Fit As A Fiddle
Homeboy is getting FIT.
We had a great ride yesterday, after the monsoons temporarily came to a halt and the ring had a chance to drain a little. On the upside, all the rain did a nice job redistributing the footing.
I had it in my head that we were going to JUMP that day. My plan was to do a little light flatwork, see where our canter was, and then jump if it was acceptably adjustable and balanced.
To put it lightly, I was freaking out. I looked around the arena, sizing up each fence, trying to tell myself that they were itty-bitty baby fences. Which they were. The biggest thing in there was 2'6. But in my whacked-out brain, someone had gone and set an entire Grand Prix course in there and I was going to have to jump it. Gulp. In my whacked-out brain, my pony was also planning on doing a reiner-style sliding stop at each of them. Also untrue. But I had to forge on! My anxiety was NOT going to get the best of me that day.
Dino warmed up great. He started off a little pokey, but after we got going he proved himself to be attentive, forward, and listening. I concentrated on being softer with my hands, and as a result, got a softer pony. Funny how that works! I didn't ask for an upright dressage frame at that point, just a little softening and roundness to make sure we were balanced and on the same page. We were. His canter was great; nice and forward and uphill. It was time to jump.
I started off easy, trotting a single crossrail both ways. At this stage of the game, it's all about building confidence in me and my pony, so we start slow. Dino, of course, had absolutely no problem with the first fence. I did a little more flatwork in between jumps, and did he ever want to WORK after finding a little purpose in life by jumping! So... we kept jumping. I worked up from there to trotting the crossrail and then cantering a bending line to the brick wall, keeping my cool by singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".
Don't judge.
Then we cantered the crossrail to the brick wall. All was good! In between each set of jumps I made sure to take a break, breathe, and reassure myself that I just jumped my pony, we didn't die, and it was fun.
Next step: crossrail to brick wall, right turn to the diagonal line. We had a bit of an "oops" at this point and I ended up only jumping the first fence in the line, because after we landed I noticed that the line was NOT actually set straight, and our canter was a wee bit out of control, so I made the executive decision to opt out of the second fence. It worked out ok, and when I pointed Dino at the second jump later on, he did not refuse it!
Eventually we jumped everything in the ring, including the entire diagonal line and the outside line, which contained the Oxer Of Doom. Little JumperDemon left out a stride in each line (whoops), but never even gave the slightest thought to stopping or running out. He was a rockstar. And after we were done jumping, Dino still had fuel left to burn, so we flatted for another 20 minutes or so, working on transitions and a little lateral work. He was amazing! I just couldn't believe his work ethic, or how fit he's gotten. I'll be posting some updated conformation shots soon!
Things to work on over the next week or so include creating and maintaining a more collected canter while jumping, and riding more to the base of the fences instead of leaving long and taking out strides. I want to keep being mindful of having soft hands, and riding with my body rather than my hand and spur. If I'm having trouble getting what I want, I usually need to use my abs more.
I also have a lesson with Elissa next Sunday, which I'm really looking forward to. We need some OOMPH!
We had a great ride yesterday, after the monsoons temporarily came to a halt and the ring had a chance to drain a little. On the upside, all the rain did a nice job redistributing the footing.
I had it in my head that we were going to JUMP that day. My plan was to do a little light flatwork, see where our canter was, and then jump if it was acceptably adjustable and balanced.
To put it lightly, I was freaking out. I looked around the arena, sizing up each fence, trying to tell myself that they were itty-bitty baby fences. Which they were. The biggest thing in there was 2'6. But in my whacked-out brain, someone had gone and set an entire Grand Prix course in there and I was going to have to jump it. Gulp. In my whacked-out brain, my pony was also planning on doing a reiner-style sliding stop at each of them. Also untrue. But I had to forge on! My anxiety was NOT going to get the best of me that day.
Dino warmed up great. He started off a little pokey, but after we got going he proved himself to be attentive, forward, and listening. I concentrated on being softer with my hands, and as a result, got a softer pony. Funny how that works! I didn't ask for an upright dressage frame at that point, just a little softening and roundness to make sure we were balanced and on the same page. We were. His canter was great; nice and forward and uphill. It was time to jump.
I started off easy, trotting a single crossrail both ways. At this stage of the game, it's all about building confidence in me and my pony, so we start slow. Dino, of course, had absolutely no problem with the first fence. I did a little more flatwork in between jumps, and did he ever want to WORK after finding a little purpose in life by jumping! So... we kept jumping. I worked up from there to trotting the crossrail and then cantering a bending line to the brick wall, keeping my cool by singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".
Don't judge.
Then we cantered the crossrail to the brick wall. All was good! In between each set of jumps I made sure to take a break, breathe, and reassure myself that I just jumped my pony, we didn't die, and it was fun.
Next step: crossrail to brick wall, right turn to the diagonal line. We had a bit of an "oops" at this point and I ended up only jumping the first fence in the line, because after we landed I noticed that the line was NOT actually set straight, and our canter was a wee bit out of control, so I made the executive decision to opt out of the second fence. It worked out ok, and when I pointed Dino at the second jump later on, he did not refuse it!
Eventually we jumped everything in the ring, including the entire diagonal line and the outside line, which contained the Oxer Of Doom. Little JumperDemon left out a stride in each line (whoops), but never even gave the slightest thought to stopping or running out. He was a rockstar. And after we were done jumping, Dino still had fuel left to burn, so we flatted for another 20 minutes or so, working on transitions and a little lateral work. He was amazing! I just couldn't believe his work ethic, or how fit he's gotten. I'll be posting some updated conformation shots soon!
Things to work on over the next week or so include creating and maintaining a more collected canter while jumping, and riding more to the base of the fences instead of leaving long and taking out strides. I want to keep being mindful of having soft hands, and riding with my body rather than my hand and spur. If I'm having trouble getting what I want, I usually need to use my abs more.
I also have a lesson with Elissa next Sunday, which I'm really looking forward to. We need some OOMPH!
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