fun times @ Fair Hill

You may have heard that the Maryland 5*, one of only two such rated competitions in North America (and the penultimate international 5* of the year) was this weekend at Fair Hill!

early morning view from the YEH volunteer's tent

Obvi being locals, my friends and I always like to make a big to do of the event. My typical habit is to spend the leading Thursday and Friday volunteering as jump crew for the associated event, the Young Event Horse Championships. 

Anna Jones making easy work of the **triple bar** set as Jump 1 for the 4 and 5 year olds

The event holds classes for qualified 4 and 5 year old horses, with conformation, dressage, and jumping phases. The horses are judged on their potential as future upper level superstars and most entries are piloted by professional riders (tho not all!). 

omgosh look at this Doozy Doppleganger in the 5yo class <3 <3
her name is Nausicaa, owned and ridden by Daphne Soares (jc Look Up to Heaven)

The jumping phase is my favorite -- it's set up a bit like a derby, starting with a mini show jumping course, then transitioning to a short xc course with limited technicality. The 4yos compete over novice (0.9m) sized fences and the 5yos over training (1.0m) level. 

Each entry gets 3 minutes of ring familiarization (including being allowed to walk up to all the fences and through the water etc) and then complete the course -- with each individual jumping effort receiving a score, plus overall scores on rideability, gallop, way of going, and potential.  

pictured: #goals for Doozy LOL

For my purposes, I just like watching the class! It's really cool seeing the Big Name Riders out there with their greenies and then watching those same horses develop over the coming years. One of the most impressive this go-round was Blacklist, ridden by Allie Knowles. They didn't win, but he's one to watch out for in the future!

If you're curious about the format, here's a video of Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Afterglow winning the 4yo class last year. This same pair finished 3rd in the 5yos this year too!

onto the main event --- XC day tailgating tent, all set up and ready for the party to arrive!

Anyway, the other benefit of volunteering in the lead up days is that I get a free general admission pass for the rest of the weekend, including the feature event -- Cross Country Day! This is the third year my friends and I have hosted a tailgate and it's just so much fun. 

We've got our system down, we like our location (Timber field for the curious), and it's a great opportunity to meet up with all our horsey friends that we don't regularly see otherwise!

friends from Charlie's barn joined the party too <3

This year was particularly special bc obvi a lot of my horse friend group scattered into the four winds this past summer, with the mass exodus transitions from the last boarding barn. Obvi we all try to keep in touch and talk regularly, but this was a really fun reunion party! PLUS -- changes in everyone's boarding situations meant there are a lot of NEW faces in the friends group!!

legit the only video i took from XC day, this is the 5* course

Having the tailgate location is particularly useful at a venue like the Maryland 5* too, bc it's VERY spread out. Like the distance from the main arena to Sawmill Field is very very far. It's nice to have a meetup space replete with food and water for the weary! 

We typically hang out and mingle during the 3* competition, with folks wandering around to nearby jump complexes and the shopping zone... But once the 5* starts, we're on the move! There weren't many entries in the 5* this year, and even fewer finishers... But we saw a lot of great action -- including Tamie Smith and Mai Baum making tidy work of the tricky angled tables in Hay Field before opting to call it a day after climbing the big hill into Sawmill.

Sally Cousins & Wizard in the 3*

Finally, tho, after all the xc is finished, we usually gravitate back to the tailgate for a little rest / snacking / drinking before packing it up for the day. Bc there's still more to do! Final day of the weekend is yet another whole new flavor -- show jumping day!!

Sharon White & Jaguars Duende WINNING the 3*

The nice thing about the last day of the event is that all the action is much more centralized, for anybody who may have been a bit weary (or blistered and/or sunburnt) from a lot of walking on Saturday. 

Show jumping obviously happens in the main arena, surrounded by grandstands (pro tip: definitely splurge for the covered ringside stands bc you never know what the weather will be!). And all the shopping encircles the whole area. We like to arrive early to shop, then catch the 3* show jumping in full, then shop* some more, and then obvi watch the 5* jump. 

(*I was super boring this year for shopping, tho, and only just got a pair of Kerrits paddock boots to replace my falling-apart Blundstones).

Buck Davidson & Sorocaima, the highest place US pair in the 5*

Again, being local means a lot of the riders are familiar to us -- like Sally in the 3*!! -- so it's really fun cheering everybody on. Plus, lots of cheering for the top placed American in the 5* -- another local, Buck Davidson!! 

