Mother Knows Best

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday...I know my horse best, and I need to just follow my gut sometimes. Because I didn't, I now have a sore butt!

I took Moose down to Chesapeake City, MD to ride in a cross country clinic with Stuert Pittman yesterday morning. She was much more like her good ol' laid back self...yay! We popped over a lot of jumps and kind of just let her see as much as possible.

I have been learning Moose's jumping style. She gets really thrown off very easily if anything isn't extremely straight forward. Even adding ground poles in front of a jump can really fluster and confuse her. She's still very much in the experimental phase of learning p jump...she tries new ways of taking jumps almost every time so I'm just keeping the jumps low and simple and staying quiet and letting her figure it all out. She really hasn't jumped all that much (ever) and we've only just started jumping again after a winter of just flatwork. I also know that at the beginning of a ride she's sloppier and more flustered. Then if I did my job right, she gives me some really good relaxed jump efforts. Then, if I stupidly keep pushing her, or I jump her one jump too many, she starts to tire and get sloppy again and may even shut down on me again. So I try to end her on a good note and not push her til she gets sloppy again. The progress is slow but there is progress.

Well I wasn't planning on jumping her quite so much or so high at the clinic but I listened to Stuert. Moose was being a champ...sure she stopped at some goofy looking jumps but she just needed to look at them and then shed go over on try number 2. I think she's just the type of horse that needs to have a gazillion little jumps under her belt for her to build her confidence and then we will have a big breakthrough someday where she will stop questioning and just go over whatever is in front of her.

Well Moose was sloppy at first, then she really pulled it together and wa s even seeing some distances and taking some nice BN fences with good form and confidence and I remembered just how exhilarating riding a good horse xc can feel.

I would have ended her there. We pushed her a little with some more height than shes seen so I would have stopped whole we were ahead...but the clinician asked us to try another line...the first jump was a novice fence and presented like a big, dark, looming wall...and was bigger than I've ever asked moose to jump. And now she was getting tired too. But we tried...ad you know, she came in like she was going to try for me...but she got right up to the base of the fence and seemed really confuse as to why there was no room to take off, and chested into ito. We tried again but her confidence was taken down a notch, and she panicked at the base again and I came off. I got back on and tried to jump the smaller jump next to it that she had already jumped but it seems she got really thrown off and stopped at that one too. I got her over a couple of little jumps again and ended with a good note. But I should have followed my gut and said Moose had enough before we even tried that fence. She needs more confidence over little fences before I ask for more height...I think she really just couldn't figure out where her feet needed to go to make it over that height.

But she was awesome. I was so proud of her. I have a few bad videos and equally bad photos but I do have video of my fall so as soon as I get my camera back from Corey I'll share it!

I also finally just followed my gut and tried a new bit setup for moose for jumping xc. She seems to get thrown off and flustered if she's trying to focus on a jump and I try to talk to her with the reins at the same time, and can get dramatically upset by even a teensy half halt sometimes. I really think she doesn't like the tongue pressure, and will also get distracted by the bit and pull it back with her tongue to bite it.

So I decided to try a Myler so it had some bend and give to it but could collapse completely so she can't fold it with her tongue to bite it, and she held it in her mouth much more quietly than her other bit, but still a little distracted/overly offended by it xc. I don't want to bit my little sensitive princess up...not my style. So knowing how much she doesn't like nosebands, I tried my old kineton, which goes over the nose and hooks under the bit, so nothing is restricting her from moving her jaw, and when I use rein, it puts pressure on the nose and keeps te bit from being pulled down around her lower jaw. It also keeps the bit more stable. She really seems to like it! A LOT! She doesn't fuss and bite it or try to spit it out, and I feel her in my hand all the time...she's not afraid to reach into my hand and move forward, and when I need to adjust her when cantering around our course, she rocks back for me without sucking behind the bit, falling on the forehand, or freaking out. She felt really confident and steady in it. My fall also proved how much she likes it. The last time I fell off Moose and hung on the reins I thought we were both going to get seriously hurt. She freaked out and reared and threw herself around in panic. This time, I hung on the reins, and she just kind of shuffled to the side and stopped. I feel certain she would have freaked out if I didn't have that kineton on her keeping the bit up off her tongue and lower jaw. She just can't stand that feeling. So hopefully she continues to enjoy this set up. I ordered her a loose ring myler to try for dressage...I'm hoping she likes it. I'm hoping she finally feels content and happy with holding the bit rather than spitting it out or biting at it.


And here's a quick update on some of the projects!

Greyson is doing great under Kaddies patient riding and now Jess is riding him as well. His canter is relaxing and becoming much more balanced and therefore controllable. Kaddie even took him out xc and reported he jumped everything like a champ!

Bubbles also had a xc outing and was also a champ, jumped whatever I pointed him at quite politely. He also had a jump school in the ring and did awesome. He's starting to chill out an settle into the idea of his new job. I'm hoping to throw him in a lesson or two a week to see how he rides for the kids.

Bear and Quigley are still just doing fat camp!

Doc ha his ups and downs but Kaddie is figuring him out and he looks more chipper every ride.

Red is starting to mentally accept going back to work so right now we are just workig on filling in some of the holes in his flatwork. He's quite crooked and tries to hind behind the aids do I'm trying to get him to keep his body straight and step more confidently forward and into the bridle, but he's a quite anxious guy so it will take a little while to get him consistent.

Buster is doing well and getting more balanced and confident but sadly my size difference to him is starting to cause problems...I can't canter him! I'm too big and wobbly up there to stay balanced as he learns to canter with a rider, so at the moment I am brainstorming as to what to do...im thinking I'll try my smaller lighter western saddle that I used I ride ponies in for fun and see if it's more stable on him. If that doesn't work, I may have to get him solid w/t and solid canter on the lunge and have to get a confident super balanced kid to canter him, but I don't want anyone to get hurt...buster rally doesn't like cantering with a rider!

I actually had two very successful jump schools on Pav so we will see what time brings us with him. Hopefully I can keep him laid back about his jumps.

Off to bed in prep for a full warm day of riding and teaching!