Jump lesson

Ooops... somehow I missed posting on my jump lesson with Beth! It was fun. As usual. We did a neat exercise... it was four very small verticals on an arc. Beth said that even the big guys don't ever jump them higher than 18" or so because it was a tough exercise and designed to test things other than height ability. You had to canter through but maintain your line. If you drifted out the striding was off. If you drifted in, you hit the standards. :) 

Fleck and I actually did it pretty decently when it was trot poles. And even when it was raised on one end we did well. Beth was a bit surprised ;) And then... when they become itty bitty verticals, it started to fall apart. :) But we fixed it. Basically I need a bouncy canter. Think flying lead change canter :) And think bend.... and it worked.

So then I had to do the arc poles and then carry that canter to some jumps in a course. And it got harder to keep that canter. But we managed to get it back. And it was cool!! Beth pointed out too that if I ride him connected, jump connected (ie.. don't abandon him), then when we land, he's listening and easy to put back together.  But when I abandon him and then suddenly grab the reins and ask him to do something, he wants to tell me to piss off. 

It was a good ride. Lots of fun.