Is it just me, or does it feel like suddenly we're doing a lot of jumping again lately?? I know it partly just feels that way bc I've been lucky to snag recent media... and we all know that pictures are the engine that drives blogging, amirite? Lol...
rollin back on my giant bronto
But also.... Damn, it does feel like we've been ratcheting it back up again. And I like it! Weather has been mild, horses have been hale, and calendars are sparking back to life. Including lesson schedules with new trainer-on-trial, KGK!
remember back in the day when izzy and i had all those problems with lattice fences?
For those not keeping track at home, this is our third lesson with a new trainer who is not originally from around here but has an impressive resume in upper level eventing and grand prix show jumping. I learned about her program after seeing a lesson package offered in a recent silent auction, and while I didn't win the bidding, a quick cursory creep around the google made me think she could be a good fit.
On one hand.... It's not ideal to ship out for regular jumping lessons again. I know I shouldn't complain bc I'm lucky to even have a trailer, let alone so many close-to-home venue options. But it takes a toll, ya know? Shipping out generally means a minimum of 3 extra hours devoted to the lesson; plus obviously fuel and wear+tear on my towing rig; and, possibly most important -- the impact on my horse.
dialing it in
So I'm trying to temper my excitement about impending spring by striving to strike a balance for Charlie. Luckily, ensuring he always has company on the trailer is working out so far too, as Megan and Royal joined us again for this lesson -- and had a really great time! So I'm hopeful we'll be able to more or less keep that rolling.
riding with a lot more leg than we've been doing lately
And guys -- it was a good lesson! KGK had us riding with a different group this time -- including someone else I've known for a while who is extremely active and well respected within the community. Obvi I'll ultimately make my own choices about training relationships, but it was kinda this cool feeling seeing that friend pull in for the lesson like, oh if SHE is riding with this coach, this coach is probably the real deal!
love the light filtering through his tail <3
I also suspect KGK figured the new grouping might be a better fit in terms of experience and goals. Not that there was anything wrong with the ladies we rode with last time, but their horses were just in different places. So for this group, while the warm up fences were still pretty tiny, we actually got to bump up in height fairly quickly and finished over some fences that felt properly "large" to me lol.
fire breathing silhouette <3
The courses were pretty fun too -- lots of twisty turns and sneaky bends. So far, we've mostly done just single fences, and the occasional outside line. But actually, that outside line is in the exact same place it was last time we were here --- so I'm starting to suspect jump placement and configuration might not really be up to KGK, since we're essentially all just renting the ring out for these lessons.
oooooh it's slightly bigger this time yay!
She also kinda made it sound like maybe she doesn't make many assumptions about "low level" horses doing combinations, either. Tho of course, y'all already know our horses that have been raised up in Trainer P's program are basically grid savants, so we love combinations. Hopefully some of those will appear in courses eventually.
and i'm still drifting left lol, obvi
Last little course observation -- she doesn't utilize many oxers. Maybe to ensure as many options for bi-directional fences as possible....? And maybe again bc they aren't her courses. I tend to like oxers for Charlie, but these jumps do have a lot of solid fill which at least helps inspire better form even for verticals.
omg are we actually jumping 3' in a lesson again?? omg!
For Charlie, I kinda started experimenting with how much leg I kept on around the course. Our early warm up round over the 2' jumps was... inconsistent -- little long here, little short there. Partly bc it's hard to see a distance to a tiny jump with this horse, and partly bc I try to keep him more packaged up on the add stride when they're low --- but then we kinda end up crawling over some, or leaping over others.
honestly probably don't deserve this horse
After goosing him pretty good to a long spot over the low course, I decided to try to keep more leg on, more consistently, the whole way around. I'm not entirely sure Charlie loved it -- possibly bc he felt a little hassled by it. But.... It also made a really big difference in getting a good shot into the jumps.
and another silhouette bc you're not the boss of me
The landings tho... Lol, well. Yea I goosed him a couple times so we had some fairly strong landings lol. It was an interesting feeling, tho, esp given all the work I've done in lessons with Molly about taking my leg off. There's definitely got to be a balance where my leg can be ON for jumping, but in a supportive way that gets us to the jumps without harassing the horse.
low plank + high(ish) bar ain't nbd for charlie!
