drowned rats (and progressions)

Our lesson at OF this week wasn't much to write home about... tho here I am writing about it anyway so... uh, I guess it wasn't too bad? It was POURING out tho - so much rain omg. We really can't seem to escape it... tho at least OF has an indoor so for once we didn't have to buck up and ride in the rain.

soaked mare is soaked.

The horses didn't really seem to care one way or another, and both Isabel AND Wick were happily out grazing in the onslaught rather than chilling in the run-ins like civilized horses. Maybe they've grown so accustomed to the rain that they don't even notice any more?

she was NOT amused when i tried to towel off her face lol

Isabel had a fairly busy work week, actually - another one of those weeks where the stars align and we take a zillion lessons. Her flat work was great (as described yesterday) but the jumping was kinda meh - like the earlier lesson with Dan. Plus I think riding in the indoor backs her off a little bit. So it didn't really feel like she was taking me to the fences.

isabel is ambivalent about the lesson

So I compensated by over riding with my upper body (another nasty habit that needs attention) and we kinda whiffed it into the two-stride outside line a few times, and almost ATE the stacked cavalleti (visible in the pic above) once when I just stared straight at the ground instead of actually, ya know, doing anything.

no more lesson pics so enjoy this shot of Findley Taco capitalizing on the freshly cleaned blanket pile

Mostly trainer P just wanted me to keep on doing what I was doing (except for the busy upper body bit, she didn't like that!) and expect Isabel to make her own adjustments rather than try and do it for the horse. Isabel mostly got it done, but like I said - nothing really super inspiring.

nothing like clean laundry to inspire bliss in the kitties!

Really the coolest part of the lesson was watching B & Wick. B was fresh back from a tropical vacation (poor thing!) and hadn't been to the lesson in a little while and missed the last two events (Tranquility and Fair Hill). So she was super eager to get back into it, and Wick absolutely rose to the occasion. Man this horse has seriously figured it out and LOVES to jump. 

this was one of his first jumping lessons last winter

Honestly I wish we had gotten video bc they looked amazing. Hunting the fences, moving up nicely to them, adjusting his stride so that they hit the perfect distance every time, or making good decisions if things were a little iffy.

starting to figure it out, but still more comfortable trotting fences

I don't really have enough material to do a full progression post on Wick since I don't have anything current (updated: see gif below!). But these gifs are from the winter when B first started jump lessons with him. You can see that he has a lot of try and he's super honest, but the technique and education really weren't there yet. 

freeeeeeeeee jumping!

We free jumped him this spring and that went a long way towards helping him understand how to use his body. But really B has just done such an excellent job bringing him along. It'll be exciting to see where they go - very likely with a move up to BN on the horizon!

look how good he's doing!