on.

Hi, I'm Laura and I've just been Turbo-boosted!

This is my family. This is my mum, and she loves dancing

to Rick Astley.

MUSIC: "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley

And this is my dad.

He's very, very, very good at golf, but he's also

very, very good at breaking wind. PARP!

I'll agree with that.

I love everything, like, EVERYTHING about horses.

I even love mucking out horses' stables, which some people

might think disgusting, but for me, it's just life.

Laura's tried all the different activities you can think of,

she's done drama, singing, ice skating even,

but horse riding has always been her passion.

She's never come home from any other activity

with the sort of excitement that she does when she's horse riding.

I've already designed a riding school that I want to open

when I'm older, it's called Susan Fields Equestrian Centre.

I've done the back, all the prices and lessons,

half an hour £10.99, stuff like that.

And all the teachers at the bottom.

I treat horses practically the same way that I treat humans.

If they do something nice, I thank them, stroke them...

Although you wouldn't do that to a human, would you?

My ULTIMATE dream is to be an Olympic equestrian star.

I need a Turbo Boost because I just want to take on really big jumps

and be able to master them.

With the help from Turbo Boost, I'm sure in the future,

she'll go a long, long way.

showjumping is a tough sport,

and to be a champion, you need

perfect technique, mental strength and nerves of steel.

It takes years to achieve these skills,

so Laura will need a top-flight mentor

if she's to master all that in just four weeks.

I've found the perfect person.

Nicola Wilson is a silver medallist from the 2012 Olympics

and has been riding since she was three-and-a-half years old.

Today, she's here at Laura's stables,

to catapult her into the showjumping stratosphere.

Let the Turbo Boost begin!

-Hello, Laura, how are you?

-Fine, thank you.

Pleased to meet you.

And, Laura, this is Woody, and Woody is to be your partner for the month.

-Hi, Woody!

-Have you seen an Olympic medal before?

-No.

Would you like to hold it?

-Come here, Woody. It's so heavy, isn't it?

-Yeah.

NICOLA CHUCKLES

-How does it feel holding it?

-Amazing!

-Is that something that you want to win one day?

-Definitely!

Well, I would say - where there's a will, there's a way.

To assess Laura's jumping skills, Nicola needs to see

her basic technique on the horse.

Laura's got to show Nicola how she rides...

on a horse she's only just met.

-How does that one feel?

-Yeah, better.

Horses have four main speeds - walk, trot, canter and gallop.

Laura needs to show Nicola that she can control both the horse

and his speed.

That's it, I can go a bit faster.

Even though it's her first time on Woody, Laura rides steadily.

For her to get onto a strange pony, in a strange environment

and to be able to walk, trot and canter as she's doing

takes a lot of courage, and I'm delighted with her attitude.

I got on great with Woody, which was quite surprising

because you don't get on with every single horse you meet.

Some can be the exact opposite.

For her Final Challenge, Laura will take on a course with

seven jumps, but first, Nicola wants to see her posture

and positioning over just one fence.

NICOLA SHOUTS ENCOURAGEMENT

Go with it... Good girl, well done!

Laura cleared the fence,

but Nicola has already spotted something she needs to work on.

Just like us humans, horses have their own minds and personalities.

Laura needs to establish control quickly over Woody,

who is over 12 times as heavy as her.

If she doesn't, it's him, not her, who will be controlling where

and how they ride, and that can mean disaster.

Control begins with having the correct posture

and positioning in the saddle.

Ideally, we should have a straight line from our hip

to the back of our heel.

So from our shoulder, to our hip, to the back of our heel.

If it slides back a little bit,

which it's doing at the moment, it then brings your upper body

forward and makes you a little bit unbalanced.

Successful showjumping needs the rider

and the horse to work together.

That's it, make him march on.

If Laura isn't balanced, then her horse won't be either,

and this will make those jumps even more difficult.

Think about that straight line from your hip

to the back of your heel.

Lean forward, but keep your lower leg very secure.