The horse might just have also been feeling generally vaguely harassed anyway tho, tbh. Idk if he's just feeling the physical effects of ramping back up again. Or from finally being able to get back out into the xc fields for hill work again (omg so fun!). Or ya know, maybe it's just time for his annual hock maintenance. Probably that last bit, lol, so we'll get that scheduled in the next 2-6 weeks probably.
finished over a little trick fence -- just a piece of fill, but narrow with no standards whee!!
He was a very good horse and was jumping in great form. But.... Just wasn't very keen on his flying changes. Obvi I suck at changes, so I rely pretty heavily on Charles to whip out his auto changes. And usually when he's feeling gung ho and strong -- like he was in this ride -- the auto changes are right there.
But.... They just weren't quite where I expected them to be, probably bc he was just a little too far out behind to make it happen. Thus my hypothesis that he's ready for a little juice. We'll see what the vet says tho!
Mostly tho it just felt so so SO GOOD to get back into the groove. These were definitely some of the biggest jumps we've seen in a lesson in.... Ages. And some of them were definitely a little bigger than Charlie and I have seen in any of our little schooling shows this past year.
But they felt good. Easy, even tho obvi we made plenty of mistakes. And suddenly, once the jumps were up -- Charlie was right there ready to do the horse stride down the lines that we added in last time.
So idk. I feel good. I'm excited for where we are right now. Excited to ease into a new season with fresh eyes and a different perspective from last year, where we still felt weighed down after the shit-show that was 2020. It's early days still tho, lol, so we'll see what happens haha.
We had our second lesson with our new trainer-on-trial this weekend, and this time there's MEDIA OMG --- bc yay, I was able to convince a barn mate to come along with me!!
two intrepid TBs awaiting their chariot!
I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Charlie is a much happier horse when he has company on the trailer. He's always a good boy, sure, but the difference in his demeanor is pretty apparent. So.... A big piece of the puzzle in testing out new coaches is that.... the new program has to work for my riding friends too.
charlie was so happy to have a fren!! obvi me too ;)
Luckily -- all of my riding buddies have therefore become quite accustomed to the gypsy style of lesson taking haha. All our horses travel well and are aces around the trailer, and have exactly zero problems going from unloading at a new facility, to speed tacking, to starting the lesson in about 15min flat.
jumpin my big pony over tiny jumps in bad lighting. YUP, it must be winter!! lol
Of course, it helps when the venue du jour is Oldfields School, lol. This indoor might actually be one of my favorites -- mostly bc it's just so wide, wow. Plus so bright and airy, with lovely footing.
And I'm not gonna lie, looking back at those posts from 2019 and 2020, where we were legit competing at 3'3...., compared to this lesson where we dinked around fences that were mayyybe 2'3.... It would be easy to feel frustrated.
evidence of details that need fixing: charlie really REALLY believed we'd turn left here, even kept his left lead for it too (almost always lands right). sorry buddy, that was my bad!
But.... I don't feel frustrated. Honestly. Charlie and I have been doing our homework on the flat and I see big differences in how we go now compared to, say, that jumper round from 2020.
I also know that we'll jump that height again. Maybe even sooner than I think. But... height just isn't our priority right now. We've been blasting around enjoying ourselves at 2'11 all year, without a whole heckuva lot of accountability about the details.
he recovered fine for the tight rollback tho, good boy!
It's time to get serious about the details, again, tho. Time to get more consistent about practice. And.... Actually, rather than frustrated, I feel pretty optimistic. Honestly!
actually, lots and lots of fun turns in this ride!
This new trainer-on-trial is still very much getting a feel for us. This was legit her second time seeing us go, ya know? Time will tell where things lead, but my impression is that I like her vision for how she wants us to go.
such a good boy even when i get him so close <3
If you're curious about what I mean there, definitely watch the video bc it's pretty easy to hear her instruction as we go around.
Basically, tho, she's not really asking for anything new or ground breaking -- but maybe she's describing it in a way that works for me. She basically wants us to have a nice shape as we go around -- contact into the bridle, hind legs up underneath the horse. A shorter frame from nose to tail, but with lots of energy.
well done, buddy, that's the outline we're lookin for!
And this is a way of going that I think works really well for Charlie. The difficulty is that it's a very very fine line between thinking about riding him "shorter from nose to tail," and letting him slip behind my leg. You can see a couple places in the video too where I let that happen too.
