On Friday I did something I haven't done for a very long time... we had a jumping session! He does a lot of hacking and schooling so I think it's nice to mix things up sometimes and you can still work on flatwork and the general basis of your schooling whilst jumping I think. For example, our aim for that day was to keep an even, consistent rhythm in the canter to and after a fence and around the turns. The last time I had a proper jumping session with him must be what, two months ago at least now. He's always been good to jump really, but a bit of a handful with him going sideways everywhere, napping to fences and just basically being a lunatic if I'm honest. He's never been able to canter around a course in a flow, it's always been very unbalanced and disjointed with flying changes every five strides. Well, what a bloody difference two months of pure flatwork and hacking has made, he was like a completely different horse- starting with the fact that he was soooo lazy.
Bar the fact that he was the laziest horse to ever exist, he was absolutely perfect, his canter is a million times better, at no point did he rush or feel unbalanced and we did a few little 2ft courses spot on, landing on the right leg, letting the fences come to him and taking his time but still going forward (However, I will not be jumping without a whip again any time soon, my poor legs!!).
Then Monday, Emma came up and we plaited him up ready for the weekend to see if he'd act any differently under saddle plaited up (Sparkie tenses up a bit because he doesn't like them pulling his hair. Pussy). We just had a general mooch around the school and didn't produce anything spectacular but he was a good boy none the less. Emma had a little play as well and then took him down to the end of the road and back to cool him off and, despite walking slower than an elderly snail, he was super duper. He then had his weekly bath after (you've got another coming Saturday mate!) so now he's all shiny and clean. And then and then... he went out in the big field for the first time in 3 months! And he came to call still when I shouted him today, yay pony!
And then we have todays ride. Now recently, with the exception of my tootle round the school Monday, I have tried to make more of an effort when I school but I have to admit I do cut corners and probably don't always take it as seriously as I should. Well today I was determined that we were going to take it serious from start to finish. We started off in the sand school because someone was having a lesson in the rubber where we just worked mainly on bending and flexing in walk. Once the rubber was free, we swapped to there because it's easier for schooling with it being smaller and there being less distractions. I tried to work on riding him the best I possibly could- I find horses are very clever at getting us to ride the way they want us to, for example, I find myself 'falling out' on his worse rein and trying to hold him to heavy in the inside hand. Instead I tried to put myself in a text book position, shoulders level and straight, heels down, holding him with the outside hand and pushing him into this hand with the inside leg and then giving and taking with the inside rein. Since our lesson I've noticed that he moves off my leg so, so much better, especially in the walk and on the left rein, if he starts to drift in and fall in on a circle, I just give him a tap with the inside leg and he practically leg yields to the outside track again, especially using the schooling whip as a back up to keep his body straight. I also tried to slow his trot down a hell of a lot but keep the timing and rhythm consistent which made a huge difference especially with transitions- he even let me do some work in sitting trot which he usually hates!
Now I'm not saying he was suddenly bang on in an outline, but he felt so much rounder in general, for the most part he had some kind of inside flexion, his lines were straight and he was forward but not rushing. I knew he must have been working hard because as soon as I asked him to work long and low in the trot, something that usually takes a bit of persuasion, his chin hit the floor. Then when he picked the reins back up, all of a sudden there we go, we were able to work in a semi consistent outline in trot! Honestly, that's the best feeling he's ever given me under saddle, never, ever did I think we'd have a breakthrough like that when it came to our trot work, if he goes like that Sunday I will most definitely be smiling (although he'll probably have forgotten all this come tomorrow). We did a couple of canters, again working long and low and then when I shortened the reins and came back to trot, bam, straight into a lovely round outline and a nice, slow trot.
To finish off we had a nice amble to the fishery and back; he honestly was a bloody star today, he really made me smile!!
Beth & Jack x
No comments:
Post a Comment