XC school at Pine Top

Well... it was fun. But not as fun as if we had gone last weekend. (Yes I'm still pouting). If we had gone last weekend I could have jumped more of the prelim stuff because they picked a good bit of it up. And I would have realized he was more hock sore sooner. But regardless, we had fun. I buted him and gave him robaxin and we figured we'd see how he felt and take it easy. And I think I may have overestimated his pain. He was bouncy and ready to show off!!

We started out warming up and he was going well. Then we tried to walk over the little trakenher/ditch thing and he lost it. Hee hee.. Oh Fleck! He spooked and went sideways but then when I brought him back, he jumped it like it was going to eat him. Silly boy. Then we warmed up and off we went. It went pretty well. I still feel like I was having a hard time getting him in front of my leg and balanced. He felt like he wanted to run and leave his hind end out behind him. Beth said it was because I wasn't riding him like I wanted him to keep his hind end underneath him. Doh! okay. So it got better. We did the training level corner, which actually looked small. Then we did the training level up bank combo that was tough on course and it rode well. Then we did the training coffin again and then went to the prelim coffin. He jumped in from the deep spot and sent me over his neck a bit. But jumped the ditch and popped me even further out of the tack. So I pulled him out of the third element, which was a fairly substantial skinny on an angle. I tried it three more times and finally got a decent canter in and Fleck got us out. I really didn't like my ride over the first and second but I managed to sit up and ride the out well. And Fleck was going. He was locked on. 

Then we finished at the water complex. Fleck did well over the training water and then we did the second part of the prelim complex. The course ran with the red stack skinny logs in the fence line downhill to the water and then up out over a log and then a one stride to a skinny. Fleck nailed the out! We couldn't do the skinny red logs because the fence was back up. But he was awesome and game and I rode well so we quit with that. 

Oh, and we were going to check out a fence in the big cow field because we weren't sure if it was training level or prelim or even intermediate. Ha! Turns out it was novice. ;) But as we headed out I joked about going cow bowling, and Fleck turned to the left towards the cows. Ha!! I was kidding Fleck, kidding!

Then on the way home, we stopped and got his hocks done. He was definitely sore. Poor guy. So a few days off and then we hope he feels good for FENCE. If not, we'll decide what to do.