So that's where we need the more "bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, energy into the bridle" feeling that she she keeps coaching us on.
A couple details really stuck out to me about the ride, too:
First, I feel like our turns before and after fences are lightyears better than they used to be --- 100% thanks to our work with Molly. Charlie has so much more education in lifting his inside shoulder and flexing now. In fact you can see a couple places where he ended up misdirecting on landing (ie, he was positive we'd turn the opposite way than I intended) bc I'm still a little ham-fisted in flexion and counter-flexion efforts, while Charlie has (as usual) learned the lesson more quickly and completely than I have, and could therefore take a more subtle aid.
you're a good boy, sir
Second, and possibly most telling -- Charlie did all his auto-changes for me by the end of the ride, off both leads. That isn't exactly super unusual. But... Normally it tends to happen simultaneously with Charlie getting really strong as we roll along, when I start to get more run away with and sloppy in our corners.
In this ride, Charlie stayed rideable, stayed flexing for me, but because he had all his feet right under him, the changes were still right there. I like it!
So. It was a good lesson. I'm pretty happy about it. Megan and Royal had fun too, I think. So we'll keep rolling with it, see where this path leads lol.
Way back in January, in more innocent times, all we had to worry about was surviving a few brief cold snaps while looking forward to what would surely be an epic and wonderful spring season.
Ah, to be so young and naive again....
Ahem, anyway. One such cold January weekend was used to audit a clinic with Doug Payne at Oldfields School.
what do you call a fat brontosaurus?!? and omfg that mane, dear lord
I've been following Doug as a rider since discovering his early helmet cam videos with voice-over analysis. He's a very systematic methodical guy which appeals to my way of thinking.
Turns out, that might not just be coincidence either lol since we went to the same college. Tho he went for engineering and I was in the math program. But still... lots of similarities in process and problem solving etc.
And he has a knack for using that same way of thinking to set up exercises and programs for his horses. Considering his operation for producing top horse after top horse from scratch runs like a well oiled machine... Well, ya know, I'm always eager to hear what he has to say haha.
1) trot poles; 2) placing poles 7' from takeoff and landing of low wide oxer; 3) vertical some bending distance away, roughly three strides; 4) set of three cross rails at 9' gently bending bounce distances; 4) short turn to vertical out of corner
This particular clinic was a little interesting from an auditor's perspective, since most riders would be doing two days and I was only there for the first. It struck me that basically all the groups seemed to do the same exercises and jump heights stayed pretty low. Tho, after listening in on a zoom classroom session with him last week (spoilers), I think I understand why now.
Anyway. The biggest takeaways for me were the exercises themselves, which I dutifully recorded in my handy little notebook for all our viewing pleasure. It's worth noting that everything can be ridden in both directions.
detail of just the placing cavaletti and oxer, looping off both leads
These exercises had a lot to do with footwork and correctness in the space between fences. Particularly, there was a shit ton of turning lol. And Doug wanted the turning done well from the shoulders, with the neck staying straight.
The trot poles and placing cavaletti are all intended to help the horse use himself better. Tho Doug also suggested placing random odds and ends (even rocks lol) on the landing side just to keep horses looking where they're going haha.
turn quickly after execise
Over fences (starting with the trot poles to the cavaletti - oxer - cavaletti set up that we'll see repeated this entire post), Doug wanted to see waiting strides -- even trot steps if needed, rather than some big move up to a spot. In other words, he wanted patience in the warm up, and then to see riders land from that grid and immediately execute a tight neat turn to circle back around.
The point was that being patient (vs in a rush) to the fences allowed more accurate turns -- again, accomplished with the horse's neck straight, not over-bent. He repeatedly reminded riders that they should see the outside cheekpiece buckle of the bridle even while turning.
Tho I should note - being patient does not mean shutting down the canter here. He still wanted horses covering ground and moving forward -- but just no rushing and no big moves.
full course at bottom, and additional details of sub-exercises
These same concepts were basically repeated as instructions again and again and again as riders worked through the various component pieces of the course set, before putting it all together.
- Patient to the fence
- Accurate turns
- Straightness in the horse's neck
doug got on one of the horses (twice) for a demo ride!
for this horse in particular, he wanted to work through some lateral suppleness stuff
The exercises themselves seemed really well suited to allowing the rider to keep focusing on those key concepts, while also keeping the horse plenty busy with his footwork, track, and balance. As an auditor, that was definitely my biggest takeaway.
