Getting my GRRRRRRR on! or... I got the power!!!!!

So.... had a wonderful time schooling today :)  Beth is an amazing coach :) We've come so far!

Basically we jumped all of the prelim fences that were combinations and a few that were non-combinations. And we're getting it!!!!! It's a little frustrating though that it takes me two times to get it though. I just can't quite get motivated enough to make it happen the first time. Beth says it's cause I don't get my GRRRR on quick enough, which means I don't make the canter happen... and then of course it goes poorly, then I get my GRRRR and then I get the canter and it goes well. Duh! But for some reason, I have the hardest time making it happen the first time. Sigh... But we did accomplish many many things on the second attempt ;)

We did the double up banks to a skinny coop and then back down. We started down... and ha ha!! It was hilarious... It was a skinny coop, two strides to a drop, bounce, to another drop. Well, Fleck did the coop, went down the drop, and went "Wha what?!?!". He sorta stalled out with his hind legs on the top of the top bank and his front legs on the next bank.... going "how the heck do I do this?".  I thought I was going to slide down his neck like a slide! (Remember this!!!). So... luckily he only stalled for a second or two before figuring it out and continuing down. Hee hee... It was hilarious! So we did it upwards and NAILED IT!!! THAT'S how you ride!!!! POWER and roundness and impulsion and just a teensy bit of speed :)

We also did an angled cabin line on the hill. It was super fun!!! It was basically a straight line but you had to jump both cabins on the angle. We actually did that on the first try. Yeah baby... Although we did drift. So then Beth told me to stay straight and I misunderstood and turned it into an S turn... then we finally did it right. That was uphill. Then we turned it around and did it downhill. I lost his shoulder the first time, but he was honest and we made it happen. So we came again and this time I half-halted a few times on that left rein and lo and behold, I didn't lose his left shoulder.

What else did we do... Oh, the banks... did a brush, down the bank, to a skinny chevron. That was fun. Then we did a corner to an uphill bendy line to a roll top. Then we tried down... Sigh... this is where I lost it. He either jumped the roll top huge and we landed flying WAY past our line to make the turn to the corner. Or if I tried to collect him more, I ended up stalling him out. So... then Beth pointed out that I was not even aiming for the corner from the get go. Yep... WHY on earth do I not focus on the whole line?! So.. when I aimed for the corner from the rolltop, I managed to make it happen. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. Then we made it pretty...er!

We then did the ditch and then came to the scary trakenher. Eeeks... I don't know why I still hate them, but I do. I pretty much gave up the first time and we stopped. So the second time I focused on the canter and held my right leg on him (despite the screaming rubs I was getting.... those stupid treadway boots are soooo thin and the seams in the breeches rubbed a giant huge double raw spot on my right leg... odd that it's only my right leg.. guess that ought to tell me something). And it worked... we came again and made it a little smoother. Yay.

We then went on to the coffin. Jumped the training one, which was a big log, to the ditch, bendy line to another hanging log. Then we circled around and did the prelim one, which was a Chevron, ditch, one stride to a double chevron. We actually got that the first time, but he was way behind my leg. So I got my GRRRR on and we came again. MUCH better :) Yay!

Then we went to the water. Again, just not a pretty ride the first time. Whether it's sitting and then going or me just going at it all la de dah... or both.. Even the little stuff just didn't go wonderfully. I mean, we did it.. it just wasn't smooth and lovely. But.. by the time we did the prelim line we pretty much nailed it. The final drop off into the water was just a hair behind my leg. I think at that point I thought he was rolling and took my leg off and he went "huh?! Oh yeah" and just stuttered. Not even a stutter, just a slight stall in the stride.

Then...off to the new sunken road. Well, I went to go first. Beth wanted me to do the training line first, then come to the prelim line. Which was pretty impressive! Big skinny coop to a one stride to the drop to the up bank to a two stride to another skinny coop. Well... we trotted off and picked up the canter to loop around and..... Fleck tripped, then kept tripping, and couldn't catch himself. I pitched forward onto his neck as he was scrambling on his knees, and then with me on his neck, it made it worse for him. So... I somersaulted down off his neck, and flipped over. Landing right underneath him more or less. That saint of a horse, managed to pick himself up at that point and NOT step on me. Impressive, as I saw hooves coming at my head! Luckily he stepped free and then went trotting off. My reins happened to be knotted and because he likes to go hollow and inverted, he was able to trot to the far end of the pasture without breaking his reins! yay!! Beth H managed to corral him into the corner and I was able to go get him. He had gotten snagged on his boot somehow (whether that made it so he couldn't correct himself, or he happened to do it while falling I don't know) because his front right boot had slipped about halfway down his leg. There were no marks or any swelling. I think he stung himself as he was a little stabby, but once we caught him and got him settled down and I hopped back on, he felt sound and happy. So... eeeks. That was a little terrifying!  So then I made Beth H go first, while we calmed down. So... off we went... still sound and fine. We did the up bank alone first and he was fine, then came around to the training line. It was fine, but he launched the banks a bit. So we came again and settled it. Then we came around to the prelim line... and had two stops at the first coop. Sigh... Beth said we were just rattled and it was okay. Focus on the bouncy canter and breathe.. and we did, and we got it. It was a little scrambly down and up the bank and then we had to really stretch over the out coop, but we made it work. We tried again and not much smoother. I just can't figure out how to get him to drop off the banks without launching and then landing in a heap. And I'm sure most of it is that I land in a heap. So, then we tried just the drop and up bank to the coop and still not much better. But he was honest and jumped it, so we quit on that. It's just hard for us. Both of us. And we just have to remember that.

So... by the end of the ride, it was pretty clear what worked and what didn't.... I found that if I put him into a gallop, then closed my inside rein and leg, and held the outside rein... he became round. And by becoming round, he went up into the bridle. And when I sat my hiney in the saddle and closed my leg... we GOT THE CANTER!!!! Yay!!!

So whoo hooo!!! A great great day, despite the scary trip and the saddle rubs. We're getting it... :) And my pony is a rockstar... a giant clutz, but a rockstar!!! He got extra treats for not stepping on my head too!