Obvi it would have been even cooler to see the title go to an American, but overall it was an awesome event from start to finish! Every year gets better and better as the organizers fine tune and tweak the set up and arrangements, esp including logistics like shuttles and parking etc. It's still a relatively "new" event (it's organized by a different group from Fair Hill's former Fall International 4* and 3* events), so still working out some kinks, but overall a really fun time. 

We'll definitely be back at it again next year ;) Have you been? Or are you planning to go? 

Mondeuse goes to school!

Big nooz in Dooz land! We had our first lesson, finally ha. It was actually a very long time coming working with this particular instructor at our farm. I tried to get her to give me and Charlie jump lessons way back ago, but she always seemed a bit reluctant, maybe bc we've primarily been peers and riding buddies, plus she typically teaches small kiddos. 

lol apparently Doozy made it to the 5* after all!

But, from my perspective, she's extremely accomplished, is pretty familiar with me as a rider (meaning, my goals, opinions, styles, shortcomings, etc), and I trust her judgement. I really just need reliable eyes on the ground, someone who can be practical and realistic in giving well-timed corrections / observations, and help prioritize training plans. 

So, finally, after months (and months) of persistence, not to mention a whole new horse, she (let's call her KW, bc wow, so many Trainer Ks in the history of this blog....) finally agreed to fit us in for a 30min private lesson this weekend. 

guys our tailgate spot did not suck

And it was perfect. 

This was actually the first time KW has seen me ride Doozy, tho she's been around for some of the mare's more.... chaotic moments hand walking around the dressage ring. So it was good to get her fresh take.

Piggy March & Brookfield Cavalier Cruise at the Sunken Road

It was also useful bc... It was one of Doozy's more reactive days. Do y'all remember Doozy's first and second rides, how she was sorta in two very different emotional places for those two rides? One was a bit stressy, and the other was pretty relaxed. 

What I'm finding is that the horse has a broad spectrum of "moods," and that she's pretty consistent within that mood on any given day. Meaning, if she's stressed in the barn, she's going to be stressed in the ride. Ditto if she starts relaxed, she generally stays there. 

beautiful Fair Hill

Importantly, however, even when the horse is tense, hot and reactive, she still colors inside the lines. Which, naturally, she did very nicely for this lesson, even tho she was way less relaxed than she had been for the ride I wrote about yesterday.

these birds are 100% my favorite

So I basically put Doozy through her paces, walk trot canter in both directions. And KW asked questions, made observations, provided real-time feedback, and then summarized key takeaways and focal points for moving forward. 

Mia Farley & Phelps

There are three main items on our Homework To-Do List:

- Hands. I already knew this, and was thrilled when KW lasered in on the dumb / weird things I'm doing with my hands (specifically the left one). She encouraged me to utilize a wider hand set to help get more control over the weirdness, and help Doozy stay centered in my contact. 

- Legs ON. We've all heard a million times before: legs OFF a dull horse, ON a hot horse. I've spent actual YEARS learning to get my legs off Charlie lol. So, obvi, now I'm going to have to learn to customize my style for each horse haha. 

- Body Control. Doozy was a bit erratic in her trot, and KW hit a steady drum beat of reminding me to slow my post in trot, and use more of my position and body to start communicating rhythm to the horse.

William Fox Pitt & Graffenacht

So let's talk specific details, yes? YES. 

When it comes to the structure of a ride, KW was on board with my approach of high frequency / low intensity trot sessions. As in, don't just push up to trot and then stay there forever. Do little bits at a time, small repeats. Always looking for moments of softness and relaxation / steadiness in tempo to take a walk break. 

In this way, we get more transitions, help Doozy learn in the 'releases' from pressure how we want her to be, and start building what will eventually become our 'half halt.' Similarly, I still need to keep looking for moments to release the contact in both trot and walk. Doozy is a bit exploitive right now (lol), but that's ok, we'll keep giving her chances and she'll learn. 

Erin Kanara & Campground

Particularly in the walk, I should think about spending more time on longer reins while introducing more of the rest of my body as cues: legs, thighs, etc. I want to be able to introduce thighs particularly as a way to regulate forward pace. As a part of this, I should practice picking up and releasing the contact more often than we do transitions up to trot, so she doesn't associate shortening the reins with spurting forward. 

For canter, KW advised not getting bogged down with 'getting the correct lead.' Doozy was actually spot on perfect for both leads in this lesson, mostly bc she was so tense that I didn't really have to do anything beyond "allow" for her to break into canter. Which kinda further proves that the lead issues are more "me" than the "horse." 

