First real bareback ride on Oliver....

...and both the boys get a jump schooling for the first time in three weeks! Yes, it's been a while due to Christan moving in, and Dillon and Kelly making the darn things, and all the other things associated with moving to a new barn. But they're finally HERE, and they're gorgeous. Kelly did a fantastic job on them, as always.

Sam was the first to be ridden, as I had a lesson with Christan on Friday. Margaret was supposed to be sharing my lesson with me, but she didn't come in until a bit later, as she was on Fisher right before. Marrisa was riding Brady, and Brady was (apparently) being a bit of an idiot. Brady was jumping up and down... made me realize how lucky I am to have Oliver and Sam, who both have impeccable temperments. So, I warmed up Sam, and right away Christan was after me to shorten my reins and get him truly bending. As usual, I tried to comply but was a bit frustrated as at the show, she wanted me to get him long and low because he was cranking his neck in. I really didn't understand how to get him long and low, and yet not throw him away or let my reins get too long. Argh. I had a light bulb moment when Christan mentioned that I would jsut about get it, and then let me reins too long. So, I asked her to clarify and it turns out that when I ask him for the bend, I give it away too quickly, let him fall out of bend, and then just let him noodle around, going a bit too quickly, on the forehand, and not truly coming from behind and lifting at the wither. So, I played around with opening my outside hand, lifting my inside hand and keeping my inside leg on, and holding it there until I really felt him soften into the inside hand and leg, and then instead of just throwing it away and letting my reins get long, keeping a bit more contact and allowing my hands forward for the give, rather than letting the reins slip. Once he was truly through the back and lifting, AND keeping the bend consisten, I could let the reins slip a little and allow him to go longer and lower, as long as he didn't lose the bend. I understand now!

We progressed to some canter work. His canter is getting so much better, and his departs are much more consistent. I still have to work on keeping the bend through the body, especially to the left, but it's coming along by leaps and bounds every day. C wanted us to trot over the crossrail, and the first time I sort of leaned at it, so the next time I really concentrated on sitting away from the jump and keeping the bend before and after. C asked us to canter it, but Emma and Austin were standing right in front of it, but they wouldn't move out of the way so I jumped them and the crossrail. Sam grabbed the bit before, but I think it was because of the dogs. We circled, came around again, and Sam jumped it beautifully the next time. We progressed on to a little course, concentrating on keeping the bend, and sitting away from the jump. I realized (another lightbulb moment) that I really have to half-halt away from the jump, and then soften the last stride, as Sam doesn't jump well when he's held to the last minute - he needs the freedom of adding some leg and allowing with the hand. Interesting, that - if I hold to the base, he jumps over his chest. He was jumping so well and through that day, and was very rideable, so all that hard work over the past few months has really paid off.

I grabbed Oliver out of the field, and decided to put him to the test - I led him over to the white arena in the field and then jumped on him bareback and rode him over to the gate. He really didn't mind at all, so I was thrilled about that. I also decided to clip him as much as I could. The last time I tried to clip him, he jumped away from the clippers and pulled them out of the wall, so I was a bit more careful this time. He couldn't care less about my new cordless clippers - he didn't even jump when I turned them on, so I was able to clip a bib before I decided to ride instead. Such a good boy. Anyway, I used an Easyboot on him because he had thrown his left front shoe on Wednesday, the last time I rode, and it fit perfectly, and he didn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, he was so good that I decided to jump him. He was really starting to get the hang of stretching at the walk. I found out that when I think they're stretching, they're really not as low as I think, so I concentrated on making his head disappear from view, all the while pushing him forward into the stretch. He was starting to get this at the trot, too, which is such a neat feeling. His canter work is much, much better. He's starting to sit behind, and not pop the outside shoulder (especially on the right rein), and the departs are much more consistet as well. I jumped him over the vertical a few times as a warmup, then cantered it, and then trotted over the orange traffic barrels that are out there (he looked at it briefly when we walked by, but didn't hesistate when jumping it), and then cantered the barrels, and then I decided to canter the oxer. I didn't realize that Oliver hasn't jumped anything that big, possibly ever (same height M and I were jumping on Sam and Echo), because he gave me a great big ridiculous leap over it the first time. I brought him back around, cantered over it again, and for some reason I wasn't getting a good jump over it. The third time he actually landed and shook his head and made this frustrated sound, which made me laugh out loud. He was obviously frustrated with the jump as well, so I brought him back around, cantered to it, making sure I had a very straight approach, and sitting away from it but keeping myself riding the rhythm of the canter, and we had a lovely final jump. I ended the ride with some stretching, and I got some LOVELY stretch at the trot, with him swinging his back, and we called it a day.

