Back in Action!

That shoe is on and we're back to work!!! Yeehaw!! We'll be ready for Full Gallop!

So.. Tuesday we had a lesson with Beth. I brought both Dan and Fleck because Dan had a lesson too. Christina also brought May and Sham, so we had the two babies go back to back and then the two big horses go back to back. Guess which two horses were freakin' out and upset and which two were calm and chill!!! Yep.. Fleck and Sham were freaking out!! So we did the babies first and Fleck was okay with May to keep him company, but not quite as thrilled as he could have been. Then once I finished with Dan I unloaded him and put the babies together. They were great! Fleck was a little upset leaving them but was cool because Sham was up at the jump ring. Poor Sham... he was lathered!!!! Now granted.. it was a 70 degree day in January, but still. So then she took Sham back down to the trailer while I rode Fleck... and oh dear! Fleck spent the entire ride screaming, farting, and jigging. OH Flecky... He was all foamy too. But it was good! I channeled that energy. :) It was a good thing.

So we focused on getting that "out of the start box/Nike" canter. I was getting it, but not as good as the other day. I had to really think of posting higher with my seat. And then not letting him lengthen. But we did get it some. Beth had two fences set up at a 90 degree angle to each other and we figure 8'd over it. Then we did a bendy line. And this is where I figured out a big issue of mine. I just can't manage to think it through. I went through that bendy line about four times and did it awkwardly four times... before it dawned on me to change my line. Beth said that it was common... you have a plan, but then in the heat of the moment, you revert to muscle memory. So.... I just need to fix that by doing it right more and more and over-riding the muscle memory. Or maybe just thinking... really thinking! Then we did a one stride combo that was a "little" tight! Ha!! Poor Fleck barely had room but he did it. Repeatedly.. and even as she raised it. Yay for his confidence getting better! Then we did a line of swedish oxers. No problems there. Yay! This was all courses really.. but we finished with a triple bar. I couldn't quite get it. It felt like Fleck was rocking back and up but he was still lengthening and then getting up underneath the triple bar. I rode the course one last time and thought a little more forward and gallopy to the triple bar... and ahhhhhhhhh!!!! It .... was..... awesome!!! It was the perfect jump!!! It was like a huge grand prix jumper jump.. He nailed the distance, floated in the air, basculed beautifully, and.. was just awesome!!! We quit with that :) 

And then Fleck was finally reunited with Dan and he immediately made a grumpy face to him. :) Seriously dude?? ;)