Oliver and his new jump...

..and it is a BIG ONE. Seems that all the gymnastic work with Gina (and getting him straight in the bridle and between the legs) is really paying off!

After riding like total crap in my group lesson with Faren and Caroline in Marty's wonderful jump field, I realized that I had better do something quickly with being able to stay with him and keep my leg on or else my honest, game little pony will start stopping with me. So, I unearthed an old Stubben hunting breastplate, cleaned it off and oiled it (gotta love Stubben leatherwork), and voila - it fits. It also provides me with a very handy neck strap to grab in case of emergency. I guess what is happening is that when I see a funny stride and I'm a bit nervous about the fence, I tend to take my leg off completely and then Oliver bunny hops over it. It is this bunny hopping, in fact, that showed us what a good jumper he really is, because he really tucks his hind end under him over the jump in a gigantic effort to clear it. It's also this effort he's making that is unnerving to me on the landing side if I'm not "with" him, as it feels like a huge buck. Of course, the way to solve the problem is to ride him up to the jump with leg if he's looking or on a weird stride, and keep the leg, but for some reason if I manage to keep the leg, I lose the hand, and if I keep the hand, I lose the leg. Hence, the neck strap. I did ride some of the fences well, though, and that proved to all watching what a game and good jumper he really is.

So, I've been experimenting with a bit change for him, because in spite of his teeth being done by one of the best (Hubert Davy), he still seems uncomfortable with his bit and tries to spit it out. His tongue does seems a little thick and oozes out the sides of his mouth if you lift his lip and peek inside, so I thought a thin Myler would work. Gina also thought a loose ring would make him happier, so I found my loose ring Myler and put it in. That, combined with the breastplate, made for a VERY successful (though short) jump school on Saturday. He boinged over the little crossrail warmup fence with lots of zest, surprising me and making me very glad I had one hand in the neck strap (not that I thought I needed it over a crossrail, but I was practicing holding on to it). We cantered a few fences and for the first two, he sucked back like he was expecting an uncomfortable jump (don't blame him a bit for being nervous) and once I grabbed the neck strap and added leg, they jumped beautifully and from that point on, he was wonderful. Lots of spring, stayed straight and balanced, and really rounded up over the jump. Totally different feeling than he used to give me even a few months ago, when the jump was rather flat.

So, yesterday I took him for a flat school in my dressage saddle, which I've sadly neglected. I forgot how much I love my dressage saddle, cheapie though it is (Toulouse Aachen). It really opens up my hips and allows me to sit deep, with a much longer leg than my Prestige. I had his new french-link Myler loose ring on, saving the other loose ring for jumping (with bit guards), and he seems so much happier in it. He's frothing gently at the mouth, more on the left than the right, but is softer in it. He doesn't try and spit the bit out nearly as much, and is much more biddable when it comes to half-halts and downwards transitions. His canter work is really coming along. All I have to to is to remember to HOLD MY POSITION, no matter what he's doing, and keep my legs there until he takes the canter, which is coming faster and faster and smoother and smoother. His trot has really opened up and is springier than it was before, too. I'm really excited about Longleaf!

We have a xc school planned for the 27th at CHP. Meagan is coming along and so is Faren, and we're going to see if Gina is free to school us there.

Love it when the trainer rides...

I love having Gina sit on Oliver for me. In about 15 minutes, she's able to put him very straight and even in the reins, which helps me remember exactly what I'm supposed to be feeling when I'm on board. Yesterday was a very quick lesson, since my head felt like the Good Year Blimp due to allergies and I was sneezing every second and couldn't breathe properly. Riding did help clear my lungs, though, so I wish the lesson went longer, but I think Gina was afraid that I was going to pass out. I had a lesson that lasted an hour and a half last week, so I guess that made up for this. While G was up top, Oliver did try a little wiggliness which she nipped in the bid rather quickly, and then he was all business from there. She mentioned that he wasn't trying to "pinwheel" as much, and gave me kudos for riding him much straighter, and when she cantered him, she said, "he finally has a canter!" It was lovely to watch, and even more fun to sit - I don't feel like I have to work quite as hard at the canter and can just sit up there and enjoy myself. Before, I always felt like I was working way too hard and was pretty tired after just a few minutes in canter. She popped him over a few little jumps for me as I mentioned to her that I felt like he was taking off with me on the landing side. Of course, this was all kind of residual from last week's lesson where Oliver was quite fresh and took some time to settle down.

Once on board, I walked him around a little to make sure that I had him evenly in both reins, and then picked up the trot, making sure that he felt very straight and was listening to my leg. G said that if he starts to lean on a rein and get very heavy, to correct it with my leg. If he doesn't listen to my leg, then it's okay to bump him (sort of slap him with my calf) to get him to pay attention. She re-emphasized how important it was NOT to take off my leg when I kicked him, so that I didn't lose my balance and upset him. Since he's so sensitive, all I needed was a little bump with my leg. We ran into a little issue at the canter. On Sunday, I asked for canter and he tried to buck into it, so I lifted the bit in his mouth and gave him a kick with both legs and he stopped it. Yesterday, when I asked him to canter, he protested by kicking out to the leg. G said that I had to use my ENTIRE leg to ask him to canter, not just my heel or my spur, which I think I was doing. She emphasized how important it was that I was sitting properly, with my weight slightly over my outside hip, and to bring the entire leg back and squeeze him into canter. There was that moment where it felt like he was stuck and I had to fight the impulse to urge him on with my leg or my seat - Gina said to wait it out, make sure I was straight and that I didn't do anything extra, and sure enough, he picked up the canter easily. He takes a second longer than I think he will to canter, but I just have to be patient and wait it out, not letting my body start to kink up in an effort to get the canter right away. Once in canter, Gina said that I needed to work on sitting softer with my lower body through my midsection and allowing my hips to just move with him - she said that I was sort of stiff through the hips, soft through the mid section, and then stiff up top - I tended to brace my neck and jut my jaw out. Of course, this caused Oliver to lock his jaw, so when I softened he softened with me.

MacNair's is coming up shortly - I have another lesson with Gina this Friday (hopefully jumping, so I can practice over small courses at the height I need to jump)and then a dressage lesson, in an actual arena, next week before the show.