Red & Reddier for dinner

KW's point is that, until the horse understands how to move off each of my legs independently, the leads are gonna be more or less 'luck' anyway. She said it's more important that we canter, generally, and that the leads will come. 

So this gets us back to being more intentional with riding with my leg ON. Instead of trying to use the tiniest most subtle aids right off the bat, I actually wanna start with ensuring Doozy accepts the legs on --- so that she doesn't end up too reactive later. KW suggested using circles and figures as opportunities to increase leg pressure and start helping the horse move off each leg, including adding thigh pressure and control from my abs / seat. 

omg Doozy is growing in a micro - snip on her muzzle with her winter fuzz!

Generally, in terms of the 'training pyramid,' we are going to be in 'rhythm and relaxation' for.... a while lol. And that while we're working on these fundamentals, it's up to me to really improve my body control and position. 

KW's impression is that Doozy is basically an athletic and capable horse who, even when tense and reactive, still just goes about and does what I ask. She 'colors inside the lines,' so it's my job to keep clarifying and redrawing those lines to continue refining our work. 

Which, I'm not gonna lie, was a bit like music to my ears. It's been a long time since I've really felt like I'm developing as a rider. Part of my hopes and goals with this new green horse is to just keep pushing my own boundaries, keep learning and challenging myself to grow my skills. 

So. First lesson is in the books with Mondeuse. I don't know what the schedule / cadence will be going forward, or when we'll make our first off-property lesson adventure. We'll just figure it out as we go, there's no immediate agenda other than --- get going! Feels exciting, y'all!

a tale of two rides

Happy Friday, y'all!!! I'm still in the thick of things at the Maryland 5*..... But ya know, the schweet thing about local shows is that.... I can still go home and ride afterward! 

Caroline Pamakcu & HSH Afterglow, winning the 4yo Young Horse Championships

So I spent the day jump crewing the 4 year old Young Horse Championships, hanging out with Sarah, Fair Hill's perennial in gate steward. 

We were privileged to watch a very wide spectrum of horses presented. A really really nice spectrum. Everything from "holy shit talented, but Green AF // Hard to Ride" to .... "Oh yea, this one is gonna be useful wherever it goes!"

Full video of Caroline Pamukcu & HSH Afterglow

Obvi, inspiring as always. Considering.... The horses were all FOUR. And I happen to have a 5yo at home who may or may not (hint: may not) be capable of even hand walking in that sort of environment... 

link to video of doozy schooling

legit the same day as Caroline's 4yo did the above

So obviously I went home and enlisted the help of a friend to nab some quick video of me and Mondeuse --- not least bc this was the final day of our (extended) saddle trial. And it's been a while since we've had any footage. 

Obvi, lol, it's pretty funny/stupid to compare footage from my mere mortal self to a US Team rider winning a young horse futurity class... 

But... Ya know... I'm also stupid proud of my silly red mare who 100% appreciated the extra gravity of a second warm (equine) body in the ring (for the first ((real)) time) with her. 

Small, but also important steps y'all! Full ride recap probably to come later... but for now, just enjoy the vids! TGIF!

friday foto finish

TGIF everybody!! It's chilly wet and gray around these parts right now, so let's liven things up by reliving some fun events from the last week or so, yes?

And sure... I probably could have broken this up into like three separate posts. Buuuuut.... I didn't, so, eh, enjoy lol.


Let's start with Carolina International!! I drove down to Durham last week to meet a friend, then we hustled over to Raeford to catch the Saturday and Sunday happenings at the Horse Park!


Guys..... I've been to a LOT of horse shows, and in particular a LOT of FEI events. But the Carolina Horse Park kinda stole my heart, not gonna lie.


It's super beautiful and easy to navigate, and all the jumps were wonderfully presented and decorated. Obviously, there's a ton of video if you're into that sort of thing!

Clips from the 4*, filmed on my 'good' camera lol (4:15min)

3* Clips from my cell phone (1:53min)

super short clip of Tim Bourke beasting the Modified water with Electric Quality

Also, there was live streaming --- and naturally we kinda stalked all the videos afterwards trying to spot ourselves in the background. Like normal people do.


Anyway, one of my favorite things about the horse park was that everything felt... Close. It was nbd to get back and forth to the car for snacks and refreshments throughout the day. So it was easy to stick around longer than we might have otherwise without spending a ton of cash.