Did you feel that time that your leg moved,

or do you think it stayed still?

-I think it stayed...ish still.

-Ish.

So it just takes a little bit of time

to focus your mind on your position.

It's just working on that security and making the brain think about it

a bit sooner, so that you're always in the right place for the fences.

And I think you'll come on leaps and bounds in the next few weeks.

In my masterclass with Nicola, I learnt a lot of different things.

It gives you a lot of confidence

if you're in the hands of somebody who's from the Olympics.

Hi, everyone!

So, back home now, and I really, really enjoyed it,

we had so much fun, and I really, really,

really love Woody. I definitely think I've built that bond now

that I need. Yeah, he's just been really, really, really, really good.

Laura's shown she has some serious skills

when it comes to bonding with a new horse and showing them who's boss.

But her posture and positioning in the saddle still need some work.

So I've found something away from the stables which is

really going to help her master that technique.

Skiing may seem a world away from horse riding,

but the sports have a lot in common.

They both require great balance,

speed control and perfect posture.

-Hi, Laura.

-Hi!

-Shall we get you some skis and get you straight onto the slopes?

-OK.

While Laura gets ready, I decide to hit the slopes.

It's time for Turbo to Turb-ski.

'Watch me, guys, how hard can this be?'

-That's it, buddy.

-Whoa!

-First fall.

-Turbo down.

Up. Boom. They didn't get that on camera, good.

He just slipped like that!

Oh, no! No!

'I may have taken a tumble, but you can't keep the Turbo down.'

That's it. You should feel a little bit of resistance under your feet.

Yep.

Keep it up, you're doing really well, mate.

The concentration in the face, it's brilliant.

'This isn't as easy as it looks.

'Laura, you've got your work cut out, girl.'

When you're ready, we're going to sidestep up the hill

and get a slide in.

Dan, the coach, starts Laura on the beginner's slope,

teaching her the correct skiing posture, which is

pretty much the same as in horse riding.

-Woo-hoo!

-Good girl.

So this position... it looks like you're actually

sitting on a saddle and your feet are in the stirrups.

When she's riding, Laura needs to keep her heels down at all times.

Skiing is great for this because Laura needs to keep

her centre of gravity low,

which will force her weight into her heels.

Agh!

Oh, nice recovery. OK, Laura, so you're doing really well.

Next step is to go to the main slope.

-All the way to the top, all right?

-Oh, help.

Laura's just had a few lessons with Dan, now she's heading to the top.

'When I was stood at the top, I literally felt like fainting.

'It looks so big,'

and, oh, it sends shivers down my spine.

-Agh!

-You all right?

-No! I'm going to crash into you.

-No, you're not.

-Agh!

-Keep leaning forward, and turn. Keep those arms nice and still.

That's it, good girl.

She's got a nice and steady, easy pace, she seems confident.

Let's go a little bit quicker, you know you can do it.

-Oh, yeah!

-Hey.

-That was amazing! How did Laura get on?

Laura did really well, she held her posture,

she had good balance, I think it's going to really help her

when she's doing horse riding in the future.

-And, Laura, I think it's time for us to go. Ready?

-Yep.

All right, let's do this.

-You go first.

-Yep.

-You go first.

Hey, slow down! I'm Turbo, not you. Going...

HE YELPS

Laura's two weeks into her Turbo Boost,

and is taking huge strides to becoming a showjumping superstar.

But to make sure she aces her Final Challenge,

she's going to need more than just good posture in the saddle.

So I've set up a little challenge to help her nail those gigantic jumps.

Laura, you've been doing well with

everything on your Turbo Boost.

I thought it was time

to throw you a little challenge.

TURBO LAUGHS

Laura, this is James,

and he's going to teach you how to play the sport of polo.

-Hi, Laura.

-Hi.

Polo - one of the oldest team sports in the world.

Played on horseback,

it's been enjoyed by royalty throughout history.

The aim is to score goals against the opposing team,

using a wooden mallet and ball.

