We Jump!

 Today was lesson day. So we opted to jump!! Mostly because she's just been feral and I felt like she and I both desperately needed to jump. But also because she's been actually pretty good on the flat and I don't want to rock the boat. And we've been "drilling" a bit recently. We were going to have a lesson at home but then... at this morning the arena's at Ashland opened up. So... I asked Jacel if we could do Funny's lesson there. I debated just doing some grids at home, but... since we're showing this weekend... we thought a course might be better. So... we that's what we did.

 

I lessoned Lyric first and had to go inside and get her bridle and pee and grab food before we left for ashland. Funny saw me heading to the truck and took off! But.. she only went to the middle field and then she let me catch her easily and didn't even run when Dan tried to eat her cookie and it took me a minute to get the halter on. Yay. I put her on the trailer and Adam called. (From ashland). He said that he saw that I had just signed up and they were planning to fell a giant pine tree by the arenas. okayyyyy, so..... can I still come? Ha. We chatted and he said they would be quick and I said I could park on the other end of the parking lot and she may not care. So... we headed out. We got there and she looked but didn't really care. They did drive up and tell me they were about to drop it, so I did untie her and hold her. She didn't really care though. So yay! I got tacked up and hopped on. They were still chainsawing and such, but we just skirted to the far side and she kept an eye on them but didn't really care. She did squirt out twice but I honestly don't know what it was from.. them? Something else? But it was just a jump and then she was fine. 

 

We warmed up a bit and they kept chain sawing but she didn't care. Phew! She was such a dragon earlier this week... She actually warmed up quite nice though... very nice tempo, very balanced, very on her hiney. Jacel got there and we got started. 

 

It was a good lesson. We trotted the giant crossrail four times... she kept spooking at the poles on the rail and counter bending past them, but we made it work. Then we did a few turning exercises... then we put together a small course. We did it a few times and it was mostly good. In the very beginning Jacel reminded me to keep my hands low and... game changer!! When she gets quick and my hands get high..we fight! She throws her head up, inverts, slings her head around! But... when I put my hands low... I can steer her shoulders around without fighting her and she doesn't sling her head around. SO much easier! And so much happier. Plus she can jump better. 

 

It was cool to see because... she actually is learning and is ridable at this level. I feel like we moved up to novice pretty quickly, but.. she was so bored at beginner novice and was just getting frustrated and mad. Like the gifted kid that is bored in school. Novice makes her think and challenges her enough. She's athletic enough to jump it easily, even when she gets in trouble, but... she needs the education about the technicality of things. Like today, she and I had jumped through a two stride multiple times and I rode the turn to it way better.. more into my outside rein from my inside leg, smoother, but then she got a bit long in the straight away and ... she took an absolute FLYER! Like.. there was at least a whole stride still in there. And I knew it was gonna be bad. My face in the video was hysterical! I'm not smiling now!! She dropped the rail and felt like she was gonna faceplant, but then she picked herself up and got us out. But then at the big oxer right after she lost a little confidence and she jumped it but it was more of a deer jump, vs her usual bold jump. So then I realized what had happened and was able to close my leg and be more supportive for her and she got her confidence back. And... she's backed off enough of the size that I do have to actually ride... I can use my leg. And I can half halt because I can close my leg. 

 

It was fun!! And she wasn't feral.. although we did pretty much not trot once we started jumping. We were practicing our walk to canters apparently. ;) So, after we jumped, we headed to the lake and back for a little hack. Good pony!!