Back in Training

I have been reading all of your posts and attempting to reply - but for some reason I keep getting kicked back to the login page again and again - so I just have to say that I absolutely love the picture of Aiden and his dam from the Family Reunion post. What a beautiful picture!! What beautiful horses!!!

We are back in training - me and my herd of "boys" after a vacation to the midwest to visit family. I have one more mare to confirm pregnant - the vet is coming tomorrow and then all Traveler's work is done, in that regard.

I returned home on Sunday, did laundry on Monday and starting setting up lessons. Traveler and I had a private dressage and jumping lesson scheduled for Tuesday morning so I thought I had better get him back in the right frame of mind before the lesson and rode him Monday night. He was not thrilled with idea and reverted back to all of his old avoidance habits - heavy on the forehand, running out his left shoulder - etc. But after about 20 minutes it was better and probably as good as it was going to get for the day, so we ended it there and I headed over the next morning with some trepidation about the lesson and how cooperative my partner was going to be.

Amazingly enough - as I told my husband later - the lesson we had and our riding time together was a perfect example of what you want to achieve from riding. We had a great time, dressage was fine - we were getting back into it and he was listening. Our instructor complimented us on finally getting the trot to a place were Traveler was moving like a warmblood - and then off to the fun stuff.

He was absolutely perfect in jumping - we started out really easy with just a couple of cross rails because I will admit to being a little bit chicken and then upped the ante. We sailed over logs, ramps, ditches, trekkaner (sp?), and verticals with flower boxes. We jumped up and down the bank and then up the bank and over a cross-rail and down the other side. And finally we ended up with jumping large barrel, tipped on it's end so it REALLY narrow with two guide poles. This took us a couple of tries to jump it squarely, but we did it in the end. He was so awesome - never hesitated and seemed to be really happy to be "working" again.

This is the reason I ride Traveler and why I jump - other days I wonder what on earth am I thinking - but I am going to revel in this one moment of partnership we had.

Then the next day I took one of Traveler's sons up to the trainers to get some pointer's on finishing him and he did great - in the round pen. He was less confident on the trail - but it will come with time. There used to be a time when Traveler would not be the lead horse on a trail ride. Now you have to get out of his way - because he has all the confidence in the world. So it all comes down to ride time, ride time, ride time. We did do a nice trail ride that ended up with us scaling up the side of a mountain and me hanging on to my little green gelding's mane - but he just clamored up with ease and didn't put one step wrong. The trainer got a chuckle when I asked him if this was what he would consider to be an easy trail ride. But we did it and the next time I won't be so nervous and he will have more confidence.

Traveler and I are due to compete again with the "big dogs" in a month - so it's all about training, training, training now.