Adding the Jumps Back In

Reins are for wimps

After what seems like constant stop/go/stop/backup/stop "progress" this year, we're finally starting to put the pieces together under saddle and I am beyond stoked. I finally decided to buckle down in this ridiculous heat (now plus smoke! yay wildfires!) and set a whole honest-to-goodness jump course.

Also my BO was hinting that the jumps needed to be moved since weeds were growing under them and we were starting to look like hillbillies who never rode our perfectly nice horses. Yes, I judge people with weeds in their arena.

He got that figured out today

Anywhoodle. All that to say I went and set up a fun course with related distances and bending lines and straight lines and fill and all that. I intentionally set it low so my brain could handle it without a massive panic (DEER LEAP OF DEATH) response. Besides, we haven't jumped an actual course in like... I don't remember how long. A while.

Neither Courage nor I likes to drill flatwork, so I literally warmed him up with my reins flying in the wind and my hand in the neckstrap. W/t/c both directions, no problem. I'm using that time to get him a little more attuned to my leg so I can use less rein when we jump, but mostly we're just bombing around moving FORWARD.

Grab that neckstrap

I felt a little nervous while we warmed up. It wasn't that sort of gut-clenching fear, but just the buzz of "oooh, haven't done this for a while". Then we headed to our first little jump and the nervousness just disappeared.

This little guy is just so much fun to jump. He's learning his job and he's so freaking honest about it.

He did his first related distance in forever. He was a little wiggly between them the first time we attempted it, but I added leg and counted the next time and he was spot on.

Loving it

We even took a break, then picked it up again and put another little course together.

Both of our confidence was just building as we went along. We hopped over the blue tube, the blue barrels, a funny looking jump I hadn't built before, whatever. I rode forward and straight and stayed out of his face and he was having a good time, right down to the occasional clean flying change.

Yes, the jumps were tiny. No, we didn't do anything difficult.

Totes loving my kickass position here

But you know what? We had fun. We were ready for more at the end.

I missed this feeling.

So yes, it's been a rocky year with random breaks and lots of half-starts. I'm not regretting a minute of our extensive flatwork right now though. I have a more educated and rideable horse who is back to his usual brave, cocky self. There's lots of work left to be done, but where we're at is a very good place.