Back In The Tack

I've now ridden exactly twice in the last 2 weeks. However, the vacation is over and starting today I'm back to my normal 6 day a week ride schedule for the rest of my life until Xmas break.

EC thinks my stirrups on my jump saddle are still too long, looking at my limited media it does look that way...I'm not sure if it's our combined conformation or the tack, but I end up in a a bit of a chair seat on Bridget and so it feels better to leave the leathers longer. However,  that's not doing me any favors over fences so I'd best suck it up, shorten those stirrups,  and take the advice I pay for :)

I knew the break was needed, because I missed Bridget, and missed riding but I didn't miss riding BRIDGET.  Maybe that's a sign of bigger changes to come, maybe not. I don't have the energy or desire to think too hard on that right now, I like the pony and we'll muddle our way through the not so great rides and not so great months as we always do :)

Remember that time I tried to get media? Spoiler alert, I didn't repeat the attempt tonight. Here's a bad screenshot from that one time. Also, T, shorten your leathers already so you actually put weight in your heel!!

Tonight's lesson was a jump one. My saddle felt slippery and weird and the stirrups ever so short to start. Funny how little time off it takes before you start feeling those sorts of things.  Due to recent pony apocalypse events, I warmed up as if it was a dressage ride - namely she had to be round and soft in the contact, and super straight and forward. That's something I should probably do all the time anyway, but especially on jump nights, I've been known to let her go around with her nose poked out and shoulders drifting so long as she is honest about being forward. "Hey! Jumping is fun, like a little time out from real work even!". Obviously, that approach, although well intentioned, is not wise. Give a pony an inch...and being offended by anything slower and rounder becomes an option all the time. So flatwork now gets to be flatwork, regardless of what events are to follow.

But I did at least draw you our Course du jour, fences range 2'3 -2'9" ish (the oxers,  of course. Thanks for that, EC;)!

And, we actually had a super lesson. I've finally got a feel for the canter I need, she's finally got the gears to provide it. She's also feeling super confident, because Best Barn Rat has adopted the Bridget cause. She's pretty much the only person ever who claims to have fun jumping Bridget. Lucky for me! It's so easy to be envious of her talent,  but the girl works very hard and I'm sure will achieve her dreams based on that work ethic rather than the innate talent, leaving me with no excuses not to keep trying to be better too! Anyway, Best Barn Rat has been schooling B over all the things while Im away and I'm incredibly thankful for that. I highly recommend outside help if you're like me and don't always have the experience or timing to be training your pony over bigger fences. Highly confidence boosting for us both to have someone more experienced step in now and then, so B gains confidence and knows she's capable, and I get confidence from B. I have a much easier time riding her well when she's confident and taking me to the fences, so much easier to do things right when the pace is consistent and I'm supporting rather than actively driving her to the fences.  I still managed to biff the distance in the two stride multiple times, failing to keep quite enough pace coming out of the first, but I never got panicky about it and pony bailed us out like NBD. Yay for confidence jumping all the things!

More dressagin', coming up soon...and probably more fuzzy screenshots,  too!

Next events on the calendar: Friday: Barn jump school day. Monday: Dressage lesson. Next weekend: XC Clinic in Vancouver (Langley).