After Autumn

In conversation with a great jumper rider I was introduced to the other day, I realized that I had no idea what exactly I wanted Czech to do. As I went into detail on his jumping issues and that we'd backed off to just popping over a fence once a session, twice a week (pasture hacks the other rides), she asked what I'd like him to do long term.

Ummm... no real plan there. I would like to see what makes him happy and pursue that. I think he's going to like Hunter Paces and I'm committed to one already in 2014. Yesterday riding him out on trails I put him over some fallen logs to test the waters. He wasn't sure on the first then took the rest in stride with no issues making Paces seem like a good avenue to pursue with him.

He did jig for long stretches multiple times this ride and my body is still complaining from that today. I couldn't get him to settle in as much as he did the first trail ride 6 weeks ago but he was also more comfortable this ride with shoes on all 4 over the rocky ground. He's fairly brave and pairs well with horses that are a notch less excitable than he is. One of our trail companions was keyed-up and the 2 of them fed off each other enough that we needed to split off.

We led the trail a few times at a walk without much spooking and made it a point to put him in front each time we went faster. I laughed to Ash, my riding companion, that his ears were stuck on factory setting. He was responsive through the woods at a quick canter as long as we were in front and he didn't feel like he was chasing another horse down.

Czech is also an awesome equitation mount, he does get a bit hot and full of himself but he makes you look at him, and I can pull off my part once the eyes are on us. All that being said, I'm still no closer to a hard-fast goal for what I want him to be. We'll just see as we go I suppose.

Sage has been riding a few different ponies at Cindy's barn and already has a favorite lesson pony, Prissy.

Meanwhile I'm going to add some d-rings so I can put daisy reins on and with a new bit (full cheek) in the tackroom so Spotlight will better hear his little riders next weekend.

Bandon continues to stay sound barefoot. Not having to give him time off every few weeks for pulled shoes has been a Godsend. My goals for him are low Jumper classes next year and show exposure a few weeks ago helped move us closer. Next, I started exposing him to novel things around and under my plain bar jumps. At first he cleared flowers on their own, no problem, crossrails over them too, then today he suddenly saw them...

We worked through that and I flew on my horse the rest of the morning, clearing more jumps than Bandon ever has. He feels like he is "getting it" finally as he strides and pulls himself up at the base of the jump. He enjoys it and I'm trying to be careful to bring him along slowly without boring him.

I still have work to do on my jumping EQ, knee pinching and elbows coming out continue to plague me as I find balance. Being kind to myself though, I've stayed on a green horse learning to jump who has thrown me some curve balls including way over-jumping one jump this morning out of the blue after stopping short 5 minutes earlier. He and I grow together. I can't help but start patting him with my outside hand as he finishes a short grid for me, still at the canter.

I'm trying new ways to get him to round and use his rear including longe work and trotting up hills. A few times this morning he planted both hindfeet squarely to jump, a sign we're getting there.

In ten days it will be exactly one year since we lost Lake. Little did I know that his loss was just the start of a black cloud over our farm as old Ben passed in the winter followed by Whisper in the summer. Not a moment goes by in the saddle that I'm not grateful for what has been and where we've come from to now. Bandon and Czech embody that forward hope to me. I see Whisper's still-bare resting place when I hack the boys to the woods and I brush her hairs off Czech when I pull her old blanket off of him on these below freezing fall mornings.