Annagain
Well-Known Member
You go to your first jumping lesson and happily pop into canter on approach to your second ever fence - if you can call it a fence!
Wiggy and I took the plunge and went to a jumping lesson with a very encouraging, confidence giving instructor. I had waited until she was in the area for my first lesson (and my first jump on him) as I know how good she makes me feel about it all. We started over poles and then she put up the tiniest of cross poles. We trotted over it and he barely lifted his legs so next time round, I thought "If I canter he might actually jump." He didn't as he didn't need to, it was so small, barely an elevated canter stride! So we put it up a bit more and we finally got a little pop! By the end of the lesson we had cantered round a whole course of 6 jumps - all only about 50cm but considering I had a total mental block about cantering to a fence with Charlie, I felt like I'd taken on the world and won!
It wasn't always pretty, he has a much shorter stride than Charlie (as a 16hh cob opposed to a 17hh ISH) which I'm still getting used so I felt like he needed a bit more oomph but was pushing him long and flat rather than building and containing the energy and I missed a few strides until I learned to sit and wait for him but I never once felt like he was going to stop or spook at a fence or take off with me. When chatting at the end, the instructor said to let him go at his speed as it's obviously what works for him and I actually said "but when the jumps get bigger I feel like he'll need more in the tank". She laughed and said it was lovely to hear me say that but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it
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It was also our first trailer trip since I brought him home, straight on with no issues - I was really early as I had allowed 10 minutes to get him on and extra time in case he needed to take it all in when he arrived so he stood happily munching a hay net when we arrived and acted like he'd been there 100 times before. When I picked him up, the sales livery said they didn't think he'd ever worn travel boots and maybe try him with them on a shorter journey first so I left them off on the way and then tried him with them on the way home. Other than the silly walk, he didn't care and again went straight on to come home.
4 weeks in and I feel like I've hit the jackpot. He's just perfect, almost too good to be true. Part of me is waiting for it all to wrong because I can't believe I could be this lucky.
Wiggy and I took the plunge and went to a jumping lesson with a very encouraging, confidence giving instructor. I had waited until she was in the area for my first lesson (and my first jump on him) as I know how good she makes me feel about it all. We started over poles and then she put up the tiniest of cross poles. We trotted over it and he barely lifted his legs so next time round, I thought "If I canter he might actually jump." He didn't as he didn't need to, it was so small, barely an elevated canter stride! So we put it up a bit more and we finally got a little pop! By the end of the lesson we had cantered round a whole course of 6 jumps - all only about 50cm but considering I had a total mental block about cantering to a fence with Charlie, I felt like I'd taken on the world and won!
It wasn't always pretty, he has a much shorter stride than Charlie (as a 16hh cob opposed to a 17hh ISH) which I'm still getting used so I felt like he needed a bit more oomph but was pushing him long and flat rather than building and containing the energy and I missed a few strides until I learned to sit and wait for him but I never once felt like he was going to stop or spook at a fence or take off with me. When chatting at the end, the instructor said to let him go at his speed as it's obviously what works for him and I actually said "but when the jumps get bigger I feel like he'll need more in the tank". She laughed and said it was lovely to hear me say that but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it
.It was also our first trailer trip since I brought him home, straight on with no issues - I was really early as I had allowed 10 minutes to get him on and extra time in case he needed to take it all in when he arrived so he stood happily munching a hay net when we arrived and acted like he'd been there 100 times before. When I picked him up, the sales livery said they didn't think he'd ever worn travel boots and maybe try him with them on a shorter journey first so I left them off on the way and then tried him with them on the way home. Other than the silly walk, he didn't care and again went straight on to come home.
4 weeks in and I feel like I've hit the jackpot. He's just perfect, almost too good to be true. Part of me is waiting for it all to wrong because I can't believe I could be this lucky.
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