Storms and God time and Education

Today was Tuesday and that means lesson day. The original plan was to do a XC lesson to help put money back in our bank after our Chatt undoing. So I went to get Lyric from the pasture and noticed that there some thunder rumbles. The sky looked darker, but blue, so.. we carried on. I got to Ashland and it was looking darker. And then it started thundering harder. I got her groomed... and then I saw some lightning and it started sprinkling. Hmmm.... Shortly after I "hmmmmm"ed... Jacel and Laura came down so I asked what we should do. And then it started raining harder. So we put Lyric in the trailer and figured we would wait it out as it looked like a small little cell. 

So we were chatting and we got to talking about God and hearing Him. It's not "coincidences"... it's God telling us things. It was a bit of an emotional talk and I think both Jacel and I teared up a bit. But it was good. So good. I think we both needed it. And then... the rain was letting up and there were no more thunder rumbles, so... I tacked up. We decided that perhaps XC wasn't a good idea as it would be slick with the rain and the whole idea was to BUILD confidence... and slick wet grass was not going to be conducive to that. So we decided to do stadium instead. So we did. I tacked up and we headed up there.

 

Jacel set some fences while I warmed up and she talked about how Lyric was brave and forward over the fences at Chatt but now we needed to work on her footwork. She needed to slow her hind end in the air over fences because she was over jumping in the back. Which, I think, is what Kelly was saying about the video too. I know Kelly mentioned grids and bounces and such to get Lyric thinking forward but over the fence vs just up and flinging. So I'm pretty sure we're all on the same page, which is awesome! 

 

We started with the very low bounce that we had done with Dan the other day. Ahhhh, perfect! Because Lyric needs to learn how to do two strides in a two stride, and one stride in a one stride, and bounce the bounce! So we trotted through it first a time or two so she could look at it and figure it out. Then we came at the canter. The first time she almost stopped but didn't. She peeked, but then puked through it. Okay, fair.. you're green. But the second time through she wasn't really any bolder. So.. Jacel told me to close my leg and SEND HER! It got better but still wasn't great. So we stopped and chatted. She said that while she is green.. and she's allowed to look.. she has to learn to go! If I keep letting her puke through it and put 2 strides in.. she's going to think that it's okay to puke through things.. or even that that is what I want her to do. So... I allow the look the first time... send her the second time.. and if it takes a third time... she's really needs a bit of encouragement from the crop. Fair enough. So we came again and I sent her with my legs, while keeping my body back... we kept the forward. And she bounced it!!! Yay! We came off the other lead and she peeked again but I was ready and closed my leg and she made it through without having to add a stride. But it was lurchy. So we came again braver and she was figuring it out. We ended up doing it about 7 or 8 times total before she really figured out how to do it in a bold and forward out of stride way. But then she got it and was game about it. Repetition! I let her look and fumble through.. then I helped her through and allowed the green to happen... then I sent her through with a bit more help and insistence she did it correctly... and then we did it a few more times correctly to confirm it. Yay!

So then Jacel set up an oxer with a placing pole in the front and the back. Yikes! I figured that she was going to scramble and it would be awful and the poles would back her way off. Jacel thought so too. Ha! But she said to send her and see. So I did. And holy moly the mare just figured it out! She actually jumped it way better than either of us expected. Sure, she peeked a tiny bit, but she went and it was much braver and bolder than usual for the first time jumping something new. Alright!!! We did that a few times and it got wonky a time or two. I had to remember to not take my leg off and take it for granted. And she was throwing her right shoulder out so I had to open my inside/left rein and close my right leg to keep the forward momentum from slinging centrifigally out the side. But it worked. Jacel even raised it to max BN height. And she pointed out that it was helping to slow her hind end down. Which was the goal. It changed her form over the fences to where she was actually pushing off with the hind end vs just flinging over and forgetting she had a hind end. Sweet!

We then put the two together and they were fairly close to each other. But she was great! We did both directions and she was quite good about it. She even kept doing the bounce as a bounce. So then, after a few rounds of that, Jacel added a third fence. It was a low wide oxer. Oh gosh! And we just did it off the other two.. without doing it on it's own first. She cracked me up because the first time we went to it.. she went! But it was almost like as she took off she went "OH MY... that's WIDE... I must stretch my toesies out more!". Hee hee.. She did though. Super good girl! We came back to it by itself two more times to get her more bold but she figured it out quick. So then we did all 3 fences back to back a few times in each direction and other than me totally screwing it up once by getting ahead of the motion and taking my leg off, she was super!

I really think she likes stadium. She was having fun and seemed to be enjoying figuring out the footwork. Good girl!! And I'm figuring out how to ride her. I'm starting to be able to get a better feel for her and when she's going to take off and being better about waiting in my upper body and keeping my leg on. And I have to open the left rein to keep that right shoulder from flinging out. We also talked about how forward comes first. In the bounce, in the beginning, when she was on the left lead, she would drift a bit too far right and then it was harder for her to do the bounce. I asked Jacel about correcting that but she told me that.... yes... but she hesitated to say anything because she was afraid that in an effort to bring her shoulder to the left, I would shut down the forward. Ahh... she's probably right. BUT... like with Dan in my lesson... if I could ride forward.. but also add my outside leg to propel/guide that slight centrifigal drift to the right, back to the left/inside... while also pushing forward... and opening the left rein but not bringing it back.. then yes. Do that. So of course, the first time I tried, I screwed it up and shut her down. ha ha.. Here I was thinking "I'll show Jacel.. I can do it all".. ha ha.. But I couldn't. Ha ha.. I did though the next time. It was just a little harder than I though. But I worked on it and mostly got it. 

This is what happens when I don't do what Jacel tells me to do...

And the difference when I ride correctly. :) 

So yay. Super helpful lesson and I think we put money in the bank for her confidence! We headed back to the trailers and then I thought about taking her on a quick cool down hack, but.. we ended up meandering the parking lot instead. After her rinse I was leading her back and she suddenly got all tense and started spinning around me. But it was a horse fly attacking her! Poor girl.. she's so tall and he was on her back so I couldn't reach her, especially with her spinning. So I had to resort to whacking it with the lead rope. And I kept missing. So I was chasing her and she was already upset. Doh! Luckily I finally got it and then she settled down. Those things have been ruthless lately!