Changes

It is really amazing what opportunities can come when circumstances change. In the last 5 or so year I have been very limited in the lessons I have been able to take. I was generally a once a monther with our dressage trainer, 2 when I could make it work, and sometimes we went without when I got busy. I can count on one hand the number of jump lessons Mystic and I have had since I got him. Flash forward to this month, at our new barn, and I have already had a dressage lesson and two jump lessons! And it doesn't end there. I will have another jump lesson next week, the 2 day Eric Smiley jump clinic the week after, and a 2 day Jessica Wisdom dressage clinic right after that. So in March alone I will have the same number of lessons that I would normally have in an 8 month time period and I am super excited about all of it!

The only downfall is that we still only get to see our regular dressage trainer once a month and that is what we really need right now if we plan to show 3rd. Dressage is hard and we have not been friends recently. Mystic and I had a really rough lesson last weekend after what felt like a lot of progress in the previous month. I was super hard on myself after it but I went and jumped a few jumps and ignored it for a few days before returning to work. Hopefully we get these kinks worked out by our first dressage show.

Our second jump lesson however was awesome! We picked up right where we left on in the last one. We started with little jumps on a circle and worked on adjusting his stride between fitting 5 and 4 strides between the two. We have a super easy time getting the shorter compact strides but have a harder time going more forward. This exercise, although torture, really helped open his stride up. Overall his jump feels better then ever! Which says a lot since we have only jumped twice year. I am getting a better feel of the canter we need and had fewer instances of me dropping him at the base of the fence. I am super happy that he is making easy work of the novice sized fences even when he gets more of a short spot. Gives me hope for Rebecca Farms 2017 ;)

Its Been Too Long

At the end of this month my barn is having an Eric Smiley jump clinic that I have been looking forward to watching. I had thought about signing up back when I first moved in but since we hadn't been jumping I decided against it. After all who wants to ride with an olympian when you haven't jumped with a saddle on for 6 months?! The clinic filled fast so I had no urge to sign up as all my friends started getting excited. Next thing I know one of the barn girls had to drop her spot and my mouth couldn't have opened fast enough to offer Pony and I as a fill in! What I didn't think about? The fact that the person who's spot I am taking is currently in the training/prelim group and the schedule has been made. Which means that even with some shuffling around we will still be riding in the novice group. Go big or go home right?!

In preparation I had a jump lesson tonight, which also happened to be the first time I have really jumped him since September. This got me to thinking to the last time I had a jump lesson and it is scary. It has been over 3 YEARS! Thankfully that is going to change now. Pony was super! Our biggest problems are 1) that I have a hard time keeping his canter from getting flat when I push him forward (instead of keeping a nice bouncy forward canter)  2) that even though I can feel a 'bad' jump, from many strides, I freeze and just drop him instead of trying to salvage it and 3) my inner DQ comes out and I like to try to micro manage him which often results in very poor fences!

There were definitely some very ugly fences but they were ALL due to my riding, or lack there of, and had nothing to do with him. I was super pleased with him and when I did ride him well he felt amazing. By the end we were making easy work of the novice sized fences and he just felt super rideable. I am looking forward to getting back into jumping shape and getting some much needed lessons. After tonight I am really looking forward to the clinic and I think it will be a blast. As for now, I have a strong feeling that I will be sore tomorrow ;)