Today I decided to pop over a couple of low jumps (no higher than 2'3") at a trot. Coaster was feeling good, he was listening and it is kind of hot so I figured he wouldn't try anything stupid. Let's just say we will be trotting fences and doing gridwork until the day before the jumper show! He was a freaking freight train!!
I guess I can't be disappointed because he was great on the front side of the fences, he just would stick his nose out and down and pull on the the backside! I set up a grid (trot in x-rail, one stride to vertical) and this helped a little bit. I also did the stop and back up about ten strides after the jumps. Other than the pulling after the jumps he was good - I was very proud of him. These are all issues we've had before and it wouldn't be fair for me to expect him to be perfect on his first day back jumping since May.
Tomorrow I will set up cavellettis (I'm thinking raised trot poles set at 9' apart) and then maybe a line of low canter bounces to get him rocked back on his hind end again. He is really coming along with his lateral movements at the walk though. On the right rein he is very good at the shoulder in, but he is so stiff on the left - he really just doesn't want to give me his left jaw/poll. Just means more strengthening and stretching work to the left I guess...and I'm going to make a huge effort not to let him train me to hang onto that rein and completely let the right rein flop - which is exactly how he would LOVE to go around. He is such a weird horse.
I'm off to look through my jumping exercise books to find some fun grids to set up over the next two weeks!
2 comments:
I love grids. But that's probably because I do equitation (but only sometimes, when I feel like it).
My friend and I have been doing some conditioning hillwork. Not that our horses are unfit, per se, but her mare has an awfully big belly (but DEFINITELY not pregnant, she's been here over a year and all we have are geldings) and needs the work. I join her because I figure it can't hurt! We've got a big show coming up next week, and the more prepared we are the better!
It's so fun prepping for jumper shows - I love it!
I love grids too, mostly because you just point the horse in and the rest of it is their job to figure out ;)
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