All told, we saw the 3* and 4* cross country and Training show jumping on Saturday, then watched the Advanced show jumping and a bit of Modified xc on Sunday. Then headed back to Durham, where we checked out an absolutely charming new winery and did normal people things like take pictures of each other taking pictures of our wine #meta


"cool story, bro"


Anyways, tho, after all that it was a return to Charlie Mikey Land.


Wherein I yet again impulsively went at my poor beautiful horse's luscious mane with scissors, after seeing all those impeccably groomed horses at Carolina. Obvi, I missed a few spots.


"Fight me." - Charlie, probably


Oooooh I also got to try out some bargain bin QHP tendon boots I picked up at the show too!! Aren't they cute?? Definitely cheaply produced, but I like how soft and flexible they are, and the proportions are perfect for Charlie's tree trunks.


Speaking of Charlie --- it's been great to be back on a normal riding schedule. Tho, uh, the horse is fresh. As evidenced by the decidedly whacky hack I attempted the other night. Spooky shenanigans ensued -- thus the blur.


We lived to tell the tale, tho. Plus omg spring is coming!!


And obvi it's necessary to post pictures like this as proof that, yes indeed, we do go walking on hills. Often haha.


"Good angles only, please!"


But omg we also started reintroducing jumping again, too!! The last time we jumped was that fun arena xc schooling day at Loch Moy back in December, so it's been a while. Charlie feels great tho. Obvi super unfit (again, plz see actual literal photo of walking on hills as proof that we are working on it!), but pretty sound and rarin' to go.

We just dabbled with trotting this little exercise (poles set at 9' on takeoff and landing, ridden in both directions), first as a cross rail and then as a little vertical. It's simple, but good footwork stuff. Charlie was perfect, obvi. Then we cantered another little vertical off both leads a couple times and called it a day <3


So I'm feeling pretty excited and optimistic about where Charlie is right now. We've got a lot of rebuilding work ahead of us, but honestly that's part of the fun for me anyway.


We've got a few more lessons on the books with dressage trainer C in the near future (like, tomorrow omg! don't tell Charlie!), and I'm still working out what sort of jumping solutions might be available to us. We'll see. In the meantime, hope you all have a great weekend too!

Post Card from the YEH Champs

Happy weekend everybody! It's our favorite time of year in Maryland, and I've been haunting the iconic grounds at Fair Hill since Thursday lol.....

 

It's shaping up to be a beautiful weekend ---- so to give you a little taste, here's a complete round from the 5yo USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championship jumping test, courtesy of Kaitlin Clasing and Whiskey Chaser.

I love this video bc you can see so much of the venue and grounds, plus the gorgeous fall foliage (naturally). Also it's pretty sweet to see a TB hold his own in a big class, not gonna lie lol. 

And I was only just a little bit partial toward this horse after spending the day last week scribing for his prior owner at Morven, and hearing all about him... I always love a good story!

link to youtube

Anyway. For the class, the 4 year olds jumped in the downpour... But the 5yo course seemed really challenging, especially the water. A lot of related distances that seemed to ride on trickier striding than you would expect for this type of class. Horses really had to dig deep for a clear!

Regardless, it was beautiful and we got to see a lot of really exciting horses over the last couple of days. Here's hoping 5 years down the line I'll be writing this same post again, but featuring YEH grads from Saturday's 5* Cross Country!!

wednesday animations

Oof, summer hit us like a ton of bricks, not gonna lie. Everything was going so well and so smooth right up until Charlie's tangle(s) with high tensile wire fencing, womp. 

"where have you been???" -- Mikey

It worked out tho bc damn, while overall the year has been remarkably mild... August was decidedly less so. And true to the norms in this part of the world, rain has been increasingly scarce while big biting flies descended with a vengeance. 

Let's just say --- it's been a tough month for horse feet. 

my beautiful silly horse, and a water tank

Charlie lost his first shoe in 2 years, which you already knew. But then promptly lost a second shoe (same friggin foot too, ugh) a week later. Right when we were finally getting back into doing things...  

"crisis averte-waitomgshit--f*ck nobody saw that, right?" 

It was actually during a ride, wherein I finally took Charlie into an actual proper arena and let him basically drag my ass around all the little cross rails and teeny jompies set up for camp kids. It was GLORIOUS, right up until I dismounted and saw that bare foot. UGH. 

obvi around these parts there will always be wound pics. looks pretty good at ~4wks tho, no?