It's all completely new to Laura.

A big part of polo is making sure you're on the correct line

when you approach and hit the ball.

So we're going to show how this is relevant

and going to help with your jumping today.

In showjumping, it's crucial to approach

each fence in the correct line.

If you don't, then the horse might not jump the fence,

and it can mean failing to ride the rest of the course.

The correct lines are just as important with polo,

because if you don't get it right, you'll miss the ball

and give the other team the chance to score.

Laura will learn how to play polo,

before facing a penalty shoot-out challenge.

Firstly, she needs to use a wooden horse to learn

the basics of how to hit the ball.

-Right, Laura, this is called Woody.

-SHE LAUGHS

We've had him five years, he's very well-behaved.

In terms of how you hold the stick,

I want you to imagine like you're shaking hands.

It sits on the flat part of your hand, OK?

We'll be hitting it on the sides, not the ends.

Keep your arm nice and straight, like so,

and we go from there, shoulder height to shoulder height.

Just letting the weight of the stick do all the hard work.

Brilliant, nice shot.

We know Laura can ride a horse, and now she can use the mallet.

But it's time to see if she can do both of them together.

Nice and early, swing back nice and high, and big hit.

OK, weight on your right foot, swing back nice and early, and hit.

Swing back, and hit.

-Really hard.

-I know, it's a tricky sport.

So, Laura, how are you finding it, how's your lining up coming along?

My riding's OK, but it's the lines I need to work on and the timing,

but I think we're doing well.

Laura, do you think you're ready for this challenge?

-I certainly am.

-Well, let me see you go polo!

Laura's only had one hour to practise her polo.

Now - time for her challenge.

James has set up five balls for Laura to hit into the goal.

She needs to approach each ball in the correct line to stand

any chance of scoring.

It's going to take all of Laura's new skill

and precision to pull off the challenge.

Here she goes. Ooh. Just started that a touch early.

'It's a shaky start for Laura.'

-Nice and early, and here we go.

-Boom.

Excellent, well done.

'She's scored her first goal - can she keep up her winning streak?'

-Ooh!

-Ooh!

'She hit the ball, but her line was off.

'Therefore, she missed the goal.'

-Nice!

-What a shot, that was perfect.

'She's back on track, but can't afford any more mistakes.'

-Brilliant, well done.

-Nice.

'Can she make it three in a row and finish with a bang?'

Oh, absolutely nailed it.

-Well done, Laura.

-Well done.

Can I have a canter of victory?

TURBO LAUGHS

She deserves it.

'Laura scored four out of five goals,

'and finished with three in a row.

'Not bad for her polo debut.'

I think she did really, really well.

The most important thing was, her lines were absolutely spot-on.

What she'll take away from this, it'll really help her riding.

-So, Laura, how did you find that?

-I thought it was really good, yeah.

It was a lot of fun and a challenge.

We got them in, after a few tries,

-but as long as we got them in.

-James, thank you so much,

but me and Laura have to get out of here.

-You ready to go?

-Yep.

-Brilliant, could you give me a ride?

Just to head back?

-No, I'm out of here.

-No, no, no, wait for me. Hey, Laura... Hey, hey!

Hey, Laura, I have no horse! I have no ho... LAURA!

It's time for Laura to head back to the stables for her

final Masterclass with her Olympic silver medallist mentor,

Nicola Wilson. For Laura's Final Challenge, she'll be attempting

a course of jumps on this field.

Nicola teaches her a showjumping method where the rider walks

the course without the horse,

so that she can be in complete control of Woody throughout the run.

Before we even start the course, we need to be very aware that

you are to show him the direction, you're to tell him

where the fences are and what speed and approach to take.

This is important, because even though they're working together,

Laura needs to show Woody that she's the boss.

As you get closer towards this fence and you're preparing for the actual

jump with your body positioning, your eyes

and your head need to turn to the next fence, which is over here.

