Catching up!

I am very behind with posts, I'd like to say it's because life has been busy, but things haven't been any more busy than normal!

Following on from dressage club two weeks ago, we went for a bush ride on Sunday and then because we had a long weekend I went XC training with two friends. It was an eventful day, but Henry was a perfect angle and though we didn't do too much we jumped our first solid jumps in months and had a fun time. 

Thursday just gone I had a jumping lesson. It's been weirdly warm (thanks climate change!) and Henry was feeling a little lethargic. Though looking back while I didn't think he felt forward enough I think he just wasn't in front of my leg enough!

Warming up we were all over the place and when my lesson started I thought it was going to be a bit of a shit show. Bec pretty much had one of those moments of what are you doing, you know how to do this, but I just struggled! We were trotting over a line of poles and I needed to get Henry to lower his poll and work over his back. He was being resistant and making me work hard and I was letting him! However once I convinced him to do it properly, it set the tone for the lesson and while we worked really hard, it was brilliant. 

After trotting over the poles getting Henry working over his back and lifting correctly, Bec built a line of 3 bounces. The turn to the bounces was tight off both reins which worked in our favour, helping to sit Henry up on his hocks. I started on the left rein and we had a few really good attempts, getting more accurate and better turns as we went through each time. It really showed when I was using my outside aides to turn Henry and it made life so much easier.

Off the right rein, the exercise showed our weaknesses, with Henry struggling to keep the canter through the turn and then switching leads as he went to take off. Once we worked out what he was doing, I firmed up my position to keep the canter to the right and I knew three strides out we had the exercise nailed. I am also weaker to the right so it is much tricker for us both that way.

We moved onto the next exercise, a skinny up right left over another upright, landing right back over the second jump and finishing on an oxer. We got it right the first time, and I was so proud! We repeated the upright to oxer to get a closer takeoff at the oxer and we were done!

It ended up being a super lesson and though we worked really hard it showed all our work. My outside rein was so much better, and it showed throughout the lesson. I was also far more effective with my position and Henry was supple, willing and found it easy but also hard work, if that makes any sense.