Tuesday, November 15, 2022

birthday xc

I've been itching to get out onto our home xc course for a little school for ages and ages, it seems. At first the ground was too hard and dry.... Then it was too wet... Then Charlie had that hoof soreness.... Then it was too wet again.... You know how it goes. 

just me and my favorite pony, cantering around
As if right on schedule for my birthday, tho, conditions yesterday were perfect. Cool weather, enough days of dry that the ground was basically perfect while still trending soft and sticky (the better to dig one's toes in!). And Charlie felt like a million bucks. Yessss!

warm up! 
Obvi I don't deign to work on my birthday*** so could just get out to the barn at a leisurely hour and enjoy the nicest part of the day. 

(***Well, except for the 3hrs that morning spent finishing a report for a proofing deadline with our corporate services team....)

nice little coop into the water
And it's just so funny, guys. My mind is such a strange place sometimes. I've worked really really hard the last two years to literally etch into the stone of my soul that.... Charlie and I can jump around Novice blindfolded and with both hands tied our backs (figuratively tho, c'mon guys). Because... Uh, we can

splish splash!
But I still have these weird moments of feeling like.... Gosh, idk, what if we can't? What if it's been so long? What if something has changed? What if we both just like.... forgot? Or worse.... What if Charlie doesn't want to anymore? 

novice house on a hillside
Because let's be real.... The success is all Charlie's. He is an uncomplicated horse. And I've spent years working on our trust and our partnership. He goes so well not because I'm like... an above average rider (hint: am not). Rather.... It's because he's a good boy, he's good at it, and all he wants from me is a closed leg and steady contact. 

novice rolltop
So I spend all this time psyching myself out about however long it's been since we jumped this that or the other thing.... And how all the jumps are in different places from the last time we schooled out there... But then we go.... and we do it.... And, yep, turns out Charlie can still jump dem jumps! 

the video is full of epic shadows <3
As is my normal way with xc schooling.... I like to just go out and do it. We spent a good while walking around all the fields checking footing and coming up with a plan. Then I jumped a couple of the itsy bitsies around the water to see where Charlie was at. 

wheeeee finishing on our favorite novice table! 
Charlie was, to put it lightly, perfection. We've spent so much time this year show jumping that Charlie has become shockingly refined in how quickly he can balance and turn. I LOVE IT! 

And so we commenced on a simple little loop through the driest fields on course, finishing with three of my favorite novice fences: a basic house, a big beefy rolltop (that we haven't actually seen in a long time), and our favorite table - above.

the best part is when he jumps the stream crossing right out of stride lol

Maybe it's different with other horses, but I strongly prefer to string multiple fences together with Charlie vs jumping one thing at a time, constantly starting and stopping. 

Charlie just is not the same horse at jump 1 in a series as he is at the 5th. Maybe that's a training hole or whatever... But eh, I tend to think it's pretty normal. So I feel like we both have more fun, and get a more consistent experience by getting into a rhythm and going for it. Ymmv, obvi.  

good boy <3
also fun fact, youtube flagged this particular clip as a copyright infringement smh....
Mostly tho.... It's just more fun haha. I may not have been inclined at all this past year to actually commit to running 3 full phases at a one day horse trial.... But I still really do love each phase individually --- especially in bite sized morsels <3 

And with a horse as good on cross country as Charlie, who wouldn't love it??? 





17 comments:

  1. I want a Charlie one day to take my dressagey butt eventing again <3

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    1. Not gonna lie - I’m pretty much convinced EVERYBODY needs a Charlie lol

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  2. Hooray! Good boy and happy belated bday!

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  3. Happy Birthday! What a great way to spend the day!

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    1. not to sound super cheesy, but it was a perfect gift <3 ;)

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  4. First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm glad that it was a nice day and not a gloomy November day. :) I think that confidence is a very fragile thing that needs regular maintenance to stay. I am like you in that, after some time away, I find these thoughts/worries about whether I can handle it or not. Then I have a good ride or a ride where I was successful and I wonder why I worried.
    I would totally get on Charlie to remember when I used to jump and, full confession, I have never jumped a cross country course. But I would love to.

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    1. yes exactly --- i'm always at my best when things feel normal and routine and mundane. charlie just likes to test me, apparently, by occasionally throwing unplanned 3-4wk hiatuses (hiati?) at me when i'd really like to stick to the schedule plz haha..... luckily tho, he never seems to suffer the time off (in fact, it's generally exactly the opposite) so it works out haha... and omg you should definitely add jumping a good ol' thoroughbred like charlie over a cross country course to your bucket list... it's basically like they were made for it!

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  5. Happy birthday!!! A sound, game horse and some cross country fences seems like the best way to spend the day!!!

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  6. Happy Birthday!!! Sounds like the absolute perfect day!

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    1. Here’s hoping for more days like that before winter sets in!

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  7. Happy Happy Birthday!!! Sounds like it was a pretty fab day (once the work part was finished). I have those same doubts anytime I haven't jumped in a bit, or am faced with new jumps, or it's a weekday. Or a weekend. Lol.
    There's really nothing at all like having a horse you really know and trust to do fun things with. I'm so glad you and Charlie have each other. Such a wonderful pair!

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    1. Lol omg exactly… and yea I’m just so grateful for this horse who is so happy to go do fun stuff and take care of me while he’s at it lol!

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  8. I live vicariously through your XC media. I'd pee my pants just thinking about that last table.

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    1. ha it's the craziest thing tho.... i jump that table almost every time i school -- something about it has really good juju. ditto the training version, which i haven't jumped in (cough cough) a long time, but if i ever do get around to playing with T things again, will most certainly be on the list. meanwhile, that blue roll top in the above picture? i haven't jumped that in YEARS, and it honestly took a little convincing to even do it this time (and the fact that i really like where it's placed right now). it's so funny what our brains will categorize as "Yup, fine!" vs "Um, no thanks!" lol....

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  9. Happy belated! And I also did the same this earlier this month - no working/thinking about work on my birthday P: We already give our jobs so much of our daylights hours LOL

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