....and schools some Training level questions! Kelly and I shipped Sam and Czar off to The Ark with an "entourage" on Saturday (Erica and Corin, two eventer hopefuls). Weather wasn't looking too good - in fact, when we got to the xc course, it started raining on us. Sam was a bit of a dingbat about "running the gauntlet" - the driveway between the barn and the pot belly pigs and numerous other tame wildlife. It's a spooky area, so I can see why he would be skittery about it. I can just imagine taking Oliver through that area! Even Czar was a bit startled about the zoo critters.
We warmed up over the xrail and vertical they had out there. Clover is in full growth, so the boys were slipping and sliding around, plus the grass was wet. It wasn't an auspcious start to our day, but we discovered that the footing was better further out. I took Sam over some little BN jumps to start - he was all for that - and then we wandered in the direction of the water jump. The scary (to me) log and stone Novice/Training level jump was reversed from when I jumped it with Miles. I thought it was actually scarier this way, than the way I jumped it before - the stone is more recessed under the log rolltops, so that it looks like something is lurking under there. It looks just as big as it ever did. I actually think the Prelim jump looks more inviting. However, since this is my bugaboo, I cantered Sam at it. He looked hard (backed off a little, probably because he wanted a good look at what was underneath) but Sam, being Sam, jumped it gamely. I turned him around for another approach and this time he sailed over it. The landing is a little bit of a drop, which I had forgotten about but remembered as we were airborn for a bit longer than anticipated over the jump :^).
We schooled the lower water, and Sam galloped in and did the bending line to the boat without a hitch. We then wandered up to the woodline, with the intent of jumping the BN fishing pier and then going down into the water, but as I walked up there I saw the new Novice jump, which was built of upright timber and was on the skinny side, so I went into the woods a bit further, cantered over the Novice jump, and then cantered on down to the water, where I was tempted to do the Training level log in (I know he could have done this easily, so we'll do it next time). Such a good, honest boy.
The half-coffin came next, which Sam did like a charm (and so did Czar - I was so proud of both of them!). After the half-coffin, we did our next big question of the day. Both of us (Kelly and I) did the bank up, and then I did the bank down, and then I decided to do the double-bank up. Sam was a bit confused and wasn't sure where to put his feet, so we had a bit of a bobble going up. I went off the Novice drop down, and then turned him around and gave him a better spot gonig up the double-bank, so that time he did it quite well. Feeling brave, I decided to do the double-bank down. The first time through, it was a bit shaky as I got ahead and Sam got wobbly, but he was dead honest and we survived, and the second time he was wonderful. I think I still got ahead a touch, but on the landing side I managed to get back to where I was supposed to be with my body.
We next did the upper water, which involved cantering in (for Sam) and then out over the Training level rolltop. Erica got a great picture of us over that, and his knees were up! Yay! Apparently Sam needs the challenge of bigger fences for him to make any sort of an effort. There wasn't a good place to drop INTO the water, so I made a spot. I didn't realize that it was a fairly large drop into the water, but Sam, once again, was a trooper. Again, a nice picture of us launching into the water.
We finished up over the planters - the Novice first, and then the Training level one, which was so easy that I was very tempted to try the Prelim one, but didn't want to push my luck for the day.
All in all, a VERY good day, and I'm feeling pretty confident for Novice at Lumber River. I just hope that his allergies stay all right and he's breathing well.
Oliver also schooled well yesterday. I need to flat him more often, as he was pretty inconsistent in the contact, and he's hopping around behind at the canter at first (he does eventually settle into quite a nice canter). Jumping-wise, he's wonderful, especially when you put him in a gymnastic line and make him think about what he's doing. We got the second vertical up to about 2'9 and he just sailed over it, so it's time to focus on flat work for now, especially since we have MacNair's coming up and I really want to ride him in the Intro tests.
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