So, in an effort to kick the teeth out of our 'not getting out XC
enough-itis' Belles and I did a pair of XC schools this weekend:
Saturday at Bucks with Jane and then Sunday at Olde Hope with the Jane
that owns OH, not my Jane Cory Jane.
Bucks was a quick lesson because it started pouring on us (and then I
went hacking with Carl and Spot Check afterwards, since we were both
already drenched--he had been working on riding by himself while I had
my 2/3rds lesson). We worked over some of the BN and N fences up at the
air strip and founder's field, stringing together long bits of 3-6
efforts for out initial warm up goes; the notion was to right from the
start have her galloping, going someplace, and not just doing jump/stop.
She was super good over all the things we were doing, very bright and
forward. We worked the Irish bank longways and she was a little sluggish
there, got bolder, and then we worked the Training two step. This is a
bank complex set into a tree line and fairly hard to see where you are
going from the bottom, and she just was reluctant to enter the space. We
got in there, jumped up OK but not great, and sort of clambered the
second step. Jane decided it was not the bank but the area of the bank
that was her deal, so I booted her up the ramped side to stand in the
middle, then dropped her off the lower step. Went around to the top and
dropped both, lather rinse repeat til she was cantering happily around
and down. Turned around and TROTTED up the double step, which she did
fine, then cantered it once and called it a good lesson. Headed over to
the ditch and went back and forth across the ditch a few times, bolder
each effort, and called it a day.
Olde Hope is a long haul and I was worried about storms in the forecast,
but we went on down. I got there about 1/2 an hour early and a girl from
the prior lesson trotted up to tell me to toss on tack and come join
them ASAP to beat the thunder. I brought Belles down and we did a short
warm up, trotted around a bit, then did a 'grass maze' so Jane could see
how broke she was on the flat--it was a concentric path mowed into the
field a bit shorter than the rest of the cut grass, and you spiraled in
on a pattern which got tighter as you went. Belles was very good. Then
we did a little lengthening and shortening in trot on a large circle to
demo our gas pedal and brakes, did a little canter with some of the same
lengthen and shorten, and off we went to start jumping.
First we just did some little logs in a half circle berm with a larger
center log, a smaller pair of logs on either side, and micro logs on the
farthest part of the circle. A frondy sort of plant was in between each
log, giving it a nice visual break up for the horses. We did the medium
logs at trot, then went on and cantered a micro bench and a small coop
afterwards. Belles wanted to peek but popped over nicely enough. Then
the larger log back and forth, then that to a looky gate, landing and
turning left to a nice line of coops where I was to pick my coop. She
was more up and off the ground for that line, going very boldly to the
log and looking but staying up for me for the gate and coop. Then we did
the coop S curve to a wooden fence, which she did in fine style. For our
last effort in that area we did the furthest coop and a tighter S curve
to a looky pipe fence, which she peeked at but did not do a huge peek.
Next we went across the gravel drive and by the giant TeePee, turned and
came back across the drive and over a nice inviting coop. She was good
but not as bold as I would have liked; jumped back the other way much
better and then back into the first field quite well indeed. Next we
went down to a TINY trakehner set coming out of the woods; we looped
through the woods, came over it with a peek and a lot of kicking, then
went back over it the same, then jumped it both ways very boldly.
Next we went down to the pond area and did a loop through the woods,
coming out to do a fairly steep swale with a small vertical just as the
ground started coming up. She was forward but wanted to trot it, not bad
for finding her way over some funky approach terrain. Her second time
through she went neatly and brightly.
Next we went to work on the banks. First we did a ramp up, drop down,
few strides, ramp up, bigger drop down. Like Bucks, I would have liked
her more forward but she plonked over everything without a fuss; next we
just did the second one, then looped around and did the bank on an
angle, up the ramp and up the second step on a diagonal. She rolled
right up it in lovely style. Next, the other direction, two steps up. It
was a N two step, much easier than her bank of the previous day. She did
the set up really nicely, came around and jumped up with a lot of
booting but kept her gogo. One more time and she did it with a good
gallop in and up, very nicely. We patted her up and declared her done in
that area, walked out to the first field again.
Now we did a roll top (N) towards the woods, looped around and came back
the other way over it, then out and down into a swale over a skinny
white beech log with good terrain questions. She was careful but
forward, then got a good gallop to go up over a N ramp with a down hill
landing, also forward but careful. Not the wrong kind of careful, if you
know what I mean. Next we did a black airy looking rail fence, more
significant in size. She decided she wanted to peek, bulged her shoulder
through my aids and stuck in a stupid little stride, jumped WAY too
close and left one leg back. WHACK. She stumbled hard on landing, picked
herself back up into stride, and without stopping I swung her in a big
circle and galloped back. She *knew* that she hit that fence because she
blew off my aids--and she was right up and ready, did it super sharp the
second time. Next we jumped a pipe into the woods, came around and did a
faux chevron on the way out. She was sticky in over the pipe but not
horrid, and very sharp and bold over the chevron. We did the pipe one
more time, which she did very well.
Off to the ditch. I picked up a little canter, let her drop to a forward
trot, and while she stared hard she skipped over it nicely, then came
around and cantered over it without missing a beat, turned around and
jumped it well coming back the other way. Before we ran out of horse we
headed off to our last area, the water. We did a little half circle walk
through, then trotted in and jumped the bank up out. Next we did the
drop into water, which she did well also. Then we came in on an angle
and did the ramp in, crossed the water, and jumped a log on the way out.
No problemo. We did stadium vertical coming in and crossed to jump the
log out; the first time she picked her feet up high and trotted over the
vertical without jumping, but I gave it to her because she was forward
all the way with intent to go. The second time she cantered in without
any sucking back or peeking, jumped in, crossed the water and jumped up
over the log and out.
Good girl Belles! Starting to get rolling again! About half way into the
lesson we get about where we used to start out, but hey, it's coming!
Eileen Morgan
The Mare's Nest
http://www.themaresnest.com
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