I liked that there are so many individual elements that can be practiced, and that the whole thing isn't really measured out like crazy. Seems easy enough to set some of this stuff up (tho ya know... I haven't.... yet lol).
that's a charlie horse!!
Obviously January was a very long time ago tho, so maybe it seems weird to be posting about this now. But!! Last week, Oldfields had Doug back as a guest again -- except this time for a virtual classroom session that was open to the public! So obviously I signed up!
And wouldn't ya know it, some of his source material for the session was the very same exact video of his jump school with Quiberon that I had used as inspiration to get back into jumping with Charlie after quarantine. He also had a couple different days of footage from one of his veteran campaigners, Quantum Leap.
happy things at the barn are getting back to normal
Doug said his real intent with the warm up flatwork is that the horse must be through, able to adjust forward and back, do some lateral stuff, and counter canter. Counter canter in particular he begins basically as soon as the horse can hold it.
Especially for the baby horses, Doug said it's important to not get upset or anything if they make a mistake. But rather, he just has a definite "Do Not Pass Go" repercussion (not punishment) to convey when a horse gives the wrong answer, then tries again. There's some examples of this in the video below.
The jumping exercises start the same exact way as at the Oldfields clinic: with placing poles set 7' on landing and takeoff from a low wide oxer. The horses loop through a few times off each lead, with the radius of their turns on landing decreasing with experience.
still dealing with schedule appts tho, which means sometimes we end up sitting out our ride bc it's pouring cats and dogs out there
Doug was adamant about this warm up tho: once it's good, leave it. Esp for the younger guys, he's looking for the horses to put forth their maximum effort and try their hardest. Said he'd rather have a really stringent set of criteria for that effort -- but then as soon as the horses meet or exceed that criteria, you're done.
And from there, it was immediately on to full height courses. Like you saw in the video last week, Doug was also pretty explicit in getting it done well and then being done. You can ask the horse for a fair bit -- but if they do it, leave it.
This obviously begs the question (for me, at least) of conditioning. If you're only ever schooling your horse 12min at a time, how do they ever get fit?
but what is that i see?!? why, charlie's pony mane has been hacked to pieces!!!
He said they usually do two days of jumping per week. One day presents them with something mentally challenging but physically easy -- like all those low but complicated exercises from Day 1 of the Oldfields clinic. Then another day that is the opposite -- physically demanding but maybe mentally easier. Like some bigger fences in more basic course work or gymnastics.
This, for me, might be a model I try to be better about adopting.
Additionally, Doug's event horses do some conditioning work outside the arena twice a week, and some flat schools.
i blame mikey <3
Doug also talked about introducing different specialty elements of coursework early in a horse's development -- like skinnies or angled fences in very small versions like ground poles etc.
Then, when the footage switched to Quantum Leap (9yo who has won at Advanced and is qualified for Tokyo 2021... along with Doug's other top horses Vandiver and Starr Witness lol...), he spent some time discussing what changes for the more schooled horse.
For instance, he said an experienced horse should be able to have a cruise control. That the horse could maintain indefinitely whatever gear or shape you have him in. And possibly most interesting -- the horse had a big ol' miss at the very first exercise, that same pole-oxer-pole configuration. And Doug just left it at there. Since I guess the horse should be experienced enough to recognize the mistake and sharpen up after that?
Otherwise the course work was mostly similar, tho the more experienced horses are required to have slightly quicker thinking with angled fences etc.
5yo Quiberon jump school w/ voiceover
In terms of distances in related lines, Doug sets his combinations just a little short (like a 22' one stride), and will often put small distracting things on takeoff and landing sides to get the horses more patient in the air to process their feet and landing.
For related lines, he likes some a little long, some a little short, some set on a perfect half stride that you should decide before you arrive what you want. And especially, he said he likes going back and forth between waiting and forward from one line to the next.
The idea is that the horse can shorten and remain active -- like with a forward line to the pole-oxer-pole that will require the horses to continue stepping with his hind leg to the base of the fence (vs sorta getting weak and stabby).
