Zoomies!

This weekend I have signed up for a jump clinic at a barn that I previously had lessons at (with a different horse though) and attended a few fun shows there in the past. This is planned to be run very much like a show with all the classes that we will see at the actual show on the 22nd of this month. We will get to do a course and then immediately get instruction/feedback following each turn.

May have approached this from a canter more than once! :)

I might be a little nervous about this...I have not ridden Savvy here before so there is that bit of unknown as to how she will handle that, and then add in jumping which we are really just dipping our toes into still. Not that I am really worried of total disaster. I have a lot of faith Wonder Pony will pull through for me. AND it is just an informal jump clinic. The point is to go and learn *remember that Wendy*. I just have a few niggly worries because of unknowns, but mostly so excited to have access to a full course again!

For my Thursday lesson I told my coach about my weekend plans and asked her to just help me leave on a good mental note for the jump clinic, and she did not disappoint!

My back yard after a week of wonderful spring weather. It is draining fast though so should be dried up in no time.

We started with ground poles warmup focusing on forward. I might have a habit of asking, asking, asking and not ever committing to 'telling' if the ask is ignored. Then when progressing into canter it was very obvious that the sillies from previous weeks were gone, but it had been replaced with "meh", and I just couldn't get her even into canter. Coach pulled her spurs off her boots and handed them to me and wouldn't you know it, "meh" turned into "ya fine, stop asking!" and off we went with a pinned ear and a magic swish of her zoomy tail.

I pitifully asked coach to make our starting jumps as simple as possible so she sent us at a walk (hahaha-I am such an underachiever and loving it!) over the two low jumps she had set up for us. Of course Savvy was fine, but I just needed to de-spook my own brain before I could get myself going.

The game plan worked and I was feeling much more relaxed and ready to send pony forward so off we went, doing the line first at a trot and then at a canter with a change in jump heights as we went.

Savvy's canter transition improved leaps and bounds as the lesson progressed and the ask was starting to become less dramatic and difficult for me as we went.

I left the lesson exactly where I needed. I can't wait for the jump clinic!