Today Dan and I went to The Vista again for XC schooling. We had the farrier in the morning for Funny and Fleck and then I grabbed Dan and we headed to Ashland to pick up Laura and Smartie! It's always more fun to travel with friends... except for maybe Smartie doesn't agree. Ha ha.. I did tie Dan so he couldn't chew on him. But honestly, I don't think he did. He just wanted his alfalfa.
We got to the Vista and it was warm and sunny. We did a long walk to the starter to novice field and warmed up there. We jumped some things there and Dan felt great. He was jumping out of stride and we felt pretty good. We jumped all the bigger novice stuff, including that corner again. And did some of the technical stuff. Then we headed over to the training and prelim field. (Which, I was wrong... the stuff we schooled before Full Gallop was training and unlikely prelim.. the blue corner was novice). We did a few things that were on the smaller side and he was super. He felt like he was bold and jumping out of stride! I was "breaking him up" by wiggling the bit his mouth a bit and asking for a bit more flexion in my turns to the fences. So... I do think that getting him unlocked at the base of his neck is helping. I was also counting strides... and when he wasn't locked, I could see 3, 2, 1 jump! And I was comfortable sending him if needed or holding if needed. And even when I held him, he still felt like he was jumping more out of stride and from a more powerful place. So then we started doing some of the scarier stuff. We did the corner and this time he jumped it first attempt! Then we did the big green table and it was much better than our last visit. Still a hair sticky but again, more because I held him vs sending him than because we both sucked back. We jumped the big giant log and the upright rolltop thing again. And he was good. Then we did some of the water stuff but there wasn't anything too exciting there. Other than... a darn chevron into the water. It was so tempting because it was a smaller and more inviting chevron... but it was associated with the water. Why?! Why can't I just have a chevron to jump on it's own.. without the combo part?? Although in retrospect.. the water a few strides after landing might have been incentive to Dan. CANNONBALL!! So instead.. we headed to the chevron with brush near the bank complex. I asked to do it... and then chickened out. I rode him up to it and at the last stride I gave up and tipped forward. So he squirted to the side. Argh. We did that 3 times. I just.... couldn't make myself brave enough to send him over it. I think he would have gone... but he felt me say "no... actually". Sigh.. So we decided to work on it at home.
So then we "galloped" over the ditch and he was fine. So then there was a prelim coffin set up. Two upright coops with brush on an S line over the ditch. Jacel wanted us to jump the ditch to the out coop. I came into the ditch way too hot 2 or 3 times and pulled him out of the coop. Or just didn't send him to the coop. Argh... So then Jacel told me to jump the coop to the ditch. The first time we missed the ditch but the second time we did it and then I carried around and did it ditch to the coop and got it. It wasn't super pretty but we did it. Sigh.. So then I was all disappointed in my self and sort of felt like I might cry. Ugh.. Everyone was pretty much ready to be done and go home, but I wasn't. I told them that while I knew all the rest of the day was great and I was so pleased with him and myself for the other things... I was going to fixate on the bad parts since that was the end. So the others headed back in and Dan and I stayed out to finish up. Jacel sent Llama back without her, but Laura stayed with Smartie even though she had gotten off. So.. Jacel told me to do a few jumps in a row to end. We did the bench to the corner to the green table to the tree to the blue raised roll top thing. The first time was okay but I was holding a hair. Jacel said that it was fine because the adds were there. Had we not added, they would have been huge fliers. Okay, but.... "Do it again then!". So we did. Only we just did the tree to the table because I didn't want to punish him for me being a chicken. And this time he was brave and forward and out of stride. yay! Even if the last one was a tiny bit of a long spot. :) But yay!! Okay, now I can quit and be happy!
Danny felt good today though. Much more forward and happy. He didn't feel lame. And he was even a lot less cranky. Maybe the gabapentin really is helping. Which... opens a whole other can of worms regarding showing and... such. But.. we'll focus on the good jumps today!
Not great still... but better.
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