I LOVE this horse. I know I say it all the time, but he's truly amazing. He just seems to get better and better every time I ride him. As soon as I can, I'm going to take him for a nice trail ride, because I know he enjoys that.

Back after a long lapse

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything, mostly due to school (work) and everything else getting in the way. Really, I have no excuse, other than I hate sitting at the computer when there are other things to do.

News on the show front - Sam went to The Ark, Frostbite, and won his division (BN) on a 31. I was thrilled, considering that my score would probably have been two points lower if I hadn't made two stupid mistakes - turning back onto the centerline too soon for the final halt, and cutting a corner in the walk. We actually scored four 8s (!), and would have gotten an 8 for gaits as well if Sam wasn't so darn lazy in the walk. He's such a slow walker. He was a bit backed off my hand xc, because I made the mistake of riding him in the two ring Pessoa (even though it's a french link), but I moved the rein up to the top - snaffle - ring for stadium, and Christan said that we had the "prettiest" stadium round she's ever seen me do - yay! Stadium is usually my nemesis, so that was great news.

Oliver is a superstar. He went to his first show, ever, and only third time off the farm, to FenRidge HT. It was a COLD day, and Christan rode him for me, as I'm a nervous mom and didn't want to wreck things by attempting to ride him at his first show. Dressage was beautiful - he got behind the bit a few times, which wasn't a surprise to either of us, but he scored a 29.5. Judge wrote that he was a beautiful horse. Stadium was clean. Christan cantered the whole course. He fell asleep in the start box, so he had a wiggly first fence xc, but he went clean for the rest and they ended up winning on their dressage score. Yay!

I also took him xc schooling at The Ark (where Sam won) and he was incredible. We had to "walk the gauntlet" down the driveway, past the mini pigs, geese, peacocks, llamas, you name it, and he was walking with Kelly on Pudge, and Christan on Connor, and he was the bravest one there. I could feel him just take a huge breath when I told him it was okay, and he just sucked it up and marched on with hardly a flinch, leading the way. He was equally good xc. Ollie didn't stop at a thing. He wobbled to only one fence - a black bench with flowers in front - but we cantered at it and I managed to stuff him over it anyway, and after that, he jumped things out of stride. He even calmly went over the spooky BN/Maiden half ditch, and led the way into both waters. He is so much fun.

I had a lesson with Christan with him this past Saturday, and we flatted, and Christan said that he is ready to really start to sit into his canter work, and she commented on how lovely he is looking. I can't say this enougn - I am so happy with him. I would buy another Oskar baby if I could afford it, and when I can, I'm going to look for one! He is most likely going to go with me Maiden to the Frostbite in December.

We are at the new farm now - the Wylie's. It's lovely, but the pasture is so damn big that I have to trek back and forth to get the ponies, as they seem to want to live by the water hazard out there. I don't know why that particular area of the pasture appeals to them so much. I've actually seen them standing in it, playing around, and this past week I drove by and saw Oliver standing on the bridge, with Sam right behind him. Funny boys. I can't wait until we get the jumps up. I'm getting very tired of flatwork. If I ever thought I could be a dressage queen, these past two weeks have proven to me that I simply cannot live without jumping. I also need the dressage arena, but the jumps are probably a bit more important.