Doug's biggest takeaways on setting exercises for horses were basically:
- One day physically easy but mentally challenging (ex: cavaletti, footwork, etc)
- One day physically demanding but mentally straight forward (ex: full height fences)
- Stringent criteria for how the work should be executed (ex: patient to fence; accurate turns; turning through shoulder, not neck), and be done when the horse does well
- Every jump school with each horse, do something that makes you think it's a little tricky or unconventional, or makes you slightly uneasy. Push yourself. That's the benefit of schooling - you can be more creative and take more risks, bc you have the time to fix it. Push the envelope.
~~~
For me, personally, looking into getting back into a rhythm again with a horse who... definitely pretty much knows his job at this point, this is all really timely material for me. I want to set Charlie up for success and keep him sharp, fit, and schooled. But.... I also don't want to run him off his feet or sour him. Lots of good food for thought here!
This past weekend Charlie and I went on a little adventure to Oldfields for a low key schooling show. It was billed as a "blue ribbon rounds" style of jumper class, which essentially means that every clear round earns a blue.
Courses would be simple (read: minimal combinations) and inviting, and you could do as many rounds as you wanted for $15 a pop.
charlie stood like this, frozen solid and completely motionless, for roughly 5 minutes. i basically had no choice but to start snapping pictures haha
Considering the mucky mess of outdoor winter footing we have available at home, I welcomed the prospect of nice dry and spacious indoor! Plus it seemed like a great opportunity to get more "formal" mileage over bigger heights.
Like, sure, the course didn't really reflect what we'd see at a proper event (recognized or otherwise) - there weren't any in-and-outs or anything, and basically no fill. And most of the fences were closer to 3' than 3'3. But.... ya know.... For me, personally, one of the hardest parts of moving up is actually doing it. Signing up. Stepping into the ring when the pressure is "on."
looks like just the ticket -- sign us up!! also, yes, i'm still cramming poor brontosaurus charlie into a size small cooler handed down from izzy haha...
So really, any chance I can get to at least work through that mental part of the process is helpful, right? Like, this show mimicked that feeling very nicely, while the course still felt very much within our wheelhouse.
I haven't written much about my weekly jump lessons lately mostly bc there's no media lol. Lame excuse, I know, but them's the breaks. But we *have* been lessoning!! Weekly privates with our barn's resident upper level event rider K, who drills into the nittiest grittiest technical details of our ride in a way I haven't regularly had since the Dan Days. And I am loving it.
yep ok you caught me. i was 100% playing charlie's personal paparazzi for the day LOL. but c'mon, is he not the cutest??
And so another bonus to this particular show day was that K would be there coaching. So not only would I be able to see how well I'm retaining our lessons in a show atmosphere (about 85% according to K, haha), but she would also be able to see what changes and what stays the same with Charlie off property.
We all already know he's the best boy, but he is a slightly different horse at home vs away. Just like most horses, right?
we showed up at the end of the day, with most of the biggest trailers already gone by then.
So ya know. Lots of logical reasonable rational arguments for why this day could be a good experience for us. There's more to it than that, tho. Something simpler: I just love horse shows. I love attending shows, volunteering at them, and riding in them as a competitor.
I read Aimee's post last week about the decline of horse shows and... Idk, I had a hard time relating. Maybe I didn't read it closely enough or missed the point, but there was very little in that discussion that touched on what makes horse showing special to me.
But of course - that's the amazing thing about horses and horse sports, right? There are literally infinite ways to enjoy horses, to fit them into our lives in a rewarding and fulfilling way. So so so many "right" ways to live a horsey lifestyle, and honestly very few wrong ways.
jump 1!! heading directly into the crowd haha
For instance, I have friends who only ever come out on the weekends (and only in good weather) for jaunts through the woods with their horses, and friends who ride every day no matter what. I know riders who avoid arenas, and riders who never stray beyond four walls. Riders who live to compete, and others who only want to enjoy the ride.
Some riders rarely go faster than a walk or lazy trot, let alone jump. And others are legit speed demons. Different riders gravitate toward the journey with a green horse, or toward the education that only a schoolmaster can offer. Some ride out the rough patches, and some hand the reins to a professional for that precision touch.
At different points in my riding life I've been all the above. Plus naturally there are countless "types" of horses to suit all these different riders. Some horses at my farm will pass their entire lives without ever leaving the property. And some travel every weekend and winter.
jump 2 - maryland oxer. i was pleased that we nailed this one, since it was one of the warm up fences too and i would have been annoyed to have had practice over it but then blow it in our round haha. ooh but you'll have to watch the video to see me actually get jumped the fuck out of the tack on the back side LOL
And it's all good, right? And just because a rider fits into one category right now doesn't mean things might not be different later. Things change - jobs, family, resources, health, etc - in ways that impact what role horses can play in our lives.
