Monday, May 12, 2014

First Real Jumping Lesson for Courage

Cars are for people who can't ride
Well, I didn't get a car and my instructor cancelled my jumping lesson, but if I let little things like logistics stop me, I'd never get anywhere. Instead of the fancy $$ event trainer giving us our first jumping lesson, I scheduled one with our usual dressage/biomechanics instructor who is also a pretty kickass jumping rider.

Of course, she'd never actually seen him jump at all, so I explained what we've been doing and that he's really game and really green.

She had us trot in/canter out over a little placing pole to a crossrail a couple of time and C-rage didn't put a foot wrong, but he's a long ways from being impressed by a plain crossrail these days.

Then she set it up to a vertical. I didn't tell her, but it was higher than anything I've ever pointed him at before. To this point, he's been nothing but brave and honest, and I had no reason to doubt him.

I do love a good straps pic
He trotted in, jumped over his shoulder and took out the top rail. We came back around while S talked about slowing everything down in my head and making time. He has to work through about 7 steps to take off for the jump properly (which is what we're teaching him) and the last thing I need to do is rush him. Instead, I need to let him go slow and figure it out. Since Courage is so well built and always engaged, we can go quite slow and it will be fine.

In order to create the time in my brain, S had my exhale the last 2-3 strides to the fence. Funny thing--I guess I was inhale quickly at the base of the fence, which was bringing my energy up and making everything feel rushed.

It only looks tiny to you
So I exhaled and rode a straight line. It felt magical. All of a sudden, there was extra time in there that I hadn't noticed before. Courage snapped his knees up and jumped the piss out of the fence, then landed and cantered away in a perfect rhythm.

By the end of the lesson, we had a placing pole, enormous (for us) vertical, placing pole, and then jump out over an x. Courage was really getting it figured out and jumping like a rock star. Of course, we neglected to get pics or video, which I am sorely regretting because he felt AMAZING.

I was THRILLED with him though, as was S. He never made the same mistake twice and he was working hard to get everything figured out. It was also really great to get some feedback on my riding over fences--S loved my floppy reins and said I was doing a great job of just staying in the middle and letting him do his job.

The plan for the week is to do some cavalletti work to keep him thinking about his feet and then maybe jump next weekend again. :-D

SO EXCITED CAN'T STAND HOW GREAT MY HORSE IS

PS and maybe I will get a car today? That would be bangin'.

20 comments:

  1. Yay! This stage is so much fun while they figure out where all their parts go!. One of the biggest things Emily has me work on is a few strides out from the fences to take a deep breath, feel my shoulder blades touching together, opening my chest... and you know what? I don't crawl up his neck and try to jump things for him when I actually sit up. Shocking!

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  2. Whoop whoop! Go Courage! :)

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  3. Yay Courage! Sounds like a fun, productive lesson. :)

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  4. Go Courage! Hopefully you will get some wheels again ;)

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  5. He sounds like such a rewarding boy.

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  6. Oh, so awesome! I'm going to try that exhaling technique and see if I catch myself in the same habit...

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  7. Go Courage! I'm glad that your lesson went well!

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  8. Yay! That's awesome - he sounds like a pro, as do you! ;)

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  9. Great lesson!! I'm gonna have to remember the exhale trick...

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  10. YAY! I too am going to have to remember the exhale trick - makes a ton of sense to me.

    So happy for you - and that shot of the jumps does NOT look tiny. That is awesome.

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  11. Awesome possum! Always great to get eyes from the ground! And isn't it always the best lessons have no supportive pics?

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  12. Why is it so hard to remember to breathe AND ride?!

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  13. A good brain is the most important part and sounds like Courage has one of the best! :)

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  14. That is so cool :) What an awesome horse.

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  15. Your instructor sounds really enlightened. :)

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  16. Yay so awesome!! You guys make such a great team!

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