We're BACK!!!!!!!!!

I'm sooooooo glad that Fleck and I went back to Jumping Branch today. We made the roll top to ditch our ....witch!!! It was just a great day!! We were both ON and on fire!!! 

We started out in stadium and Julie said that immediately she could tell we'd been working hard. Fleck was connected and it was a very pleasing picture. It was just connected and focused and workmanlike. Or something to that effect. And he was. He was such a good boy. Then we jumped and it was pretty good. He was forward, connected, into the bridle, and so soft and pretty.... and then it was so soft and pretty I just floated along and... stop!! Doh!! I just got sucked into the soft and pretty and ...did nothing. So around we went and I kept the soft and pretty but kept my leg on and rode OVER the fence to the other side. And you know what else happened?? Our left lead on landing, that's what!! So then we went on to XC. We started in the field and did a mini coop, to a bigger coop, to a house and then to the prelim feeder thingys. It was a two stride, and so she wanted me to jump the first one singly first, then circle around and jump the two stride. Everything was going beautifully and we came up to the first feeder. I think he had it and if I had just closed my leg, we would have been fine. But I panicked and created a bunch of static. I got all amped up and flapped my arms, threw my shoulders at him, and took my leg off. He slammed on the breaks and was like "What the heck mom?!" So I smacked him, and circled and then gave him another tap a few strides out. Yeah, that was not to his liking. He was so mad at me. He said "that was not MY fault!... I didn't deserve that"! And then he jumped it like a rock star. So we circled and then we came back for the two stride. Fleck blatantly said "Screw you Mom, I'm freakin' jumping this regardless of what you think you should be doing up there, so just sit back, get out my way, and hang on"!. hee hee... He freakin' took charge and went. He was going, come hell or high water. I really just hung on and he LEAPT over it, left me in the back seat, and said "whatever... I"m going over this one too" and left me in the back seat for that one too. Hee hee... Then we went on to the bullfinch and he was locked on and dragged me over that one too. Hee hee... It was really kinda funny. THAT'S my boy!!

Then we went to the water field and did the watermelon, the training line in the water, around to the watermelon downhill, and on to the prelim roll top to the prelim half coffin. And HECK YEAH we nailed it!!! I gave him a little encouraging tap a few strides out, but I didn't need it. He flew over that roll top like a rolex horse and just about bounced the ditch. hee hee. Then he came flying up the hill, but when I half halted and said SLOW DOWN and WAIT, he did. He jumped the prelim water and then got a little squirrely to the hanging log (a different one than last time) but I was able to straighten him out. Wheee...

Then we finished in the bank field. Julie said he was doing so well that to just do the prelim line. Sure enough he coffin cantered right up to the base of the bank, leapt up, did one little shuffle step (which I figured was coming so I sat and waited and kept my leg on) and he leaped over the ditch and made the two stride easy peasy to the skinny. Yahoo!! Simple and easy. We didn't do the ditch and wall because Julie's horses were in the way, but it's okay. We didn't need to. He would have sailed right on over like it was nothing! 

What a rock star!!!! I'm so glad he's feeling so good and we're back to rocking and rollin!!! Feeling good about the next two weeks :)