I know personally my riding habit, goals, and needs have evolved dramatically over the years. A lot of different horses have meant a lot of different things to me. But the one constant has been that I love them and am happiest when horses are a part of my daily life.
It can be really challenging, tho, when we put something we love under the microscope. Under the intense pressure and scrutiny that comes with sport and competition. I've already written a little bit about struggling under that pressure this past summer, and beginning to question why or whether I should even be doing this.
At the end of the day, tho, after all that introspection and self evaluation, I determined that, YES. I dowant to do this.
jump 3 was the only other warm up fence allowed. we knocked it a bunch in warm up but charlie was aces during our round!!
And ya know. It really is that simple.
Being perfectly honest, too, most burnout cases I've seen in my horsey circles were related to some sort of misalignment with what a rider really wants to be doing, and/or misalignment with a horse. Riding is hard enough as it is, but will 100% be an unbearable grind if you don't enjoy the day-to-day aspects - be they repetitive schooling rides or long barn commutes - required for whatever goals you set for yourself.
I'm very lucky to be right now at a point in my life where I have the flexibility in time and resources to pursue my goals with Charlie. And, obviously it should go without saying that I'm extremely lucky to have Charlie at all.
Ten years down the line, it's hard to tell what I'll be doing with horses. But for right now, I've got a clear sense of what I want, and the right horse to do it. And horse showing plays a big role in that dream, for a couple reasons.
this fence showed up twice on course and was one of only a few set to a full 3'3 height. the rest were 3'
There's so much more to horse showing than just the outcome, or the minutes in the ring or out on course. It's the feeling of butterflies when you mark a date on the calendar or send in an entry. The days, weeks or months of careful practice leading up to the event.
The night before, packing and preparing. The morning of - actually driving in to the venue. Nothing feels like that moment when you turn into the driveway at the show.
But then there's the blur of last minute dressing and tacking before you're finally ON, then warming up, until all at once --- it's time. The big crescendo: Actually doing the thing - riding your test or pattern, jumping the course. Executing the plan. And, with any luck, completing it.
Each of these moments inspires an almost visceral reaction in me. A strange mix of nervous excitement that ultimately gives way to (hopefully) a happy wash of endorphins when it's all over.
Our round at Oldfields this weekend was not perfect. I'm still not riding forward enough in the show ring (tho we're getting better in lessons!). And even tho we've been practicing short turns to a big oxers constantly in lessons, I still kinda biffed that same style turn to jump 5. Honestly I'm lucky Charlie jumped it haha!
And ya know, there are countless other little odds and ends I see in the video that need fixing.
There are things I'm proud of too, tho: For the most part, I was thinking and choosing and riding with purpose the whole time, even if I didn't always choose perfectly. The two jumps we were allowed to do in warm up (green crooked vertical and red oxer) went very smoothly on course. Our overall canter has improved, even tho I shut it down too much at times. And my hand position and activity are better.
Plus, the jumps themselves were no big deal. The bending line to the big upright 3'3 vertical rode in a tight 6 for Charlie, but even tho he got close to it he still jumped it pretty easily. And I almost ran him into a friggin standard at a 3' oxer but he handled that with aplomb too. Gooood boy!
every clear round wins a blue!! heck yes, satin ho 4 lyfe!!
Perhaps the most important part of it all tho was the feeling I had afterward. I felt good. My horse was so good, and felt really confident and capable. And so did I.
The course maybe wasn't even as hard as some stuff we do in lessons, but the feeling walking away was different. Like we passed a small but important test haha. So so so so so many riders suffer from some degree of imposter syndrome, and I'm no exception. But rides like this help give me that extra little boost in confidence that when the time does eventually come for the "real deal," we'll be ready.
he might not be little, be he sure is sporty as hell!
But also. Ya know. It's just plain fun to get out and do fun things with my amazing and sweet pony. My inner 12yo is pretty sure that this is the life. Moving up or winning or prize money be damned.
This fun happy fulfilled feeling is its own reward to me and I can't think of literally anything else I'd rather be doing with my time or resources. But if ever a time comes when I feel differently? Well.... then I just won't do it haha. It really is that simple.
