Jenni_
Well-Known Member
Where has this man been all my life? (Well since I lost my SJ confidence) he's great.
He had a clinic on at a yard local to me so me and Jazz Bazz pootled along not really knowing what to expect and just happy to be
(a) going somewhere
(b) getting to school on a surface and (c) getting some sort of assistance
Just a wee half hour since she's not the fittest and the hack was her warm up.
Well. We went in, told him the absolute truth- she's jumped about 20 jumps in her life at 10 years old and 19 of them were with me lol. Said she could be sticky and green and I in turn could knock her off with my bad confidence. He asked it was a case of the blind leading the blind and I said no its a case of the one with her eyes shut kicking the blind on
He immediately just set up poles! Which is what I'd been hoping for. Popped over them a few times and the started introducing fences. Quickly realised that she really just didn't know what to overly do in canter. So we did most of the rest of the session in trot.
Really worked on bringing the trot back to be slow but pingy- as I have a bad habit of thinking speed means impulsion over fences. Which it doesn't, and especially not with a horse as sensitive as Jazz. And also worked on me not over folding and maintaining just a basic 2 point- which is something I have been working on at home! My 2 point used to be solid but since I've been pretending to be a dressage diva it's slipped a bit,
HE ACTUALLY HAD TO PUT MY STIRRUPS UP! Never in history has this been known. I ride with my ankles round my ears normally. My dressage diva aspirations have changed me. Humph. Soon see about that!
So eventually I was riding much more quietly, and she was popping the fences rather than going through them, and it all just felt 100x better. I knew I needed help before we started jumping regularly as she is a difficult horse! At one point he asked what she was like, and when I replied 'like a ticking time bomb' he replied with something along the lines of 'like the jockey?' So he also got how me and Jazz can set each other off sometimes, hence the practicing riding much more quietly and softly into fences.
Great session, tailored my session to what I needed and didn't have a set plan like some instructors. He has a nice way of teaching and really really got the best out of Jazz tonight, treating her like a 4 year old. She may be a super dressage horse- but jumper she has not been so far.
Have booked up for a fortnights time. Going to ensure we go regularly to keep it up but it also means well get to school on a surface regularly too- bonus
Big thanks to the staff at Stobs farm who as always were very welcoming and friendly- Jazz really does love going there always works well.
No pictures of lesson as mother and Jazz's owner were too busy admiring something else... 3 guesses to what... But here's one of her shiny fat self compared to a month and a half ago when I first started riding her. I think she's starting to look better despite the little bit weight she's carrying just now!
1.5 months ago:
Now:
And cause I gave her an old fashioned groom and hot cloth and she's shiny
Dressage this Sunday- will have to try and drop my stirrups tomorrow again- uhoh!!!
Nothing yummy to eat sorry
no carbs after 3pm for this fat fighter nearly lost 4 stone so I'm being dedicated!!!
He had a clinic on at a yard local to me so me and Jazz Bazz pootled along not really knowing what to expect and just happy to be
(a) going somewhere
(b) getting to school on a surface and (c) getting some sort of assistance
Just a wee half hour since she's not the fittest and the hack was her warm up.
Well. We went in, told him the absolute truth- she's jumped about 20 jumps in her life at 10 years old and 19 of them were with me lol. Said she could be sticky and green and I in turn could knock her off with my bad confidence. He asked it was a case of the blind leading the blind and I said no its a case of the one with her eyes shut kicking the blind on
He immediately just set up poles! Which is what I'd been hoping for. Popped over them a few times and the started introducing fences. Quickly realised that she really just didn't know what to overly do in canter. So we did most of the rest of the session in trot.
Really worked on bringing the trot back to be slow but pingy- as I have a bad habit of thinking speed means impulsion over fences. Which it doesn't, and especially not with a horse as sensitive as Jazz. And also worked on me not over folding and maintaining just a basic 2 point- which is something I have been working on at home! My 2 point used to be solid but since I've been pretending to be a dressage diva it's slipped a bit,
HE ACTUALLY HAD TO PUT MY STIRRUPS UP! Never in history has this been known. I ride with my ankles round my ears normally. My dressage diva aspirations have changed me. Humph. Soon see about that!
So eventually I was riding much more quietly, and she was popping the fences rather than going through them, and it all just felt 100x better. I knew I needed help before we started jumping regularly as she is a difficult horse! At one point he asked what she was like, and when I replied 'like a ticking time bomb' he replied with something along the lines of 'like the jockey?' So he also got how me and Jazz can set each other off sometimes, hence the practicing riding much more quietly and softly into fences.
Great session, tailored my session to what I needed and didn't have a set plan like some instructors. He has a nice way of teaching and really really got the best out of Jazz tonight, treating her like a 4 year old. She may be a super dressage horse- but jumper she has not been so far.
Have booked up for a fortnights time. Going to ensure we go regularly to keep it up but it also means well get to school on a surface regularly too- bonus
Big thanks to the staff at Stobs farm who as always were very welcoming and friendly- Jazz really does love going there always works well.
No pictures of lesson as mother and Jazz's owner were too busy admiring something else... 3 guesses to what... But here's one of her shiny fat self compared to a month and a half ago when I first started riding her. I think she's starting to look better despite the little bit weight she's carrying just now!
1.5 months ago:
Now:
And cause I gave her an old fashioned groom and hot cloth and she's shiny
Dressage this Sunday- will have to try and drop my stirrups tomorrow again- uhoh!!!
Nothing yummy to eat sorry
no carbs after 3pm for this fat fighter nearly lost 4 stone so I'm being dedicated!!!
