..and learnbs how to generalize. By generalizing, I mean that he is starting to understand that if I point him at something that's situated between two jumping standards, he's supposed to find a way across and over it. Preferably, without crashing or rearing on the other side. I guess it's my responsibility to find a way not to jerk his teeth out when he DOES go, and not to hold my breath and clench up when I feel him hesistate.
I tried him in Sam's Happy Mouth Fisher Price bit today, and he seemed to take it better than the fat KK loose-ring that I've been riding him in - he actually opened up his mouth without me pressing like crazy on his tongue or the roof of his mouth to get him to take the bit - but when we started trotting, he was racing around on his forehand (I don't know HOW he can manage that, since he is so uphill!) like a madman. Half-halts? What are those? Slow down? What? He sort of figured out that it was easier to balance and stay upright if he slowed his tempo down, but I figured that I wasn't going to get anywhere today with flatwork, so I walked him up to some trot poles set at about 4'6 on the ground. Since we painted them for the NSE show, Oliver hadn't seen them before, so predictably he stopped dead, gawked, and needed some coaxing over them at a walk (I even had to tap him behind my leg with the dressage whip). However, once he went through them, albeit a bit crookedly, he was happy to traverse them in in either direction. Picking up a trot, I wrapped my left fingers in his martingale strap (thank God for that) and tried to press my calves against his sides to keep him straight, and what do you know - the little bugger just trotted through them easily, and in balance, and with this lovely, lofty trot. We turned around and went through them again, and he was just as good the other direction. Yay! So, I let him walk up to the crossrail (again, painted, so it looked new, and it wasn't as tiny as the other ones he's been jumping), and he stopped, sniffed, and then I picked up the trot and trotted right up to it. This was a new approach, since I normally allow him to walk over it a few times before trotting it, but that was getting a lot of stutter stepping and launching, with his back feet getting caught in the poles and scaring him silly, so I thought that the added impulsion of the trot would help him sort his feet out.
Oliver trotted up, assessed the situation (yup, poles still there), and then used his God-given conformation and sat back, and jumped BIG over the crossrail, and landed cantering on the other side, and put his head down and bucked for fun - he was so proud of himself. I didn't mind - the jump was LOVELY - so round and uphill that it was easy to ride, even though it was big. Lots of praise and pats and I immediately hopped off (once he stopped humping his back) and praised him. Short ride today, but he definitely hit a new milestone. I really, really think that he might be "the one" for me, with his temperment, movement, and ability. I've got my fingers crossed. I really am enjoying this horse.
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