Final XC Prep

Poor Lyric. She still didn't want to be caught today. She walked away from me earlier when I went out for Dan but did let me give her a cookie before she walked off. And then after I did some pillar work in the arena with him.. and then Funny... she was still hanging out in the sandy area with Fleck and let me catch her. So I took her into the arena and did about 10-15 minutes of pillar work with her too. She was good. She was a little better about dropping her nose and unlocking her neck, but still not quite the "relationship to contact" that I'd like. I rewarded her and turned her back out even though I knew I was going to have to catch her shortly for our lesson. 

Luckily they had all come into the barn for some shade and fans so I was able to just walk in the stall and halter her. She didn't try to run, so yay for that. 

We headed to Ashland for our last cross country lesson before RRP. I put her in the wonder bit because that rubber bit had been pinching her. Jacel said she thought that would be better than the metal double jointed elevator. I was leaning towards the elevator as I thought the cheek pieces might work better for steering, but I was afraid the metal vs the rubber would be too much and back her off too much. But yeah.. I do NOT like her in the wonder bit. 

We walked down to the field and I picked up the trot. And she was a runaway freight train. She was hanging on me and I had no half halt.. steering sucked. She was leaning hard and even with me digging my spur into her, she was not yielding her barrel. Jacel told me to go ahead and let her canter as she kept trying to canter. Ugh.. fine. So we cantered. And it didn't really get any better. Freakin' hormones. I thought I might cry. But I sort of forced myself to stay in the moment and listen to Jacel and not get in my head (or heart). I did complain to Jacel though about how awful she felt and how I did not like this bit. She told me that... this was the first time the mare had come out and was having fun. So LET HER! Let her have fun! Okay, but *I'm* not having fun. She also reminded me that she's a racehorse... and when you hang, they hang and go faster. Okay.. valid. I'm embarassed that I'm hanging on her face because I know better, but... I was. Sigh. So we played with moving both hands right or left, moving her barrel and basically... leg yielding her around to soften her up. Alternating half halts.. And it kind of helped. She wanted me to leg yield her to a starter coop and then jump it. From the trot. So we had to circle a few times as that shoulder was getting thrown out hard. But we managed it. And then we strung a few together and it got a little better.

Then she told me to come to the weird lincoln log hanging thing. The one that can be made to be much bigger. She had dropped it but it's still a hanging log over a tray/base. And pretty looky (at least to my eyes). So we started cantering to it. And Lyric scooted and practically bolted and got all scrambly around the turn and almost fell down. I was trying to be kind but ended up floating her teeth a bit because she scared me with the scrambles. And then we got in line and 3 strides and she jumped the fence. I'm not even sure she really saw it. BUT... she didn't stop. So we kept going and circled and came again and it was a tiny bit less scrambly. Jacel and I talked. She pointed out that she had to learn on her own a bit. And that I had to allow her. I could tell her "she's stupid" and "that was dumb" but she had to learn on her own. And... she kind of did. She also reminded me that while she might be squirrely before, she was cautious enough that she would back herself up at the fence. So... if I rode defensively and kept taking away because she was scrambly to the fence.. but kept riding that way at the fence, when Lyric was already backing off... I was going to end up asking her to stop. So... let her be a little stupid and then she will back herself off and eventually, it'll smooth itself out. Remember, she's green! Okay.. fair.. but to give myself grace, it's a little scary when she's scrambly. 