Given that it was the same foot that had already lost that shoe, was a fairly recent trim, and he was barefoot for about 3ish days.... Eh, I figured I didn't really need to know the answer to "Will he be sore?" and just let him chill.**

(**Or, uh, NOT chill -- as you can clearly tell from those water tank gifs above that homeboy has juussssst a little too much energy at the moment!) 

ooooooooh more EXCITING pics tho omg! i showed up to the weekend vacay early for FEI dressage steward duty, doing my favorite thing: bossin' around the olympians at Great Meadow International!

It worked out anyway since I was out of town for the weekend for Great Meadow International! I haven't seen my longtime horse friend (who left Maryland a few years back) since before covid, so we decided to do a weekend getaway meetup at a cute Airbnb in Warrenton, VA and catch the 4* at GMI while we were at it. So Charlie could get a few extra days off haha. 

plus obvi sample the local flavors. 1,000% recommend this winery bc omg LAKE

I've gone to GMI almost religiously for the last couple years, but it's a helluva day drive so this whole Airbnb situation was actually straight up amazing. Plus we got to enjoy the cute little town and local sights and scenes -- including a very pleasing bottle of Pinot Gris at the Winery at Sunshine Ridge, complete with shady + breezy lakeside picnic tables. Yes. Please. 

let's find a way to get a lakeside winery right up in here too, yes?

Normally for a lot of our local big International FEI shows, I go alone so I can hustle all over creation taking footage for the video compilations I like making. That's..... kinda a tough thing to do with company unless said company is a very specific blend of my kind of crazy LOL. 

So I didn't do all that this time... and... It was honestly pretty nice haha, just sitting back and enjoying the show! 

silly sippy cup souvenirs!! sure they're from walgreens LOL but the memories are #4eva

The weather was a bit atrocious too, not gonna lie, and GMI, for all it's beauty, kinda just caters to the VIPs. There's literally no seating and no shade unless you cough up the $$ for a tailgating tent. It's cool, tho. We were prepared and made our own accommodations and had a swell ol' party out of it all. 

brought souvenirs home for charlie too omg

Finally, tho, it was time to return to reality. Which, gratefully in my world, includes getting back to our friend Charles! 

"what the fuck is wrong with you tho?" -- charlie, for sure

His leg is looking really good, finally. And despite all my paranoia, I'm actually thinking it might not scar that badly after all. Still to be seen tho...

More importantly -- omg we're really riding again! It's been honestly about a solid month off for the big guy, despite last week's false start before the second thrown shoe... But he feels really good. Like, REALLY. There's a little more 'bounce per ounce' in his trot than I'm used to, and he's a tad sassy -- but happy. 

okie dokie, back to your regularly scheduled programming --- RIDING OMG!!

We cantered out and around the xc fields the other day just to stretch him out, and I couldn't resist aiming him at a little coop -- which naturally he loved <3   More recently we went into the dressage court for a "real(ish)" ride, just to sorta see where he's at. And, believe it or not, it turns out, yerp, the horse is still trained lol. 

So I'm excited. Maybe the little summer recess was perfect -- a guilt-free excuse to sit out the heat and hard ground and biting flies?? Fall is my favorite anyway haha. And it's so nice to have a horse feeling fresh and rested and eager for adventure!! 

Fingers crossed we get that opportunity soon :) Anybody else losing shoes? Or enjoying a late-summer breather? Or maybe you have something exciting on the calendar? 

in this week's episode

It was a pretty schweet weekend around these parts, so let's try to do a quick 'n dirty photographic catch-up, yes? 

For starters, longtime blog friend, custom browband designer, and eventer extraordinaire Amelia reached out a few weeks ago to let me know she'd be making her semi-annual pilgrimage to the Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy. 

Matt is inspirational on a few different levels. also.... this incredible horse is #forsale

So. Obviously I'd plan on being there too!! It worked out almost perfectly (almost), since I was able to sign up as the volunteer dressage steward during the FEI classes that Friday, then could come down to spectate on Saturday for the FEI cross country. 

Only bummer is not being able to make it on Sunday for Amelia's turn in the tack, tho word on the street is that they slayed. Who knows --- maybe we can convince her to do another guest post for us???  

video of Matt & Riverview Starboy's prelim show jumping here

Anyways, I don't need to tell y'all how much I love horse shows. Whether as a volunteer, spectator, or cheerleader, whatever. 

video of Laine & Lovedance's prelim show jumping here

And honestly I kinda don't write as much about it here on ye olde blogge any more bc it doesn't always seem to be the kind of content that moves many of you. Which is fine, obvi, but ya know... At the end of the day, I write about the things I care about, so, in other words, my blog = my rules!

video of the full 3* replay xc compilation here!

