Deep Creek Training

Today was the first day of training at the cross-country course at Deep Creek. We had a great time - the weather is getter warmer and it always starts to make me a little more cautious - but Traveler was great during the lesson. He silently whinnies (or I would call it almost chortling). It's his "admire the girls" whinny, like "hey, good looking." He doesn't do it audiably - but I can hear his breath go out in this whinny and feel his sides shake. That's as far as he tried to take it - so that was good. I love riding a stallion in the late summer, fall, winter and part of the spring. Full-fledged spring is not my favorite time of the year - I just have to be extra vigilant and sometimes, I don't want to have to spend the energy dealing with "stallion" things.

But he was VERY good - and so we had a great time. As far as the tarp obstacle - I'm not sure this would count, but it's as close as we have come to attempting this obstacle. Traveler had to jump a vertical and then jump over a tarp, held down by two blue barrels and having only a narrow jump space to make it over.

The first time he took this jump - he did it! (a couple of other horses refused the first time.) He jumped that tarp like there were alliagtors biting his hooves. It totally caught me off-guard, but I landed straight down, back into saddle and stirrups and we kept going.

He had the best trot on the flat work part of the lesson - it was by far the best trot I have every had - light, floating and collected with no hesitation. (It was like I was a REAL dressage rider, in stead of just "faking" it all this time.) He went around the arena 3 times like this and it was like I was riding a cloud. It was so cool and probably the best part of this lesson. As I told my friends, I have only worked 4 years toward this goal........ Now to get the canter like this... We did get some compliments on our canter work - so it's improving.

We did a little jumping on a grid and Traveler did really well. I can't complain at all about him - we weren't the best or the prettiest, but we did it. (I call us "scrappy".) And everyone always compliments Traveler on what an "honest" jumper Traveler is - he doesn't play any dirty tricks and I really don't worry about if he is going to jump the obstacle - I am more concerned about how high he is going to jump it.

We did have a couple of "oh, my goodness" jumps - where I can feel that we are going so high in the air, that it's going to be a little bit of a rough landing. But there is no way Traveler is going to touch those poles.

Tomorrow is more acutal cross-country obstabcle jumping - and I am looking forward to it. I just want to be safe and have fun. (And jump really high) (At a gallop).

This picture was taken exactly 1 year ago at Deep Creek. This was our worst "oh my gosh.." moment. (actually, I might have made a comment a bit more "earthier") That jump wan't all that high and he is jumping it like it's on fire. When I feel him go this high in the air - I just hold on and pray because there is no way I can go gracefully back into the saddle after getting this much air.

Thankfully, we have come quite a ways since this. (I don't think I still would be jumping if we hadn't.) Until tomorrow.......