I've been off riding for the last 5 days, Sunday I was too sore from him stepping on me to ride, and we were coming back from the show. Tuesday was his brand new shoes day, and Thursday my usual lesson day had to be moved to Saturday due to a sales meeting at work. I think this is the longest I've had off for quite awhile. We worked a bit in the arena, just working on bending to my leg. And for the first time ever I finally felt that I really am having difficulty keeping my leg on this massive horse.. today they just sort of hung there. We worked on bending, but it was like, oh whats that on my side??? A Fly? A Bug? The Wind? --- um nope my crop if you don't listen. He was doing okay, but as soon as my leg goes on he likes to rush... so we moved to the round pen to see if that helped. Sorta but not really. I think tomorrow I will be tying my stirrups to my girth and riding! Rode without stirrups for a lap each way - my poor thighs!!!!
We worked on flat bending work for about a half hour, and then moved to the cross country field. I had gone in earlier and set up three of the jumps to be verticles, set orginially at 2' and I think I set one up at 2'3, and one was set at 2'3 but when I taped it, it looked more like 2'6 with the pole on it. We started with a nice controlled trot around the field, as he usually likes to pull to the left and race up the hill. That went well so we tried to go over some of the stumps that have been set up like jumps... those were once again terrifying. So we had a battle over those until he jumped them. All during this time I've been working on my 2 point, and the putting my weight into my heels. I feel like he becomes a shetland pony when I have my weight in my heels I tell ya! We jumped two of the jumps without any problem, they didn't feel pretty, but they were okay. Then we moved to the jump (that by the way Brianne is by the steel pole in the ground at the corner of the property), as we approached this jump, I fought for his attention - as the horses kiddy corner to us were watching him and he was watching them. We went at the jump okay, but then at the last minute he went left over the jump, as we were approaching it I also lost ALL confidence and pretty much threw away the reins and grabbed mane with both hands because I was just SCARED... I was pretty sure this was the jump that was more like 2'6. I have had some close calls due to my position not being right, and its by the grace of god I'm sure I haven't gone ass over tea kettle yet. This landing was BAD and UGLY. I didn't come off, but I'm still not sure why I didn't! He felt like he completely rounded his back over the jump, my weight was not in my heels, and I came flying out of the saddle, and landed back in it... despite over jumping it, the pole came down.... I could have gotten off and re-set it, but I completely started to get nervous! We took just a second and then tackled another jump, and he rubbed that one as well, but I wasn't going to end on either of those notes. Instead we went to the other jump and he had such an amazing jump, my heels were down, and my weight was right where it should have been. It felt so good, I was pretty sure he went through the jump instead of over, as even the take off was AMAZINGLY smooth! But nope he left it up. So on that note we jumped a couple of more times, and then ended our work out with a large full canter, although at the end I kissed him on a bit more and it felt and sounded like a gallop instead of a canter. Again it felt great.
Then we walked up the road so he could catch his breathe. He had to have grown another foot by the way he was walking... his head was way up, and straight as a pole, snorting away, ears perked right up... I thought what the heck.... we always walk up here. Theres no wind, nothing scary, it was completely uneventful, and then I relized what it was. As soon as we walked in the sandy party of the road he relaxed, but as soon as we were on the pavement, he was putting on his track pony act. Yep this was the first time he's heard himself walk on pavement with his new shoes on... and you can certainly hear him coming! Towards the end he calmed down but it was hilarous!
I have a lesson tomorrow, and a lady is coming out to complete one of her "bucket list" items and is going to ride Oz. I'm looking forward to my lesson. Today was great, as I could see some areas that I think I psch myself out. I know when he doesn't listen to my leg, I then also loose confidence a bit and wonder am I asking to move with the right leg, maybe it should be the other leg. So him not listening is making me doubt my aids also. After my lessons I tend to feel a lot more confident in my riding. We both have a long ways to go, but some days I feel like we are actually taking two steps forward instead of two steps back.