As I blogged last week we finally got all 4 feet off the ground (intentionally) for the first time in approx. 9months. Since then we've have a great deal of fun :)
We started the week on the Monday with lunging session on the pessoa and Jack was fine if slightly lazy! While I was there our YO was putting some xc fences out in our big field now the hay has been taken off and we can use this for the next few weeks until the cows arrive to graze on there for the autumn. So no time like the present we headed out to have a look at them on Tuesday my friend Jo with her lovely sensible horse Toby giving us a lead. We had a walk round the field and showed them the fences, which were only upto 60cm so nice and easy, and then had a trot and canter round to warm them up. Jack was keen but behaved himself and managed to contain his excitement even when the cows in the next field all ran over to the fence to see what we were doing! We then trotted over the first fence, which is just a little cross pole to get you going, then circled away coming again and doing fence 1 again followed but the next 2 which are small but solid xc fences. Jack was jumping brilliantly and Toby was giving us a fantastic confidence giving lead so we carried on and jumped the line of 5 no problem - I was grinning from ear to ear. Jack has never jumped so well the difference in his technique since his operation is amazing, his jump is so smooth and easy to ride and he was really coming up through his shoulders, he was also wanting to take the fences on and I didn't have to kick him at all I was able to just sit and let the fences come to us. What a difference! To finish, as Jack was being so good, I decided to try taking him in the lead to see what happened and was absolutely thrilled when he just jumped through exactly the same full of confidence, full of enthusiasm and really enjoying himself. I was on cloud 9, I honestly was doubting if we would ever be able to trust each other and enjoy ourselves like that again in recent weeks and I was absolutely blown away with how great it felt. This was just what we needed to get us back on track after a frustrating time feeling like nothing what getting any better of late.
As is the way with horses having been on such a high on the Tuesday Wednesday brought bad news, Jack was slightly lame :( There was no apparent reason and I couldn't find the cause. We have just moved them into a different field and there are a lot of stones so I was hoping it was just bruising from standing on a stone and not anything to do with the jumping the day before.
He trotted up sound on the Thursday so I took him for a little hack round the block for 30minutes and he felt fine again. We had a trot and canter back along the bridle path and he felt sound thank heavens! It was one of the nicest rides I've had on him on our own, he wasn't spooky or silly at any point and we had a relaxed and fun time.
On the Friday I was planning on going out into the big field again but not jumping as I was on my own. The field is on a gradient and there is a bank down one side so I was going to go up and down the bank for a bit of 'hill' work (we don't have any real hills round us!) but as I was tacking up my friend Marie arrived to ride and she wanted to join us and do some jumping. As we had had so much fun on the Tuesday I didn't take much persuading to jump again! The only thing was this time we would have to be the lead as her mare has only young and has just started jumping so the pressure was on he behave and be a good lead. The jumps where already really small as one of the other girls had used them earlier so they were ideal for a young horse. Jack bless him was so good giving her a great lead never hesitating or deviating from the line. He was growing in confidence and started taking strides out :)
Once Marie was happy with what she had done she put the adjustable fences up for me so I could jump through something a bit bigger.
Jack was a little reluctant to go away from his friend but he didn't do anything wrong he was just a bit reluctant. Once we got nearer the bottom of the field he perked up and when we turned to the jumps he was flying again he cleared 1 - 4 beautifully seeing a flyer at the 3rd, then all of a sudden between fences 4 and 5 he slammed the anchors on and started to bronc. I had to slip the reins to stop myself being pulled over his head but this gave him more chance to get his head down and buck! I managed to stay on and grab the reins back to pull his head up gave him a good few kicks and shouted a few profanities and as quickly as he started he was off again and flew the last fence like nothing had happened! Little monkey!! I was still absolutely thrilled with him and I think it was just excitement getting the better of him.
I had to give him the day off on Saturday as I had planned to ride in the evening but unfortunately it threw it down which wasn't forecast and I didn't have time to get him in a dry in time to ride so we had a quick loose school instead.
On the Sunday I got down to the farm early and took him out to the field again on our own and we did what we had planned to do on the Friday using the bank and gradient of the field to help get Jack using his back end more and strengthen his back and quarters. He was a little hesitant to go down to the bottom of the field out of site of the yard on his own but with plenty of reassurance and calm persistence we got there and then did 20minutes of trotting and cantering up an down the bank and up from the bottom of the field. He was very good and I could really feel him having to work over his back to power up the hill :)
That afternoon I went over to my best friend Lucy's to ride Jay for this first time since I took him to the show, we set up a little course of 3 jumps in their ménage and jumped him round a few times and he was ace as usual. I love jumping his little guy he is so honest its really nice to ride something so straight forward! He's inexperienced but he never says no even when he's not sure and he's great fun.
Lucy got some pictures of us in action, it's a shame I've not got any of me jumping Jack yet. I will try to get some next time :)
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