Since last we saw our intrepid hero, he's been off gallivanting about, doing all the things. We've galloped! We've hacked! We've done ground work, done jumping, done da dressage. Spent all manner of time in the trailer -- going east, going west. Etc.
AND!! I have zero media from any of this, womp. So, uh, you're just gonna have to take my word for it, mkay?
charlie's favorite pastime is staring intently at horses in the far distance
When I moved Charlie to this farm two years ago, one of the biggest advantages was how much boarding here would cut down on our need to ship out for lessons. That's still true -- we have a TON of opportunities at home (not least of which is our xc course). But lately it seems like we're drifting back to the routine of hauling out every week.
the indoor at oldfields. it's very nice!
Shipping out requires a lot more time and effort, and advanced planning. Most of these lessons get scheduled at least a week or two in advance. Which naturally means that they always end up being on the hottest day of the week haha. It's like Murphy's Law, right? Or, haha, should we say 'Charlie Murray's Law'?? Lol...
gotta love charlie, he unloads at a brand new facility and without fail, first order of business is looking for dat grass
Anyway. I'm sorta at a place with my training right now where.... it's kinda hard to articulate entire lessons in a shareable, consumable fashion without media. Like, hey-o, we jumped some jumps! Cool story, bro! Lol....
But really, tho, so much of what I'm working on right now is about feel. The description of which hasn't exactly changed over the years. Charlie needs to be: In front of my leg. Straight. Forward, but not Running. Accepting contact. None of this is news lol. And yet, that's basically everything we're doing, for dressage and jumping.
inside the indoor! it's very nice, and close to home. perhaps we'll come here more often!
Last week I managed to sneak in a show jumping lesson with Sally at Oldfields School. It ended up being a private lesson -- probably bc neither of us were quite sure what horse we'd have after the crash-n-burn at Full Moon. Charlie was legit foot perfect tho. Honest to god, wish I had video to share haha.
no more pics from the lesson, so instead enjoy this shot of charlie's BFF iggy doing his damned best to get every last nip of grain lol... maybe if you weren't such a slop it wouldn't end up falling all over the floor, igs!
The jumps at Oldfields are all really plain, all just brown rails. Except for a couple panels that have really brightly contrasting geometric patterns. Charlie looked a tiny bit the first time with those panels, but otherwise just got along with things.
oh also. i decided to give one of these a shot. more to come later probably
We worked on mostly individual jumps and combinations, just going back and forth, back and forth. The biggest focus was establishing my canter early -- it had to be more forward than what I sorta naturally settle into (we've all heard that before, right?). Sally wanted me really riding Charlie's hind legs up into the bridle, saying that fixing my pace would give me more options at the fences.
The other biggest focus was straightness in my turns -- another common theme with us haha. Since our first lesson with Sally at Kealani last winter, she's really zeroed in on my habit of losing Charlie's shoulders. And not just our drift over the fences themselves either. The drift actually starts at the point of our turn -- it is the end result of an earlier sin.
lol we haven't lost a shoe yet this season, but came suuuuuuuuuper close this week. we only barely made it to our shoeing appt, literally the morning before leaving for a second lesson at Hilltop (spoilers), but we made it. phew! also, charlie, why u no track up like that when i'm riding you??
So. Straightness and canter. That's basically it haha, the holy grail, right? When I got those two pieces right, everything else just flowed perfectly. And guys, when Charlie is straight and moving forward to the fences? He jumps like a FREAK. Withers pressing into my chest, knees literally visible up by his nose. Bascule for dayyyyyyyys <3
Again, I wish I had pictures haha. But that feeling is hopefully one that will stick with me for a little while!
oh sir, you're a good boy tho <3
The nice thing about Charlie and straightness is.... If I'm not doing anything about it, yea he's gonna bulge and drift and careen every which way. But if I'm prepared and doing my job, he WILL listen. It's not like with Isabel, how it seemed like no matter what I did she'd always pop left at the last second. No, Charlie will do the thing if I ask him to do the thing. So ya know, maybe I gotta work on that haha.
It's kinda crazy haha -- the more I learn about riding, the more I learn that the "To Do" list never really seems to change. It's always just working on the same stuff, just... more. And better. Forever and ever lol. But hey, at least that's the fun part, right?