You have to give him plenty of time, by going up to the hedge

and making a nice turn, he has plenty of time with those ears

and those eyes to have a look at the fence,

and then you can ride him forward at it.

Horses use their ears, as well as their eyes, when approaching a jump.

When their ears prick up,

it means they're concentrating on the fence and eager to jump it.

Laura's walked the course, so now it's time to get on Woody

and put all her training into her final practice.

So now Laura is about to run the full course with all the jumps.

Look ahead.

Nice and clean, she landed the first jump, had to go round the second.

-Can I start again?

-No, you have to carry on.

Laura is finding out that being the boss of an animal

over 12 times as heavy as you isn't that easy.

Try and remember what we said - look ahead, look ahead... Good.

She's back on track.

-Look at it.

-But then disaster strikes!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

I was trying to get onto a sharp turn

and Woody kind of drifted off one way and edged to one side.

He kind of went off that way, so I...fell off.

-Hold on to me.

-Come on, sweetheart.

Turbo looked kind of worried, but it's falling off.

You generally just want to get back on,

because you don't want to feel like a person who just gives up every time.

A fall like that will put most riders off

getting straight back into the saddle. But not Laura.

-Let's go. Give me that. You.

-You.

-HE IMPERSONATES HORSE

-There you go. See?

-You got this, girl.

-Get him going forward.

Walk on, Woody. Well done!

I can't believe Laura's just fallen off the horse.

It was a hard fall, but one thing I really have to commend her on

is that she jumped straight back on the horse.

Go far, line the middle to middle.

That's it, well done, you!

She finished the course and showed some serious fighting spirit.

That's one brave girl.

You did a super job there, and what was so nice is you put it

behind you, and you thought, "I can do this," and you made it happen.

So I think you need to be INCREDIBLY proud of yourself.

Even though I've fallen off, I want to ride again and make sure

it doesn't happen because in the final event,

I want to make myself proud.

So a day of two halves today.

In the morning, I had a go at polo, which was so much fun.

In the afternoon - disaster. I fell off.

We were just coming to a jump, went on an angle,

Woody saw it, kind of refused.

He went one way, I went the other, and...

Ouch. I just felt truly embarrassed when I fell off.

I know I could jump it

and I know it's a height that I'm comfortable with,

but it was the turns and angles that were very hard,

but I guess everyone falls off at some time.

It's been nearly four weeks

since I turbo-boosted nine-year-old Laura and her horse riding.

Under the expert coaching of Olympic silver medallist

Nicola Wilson, Laura's mastered the correct horse riding posture.

But her progress suffered a setback when her and Woody

had a falling out during training.

Can Laura dust herself off and deliver

a faultless performance in her first ever equestrian event?

Or will her showjumping career have a bumpy landing?

It's the morning of Laura's Final Challenge,

and all her training comes down to today.

Hello, Laura.

So, today is your big day, how are you feeling?

I'm nervous about him edging away like he did last time

and falling off.

This is your debut into the showjumping world,

-are you ready for that?

-Yeah.

Hello, Laura! How are you feeling about today?

-Really excited, but really nervous.

-You will be.

Well, to make you feel the part, I've got you some clothes here,

so that you look very prepared, organised and smart.

Oh, my goodness!

And I've also brought you something that somebody gave me

before the Olympics last year, and it's a little good luck charm.

I thought you could maybe pop that into your jacket pocket,

and hopefully, it'll bring you as much luck as it has me.

THEY LAUGH

I'll tell you now, this is not where your gifts end.

I have a special message for you from someone you may well recognise.

Laura's message is not only from her horse-riding hero,

but from six-times Olympic and World Champion Mary King.

Well done, Laura, I hear you've been doing really well with Nicola,

best of luck with your final challenge.

Oh, my goodness!

How does that make you feel,

-knowing that she sent you that personal message?

-Amazing!

-Does it give you a bit more of a boost?

-Definitely.

Well, you've got your new gear, I think it's time you got changed

and got yourself ready for your Final Challenge.