I hope you'll watch the videos anyway, tho. Esp those prelim show jumping rounds. Who remembers back in 2018 when Matt Brown wrote a series of incredibly candid and moving essays on his experiences dealing with pressure and disappointment? His writing reshaped my approach to setting goals and expectations for myself, which... honestly... is kind of like a gift. 

Maybe that sounds crazy, but that's how it feels. So it's awesome watching Matt out there slaying with all his various horses (see my FEI playlist for clips of him and his big horses Big Berry {10:00}, whose run in the 3* this weekend I sadly missed, and Super Socks BCF!!)

i spy with my little eye..... Amelia!!!!

Anyway, tho, all fangirling aside --- it's always so cool hangin out at horse shows when I personally have nothing on the line lol. I kinda love poking around the whole spread necessary for stabling at away shows, too, considering my group of friends and I only ever really show out of our trailers. It really is a whole different ballgame.

creepin on Amelia's barn family doin epic things in the rain

Which.... Ahem. Considering we got poured on at Plantation last week, and I neglected to clean my abused and long suffering leather goods up until like... yesterday.... Well. Maybe I can see an advantage to stabling after all, LOL!

speaking of rain, remember when i told y'all to remind me to condition my poor saddle?!? finally got around to that about 5 days later, whoops

Seriously, tho, please pray for my saddle.... And, uh, cross your fingers that my bridle gets the attention it deserves sometime in the next century too???? :(

ya know what ain't suffering these days with the rain, tho? chuck's tootsies --- seen here at 5wks in july

Anywho, tho, shifting gears again. Bc it can't be all epic horse shows and big jumps all day erry day (tho, we wish, right?) --- there's been a fair amount of more mundane goings on lately too.

literally the worst of the chip out, which... is unreal compared to past years

Or actually, maybe more accurately, not a lot of goings on. Charlie is doing... well. I looked at him the other day and was like, "Ya know what? You look good, son!" Sure, he still rocks the Dad Bod, obvi. But... I'm actually pretty pleased with his exact condition during this exact week lol. Bc we all know with TBs it really can change that fast haha... hahaha. 

the actual card i sent my farrier for #FarrierAppreciationWeek (while also #KnockingOnWood)

His feet are also doing incredibly well this year, too. There were a couple big observations from last year that served us very well -- namely, getting the horse into pads early (think: March instead of May); and aligning our jump schools with ground conditions. Recent rain? Prime time for jompies! Hard AF out there? Keep it light, yo.

whatever it takes to keep this dedicated good samaritan going!

That attitude and approach served me really well last year, and it feels like we've been rewarded this year by more frequent rain showers. Sure, it's still far too dry and we're technically behind in rain fall.... But there's enough precipitation often enough that we've been able to jump pretty consistently on soft ground. I like it! 

seen here doing his #CivicDuty clearing out all those overgrown vines at the gate lol

And I've been actually ok at jumping 2x (more or less) a week, too! Usually one of those days is like... cruise up to the jump ring and bop around literally whatever the fresh fuck is set up. Which is... generally x-rails lol. But I'm getting better at riding it purposefully anyway, like treating the bumps like cavaletti exercises or whatever. 

Usually there's at least one or two gymnastic-y things set up too, like that 2-to-2 that's been a feature for the last few weeks. Even at x-rail height, it's still a valuable exercise IMO. And last night, there was another quite proper grid set up too -- an x-rail bounce to a vertical, one stride to another vertical, one stride to an oxer. Aka, bounce-one-one, with the final oxer set somewhere mildly south of 2'6.

all in a day's work!

I hadn't planned on jumping Charlie, but we'd already been out for a nice warm up hack and had trotted and cantered our little conditioning sets. And the ground was soft. And the horse was in front of my leg... So we popped a couple x-rails then nosed into that grid kinda cold. And wouldn't ya know it, this big ol' star of mine nailed it like the seasoned veteran he actually is <3

Sure sure, next time we jump will have to be course work at height (maybe lol). But it feels good, like we've got something going right right now, that my notoriously sluggish and occasionally obstinate gelding is basically pretty fucking sharp at the moment. 

Anybody else feeling reservedly optimistic going into high summer? Or are you mostly laying low to beat the heat?