I was excited to see if we could ride this improved sitting trot at the Rivermont show.
Another new skill, cantering on the flat, was progressing rapidly too. Up until now, I've let Bandon canter off from fences, trotting the courtesy circle and most long lines between jump sets. Asking him for a canter on the flat usually resulted in him taking off like a shot. If my weight went into the saddle, he immediately came back to the trot. This super-speed vs no speed at all, was something I'd been meaning to tackle and it was time.
We started this past Monday, a day I was feeling particularly courageous, and it paid off big time. After circles at the canter Monday, I came off those circles and on to fences on Tuesday. He flew. It wasn't the smoothest start as once he jumped too soon and I felt his mouth a bit, another he landed and bucked a few good times, shaking his head hard before heading on to the next fence. By Wednesday we were cuing canter on the flat on both leads and jumping a 7 jump course (with no lead changes during).
Show day arrived and Bandon, coming off of nighttime turnout in the rain, decided he did not want to load. This is still a mystery to me as sometimes he will load pretty straightforward, mostly he will load after a few tries, but occasionally he just says NO.
Forty-five minutes later, quite tired and frustrated, we were loaded and heading out.
This particular show was a large one, the Green Horse classes had double the entries we had seen before and in the Crossrail flat classes we were in among 13 other horses. I was worried for his mind a bit since we'd been able to find our own space on the rail at his other two shows, not possible today as a circle to get off the rear of a slower strided horse put you heading back towards three others.
My boy did well, holding himself together as best he could in all the traffic. A few times he broke and a few others he did his violent head shake of frustration, all in all he listened to what I asked him to do. Our sitting trot was much improved and brought us a 6th place in the large EQ class.
Jumping was a blast! I was a little nervous how Bandon would act once cued to canter on the courtesy circle with all that pent-up flat class frustration fresh in his mind, I didn't need to be, while he was definitely quick and not at all jumping "hunter type" (no ribbons jumping for sure), he wasn't scared. No fear as we approached and cleared each little fence like he simply enlarged his stride for one count.
It was SO MUCH FUN! I was surprised that it didn't feel out of control, even the times that were too quick, I knew I could trust him and it was just the best thing ever to be out there riding him around a course letting him do his thing without worry about running over another horse or breaking etiquette on the rail in a crowded flat class.
I do believe Jumpers is in our future, he can stretch out a bit and we don't have to worry about him being or not being "hunter type" it's just us vs a jump course. That sounds like a lot of fun to me.
As pleased as I was with Bandon, I was also eager to get home and cheer on California Chrome in the Preakness. My darling horse however, had other plans. Almost an hour, 4 people, and a dressage whip later - he was back on the trailer and the race was over.
Good thing he's cute.
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