-Ready to do this?

-Yeah.

-Ready to smash that course?

-Yeah.

After getting all kitted up, it's time for Laura to take part in

her first ever big horse-riding showcase.

It's called a gymkhana, and it's where riders take part in

various events which test their abilities.

Laura has a quick walk of the fences before watching

some of the other riders attempt the course.

Is there anything you're worried about?

I'm worried that he might go too fast and like the fence too much.

I've seen a few horses refuse the second fence,

so I'm a bit worried about that.

You have to be in charge of every stride and make it happen.

-Oh, that was a big jump.

-She stayed on though.

She did very well, didn't she?

The waiting is over.

Now it's Laura's turn to take on the course,

and the nerves are starting to hit her.

I'm really nervous after seeing some of the horses' refusals,

but I'm excited as well because I know he'll do great.

This is the biggest moment of Laura's equestrian life.

Four weeks of intense training comes down to this.

She's doing a good job, she's breathing,

she's moving around in the saddle - which is great.

She's cleared the first fence. But then...

She's all right.

'That's the part of the course that riders much more experienced

'than Laura have also struggled with today.'

The pressure has got to Woody, and despite him and Laura

building up a strong bond, he's just too nervous to continue.

It looks like her Turbo Boost has come to an abrupt end.

Not only is Laura feeling the pressure,

but Woody is feeling it as well.

He's kind of stopped and decided not to go round the course.

So we're just figuring out what's going to happen next.

'Laura gets some much-needed advice from her Olympian mentor.'

Do you know what I did at the weekend? I fell off.

So you need to put it behind you, go out there and say,

"Right, this is what we're doing."

The pep talk worked,

and now Laura is determined to complete the course.

The only option is to try it on a new horse,

but whereas she's had four weeks to build up a strong bond with Woody,

Laura will have a matter of minutes

to gain the trust of new horse Brook.

The principles that she's been working on with Woody

and all the skills, and how far she's come with Woody

over the last few weeks will help her enormously.

Brook is a bigger horse than Woody.

This is going to take all her skill, ability and bravery to pull off.

Laura looks very happy with Brook.

Now it's the fence that spooked Woody.

This is a crucial moment of the run.

She did a very good straight line to the first fence.

But Laura and Brook clear it no problem.

And coming to the double, fence two, she lined up middle to middle,

nice turn, did you see that? I'm so pleased with that turn.

Good girl, Laura.

All those things she's been working really hard on are coming out now.

Just one fence stands between Laura and a remarkable clear run,

and the perfect end to her showjumping debut.

She did it! You go, girl.

Fantastic, a clear run! Woo!

Well done!

I've seen Laura do one or two brave things before,

but I'm pretty sure that one tops the bill.

The confidence which she went round with and turning into fences -

which sometimes, she struggles with - was brilliant today.

I thought she did really well.

When they introduced the idea of bringing out another horse,

she said, "Yeah, I'll give it a try."

And I thought, "That must be mad, a horse she's never ridden before."

She got on Brook and everything was fine,

she really rose to the challenge.

I was just incredibly proud of her,

she has surpassed her Turbo Boost.

'Laura's done so well, I reckon she's earned one final surprise.'

Laura, I am so...proud of you.

And you've worked so hard over these past four weeks,

I felt that you deserved...this.

SHE GASPS

Oh, wow!

-MUM:

-Turbo Boost rosette.

-Fantastic.

-Thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

My Turbo Boost rosette is going to be framed.

Woo-woo!

'I feel I've got bravery, because I wouldn't have

'got back on the first time I fell if I hadn't been Turbo-boosted before.'

I would be, like, that brave, and now I'm like, that brave.

Laura totally owned that showjumping course.

She has worked ridiculously hard throughout her Turbo Boost.

I'm sure she's going to be winning a lot more competitions in the future.

But my time in Cheshire...is done.

Let's go, boy.

No, let's go. Let's go, let's go.

Not that way, this way.

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