So then we went to the bank and she had me canter up the bank and carry on to the hogsback. And... I had just quit riding. I literally sat there and did nothing. She did go up the bank and she got to the hogsback and backed herself off. She thought about stopping and I finally closed my leg and added a little tap and she went. Almost from a standstill, but she went. Ugh. But Jacel pointed out... SHE WENT! She didn't shut down. She didn't say no. She didn't have a tantrum. She... just did her job. Despite me not doing mine. Well, ha. Jacel didn't say that. She actually said I did ride. Maybe not proactively but when she hesitated, I did do something. We talked about how I shouldn't have to drive and ride and push for every fence or every stride. I should allow it and then ride when needed. I needed to give her the ride she needed but also allow her to do her job. Okay.. makes sense. But I still felt like I could have been a little more supportive. So we did it backwards and it was okay. Jacel mentioned that she thought about having me do the banana jump, but I didn't have to. I was like "I kind of want to". Not sure why I said that, but.. I kind of did. It's not a big table.. though it is big and looky. So.. we went over the hogsback again to get back in the groove. And I rode that much better and it was smoother. Then we trotted down the bank and then we cantered up to the banana hammock. And stopped. Okay. Totally fair. That's a looky jump. I walked her up to it and squeezed my legs. She put her nose on it and I told her she was a good girl. I gave her a little soft tap with the whip and squeezed again and she took one step up to it again, put her nose on it again and then we rewarded her. We came back at the canter a second time (not off the bank) and she almost jumped it but I let my shoulders creep forward so she stopped. We repeated the "presentation" and then we circled and came again and she jumped it. She got underneath it just about but she jumped it. Good girl!!!

I told Jacel that I was actually kind of glad about it. In a weird way it made me feel better. That was a legit stop. Both times. And because she jumped it the third time without me having to resort to punishing her or really getting after her with the crop or being super aggressive and growling... it made me feel better. I felt like she was jumping because she was getting confident and having fun vs just jumping because she was afraid of me if she didn't. And then suddenly... my hormones were happy again. Menopause is WEIRD!

So then we carried on and went to the water. Jacel wanted me to jump a coop with a log on top, then go through the water, and then jump over the hanging log and then up the hill to the other hanging log. We cantered up to the coop and she stopped. Jacel said it was because she was looking at the chevron. Ha! But also because the last fence was hard. So we circled and I closed my leg and gave her a little tap and she went and then we went to the water and over the hanging log and then she was brave over the second hanging log. Okay. that's also fair. It got hard and weird. She got through it but then we threw another big new thing at her. So she stopped... but then we came again and she did it. Then she was a little chicken over the next fence but realized it was no big deal and went and then got brave over the last one. yay!

So then we went to the ditches. Jacel had us do a cabin to a coop, then over the bigger ditch, then over the small ditch, and then up over a little roll top. (HA!! Little... that one was huge two weeks ago!). The cabin was set in a really tricky place because of terrain. Well, at least for us, because the terrain was making it really really hard for me to get her shoulder straight. We ended up circling because she was so out in the shoulder. After our circle we were only marginally straighter and she jumped it but it was icky. She did jump the coop, although it was also awkward. And then our two ditches were a bit ridiculous and then she was super squirrely to the roll top and almost bolted at it but then slid at the base. But she did jump it. Good gravy. That was just... frantic! We picked up the canter and she was still squirrely and almost fell over again in the grass. But then she listened to my aids and was more cooperative. Yes.. let me help you fool! We repeated that little mini course and it was much smoother. So we quit with that.  

So... yeah. Not exactly the ride I wanted before the makeover, but... actually quite a good confidence inspiring one too. We had some drama but we survived. She wasn't stupid. Well, she was a bit but she wasn't ridiculously stupid. She didn't say no. I think we both gained confidence and I was able to do it without having to be aggressive and driving so much. But I still need to remember to encourage, even if she feels like she's bolting at them. And it makes my heart so much more at ease to know that she's jumping because she wants to vs because she's afraid. At least that's how I'm reading today. 

We headed back and I did a tiny little trot to make sure she didn't hurt herself when she scrambled and almost fell and she felt fine. Phew.

I hosed her off and then Kelli showed up and did her mane and tail. It's so short!! But looks good. Her tail is kind of a hot mess so there was only so much we can do. She rubbed so much of it that it looks like a toilet brush. But she was also fussy about Kelli messing with it so we opted to tidy it up a bit and just... leave most of it. I'll put goop in it to try to tame it and tamp it down. 

Then after we got home and she had an hour or so to chill, she got dinner, and then Russell came and tightened up her clinches so we don't have to stress about her losing a shoe (or stress as much).