Great jump lesson!!!!

So today was a great day! I totally snuck in a lesson between work. Thanks to Beth for coming to me so I could manage it and still get about 5 hours of sleep between shifts. :) AND... it was a beautiful day! AND... the icing on the cake... Fleck was a rockstar!!!

I've decided that it was just bad timing at Poplar. I didn't quite give myself enough prep time to get ready after the Winter. And we would have been great at training, but at prelim... we just weren't quite prepared enough. Because today... today my friends, Fleck was wonderful!!! Beth had us really focus on the canter. We started in a circle around her and she insisted that I get him really working that butt! He had to engage and push into the bridle. My job was to create a connection for him to go to, and then push him into that. He tends to either be long and flat...or.. when I can get him nice and round, he falls behind my leg. I think that since he is finally going soft and round... I think "ooooh, this is nice" and let him fall behind my leg without realizing that's what is happening. And it's nice... and we just sorta float along... and then he doesn't have an engine when he needs it. So... we made him get all nice and round but he had to keep it coming! I was really riding  him UP INTO the bridle... Exactly what it sounds like. He needs to move his shoulders up into the bridle, which is achieved by him dropping that hiney into gear. :) So.. we accomplished that. Much easier going to the left than it is going to the right. Most likely because he's more likely to throw that right shoulder out.

So then we started jumping. Just a big cross rail but she had us just circle and circle. EVERY jump today was off the left lead. Well... almost every jump. We've got to strengthen that side. So we started with the cross rail. Don't worry about the jump... me, etc. Just worry about the "quality of the cantAR!. hee hee... I always have to say that in a silly accent in my head. :) So... we did. And at first, he was landing long and strung out, on the right lead.. so then we had to balance, collect, change leads, then push up into the bridle again. Well... when I started to get it.. he'd land on the left lead, land balanced, and continue on pushing up into the bridle. :) YAY!!! It really was a nice feeling. A very confidence boosting feeling... like it didn't matter how bad of a spot we got to kinda feeling. yay! Then we went to the right a few times and that was good so we moved on to a vertical. Same thing.

Then we did the vertical to a six stride to the swedish oxer. ***Fleck tends to get a little long even when it's set for a perfect six strides****** Sorry.. I MUST remember that... which means, for now, while he's still a little weak in this canter.. I MUST ride it forward!! It's kinda a different feel than our canter as of late. I'm all for speed, but this feels much better than just speed. He really felt like a snortin', rarin' to go buckaroo! I mean.. not really, but it was definitely more of his TB side than his Appy side. Almost that feeling when we went foxhunting... Where I was holding him back and he was waiting, but ONLY because he's a good boy and I was asking. He was honestly IN the bridle :) It's a great feeling. So then I noticed that when I did that... I kept my hands down!! Beth pointed out that it's also because I was keeping my reins shorter. They weren't getting too long because I was keeping the connection, not throwing it away. And when the reins are long.. I feel the need to lift my hands to get a connection. Duh.. makes sense. So.. with me keeping the connection, riding him into the bridle.. I was able to keep my hands down on his neck without having to really think about it. Then... I was supporting him, not abandoning him.. and for now.. in a way.. holding him up. BUT.. before, when I would soften the reins too much.. he'd follow the reins, get long and flat and heavy and... problems! So yay!! However, I did need to really keep my leg on him and keep my butt in the saddle. It was hard work. For both of us.... And instead of half-halting repeatedly, as I did one or two trips through.. I just need to think about setting my hands and riding him into them.. effectively making him half-halt himself. In reality, my half-halts are achieved through my upper body and core and not my hands. But try telling my hands that! But I did get better.

Then we did a little course... Up hill over the vertical, down and around through the line, turn left and roll back to another jump. Again, all the same things.. Just because we make a course, doesn't mean I stop riding like I did when it was just circling through the cross rail. Then we did a bendy line and it worked pretty well when I rode it properly the second time. :) Though... I will add... when Beth says a square turn.. in my brain, if I think square turn.. I wait WAY too long... so I have to turn it into circle arc in my brain to get what she wants done.

So yep... Flecky felt great... he had connection and was actually foaming at the mouth to the point of it flinging back in my face. :) (Which I know.. it's not the end all, be all.. but it's good for Flecky!). He was jumping great. And... you know what?!? He didn't stop when I rode and wasn't being a dingbat. Duh!! But I knew that was the case.. Even at Poplar I knew that was the case.

So yay... We're back!!!! Well, perhaps I should say "I'm back"!!! Because Fleck's been fine all along... I just need to remember how to ride :)