Gia - session 287 - jumping at CDP

 It's been a couple of weeks, but Gia and I finally got back out to CDP today for a lesson with Hayley.

I warmed up with some stretching, leg yielding and circles at the walk and trot.  She was a little looky, but not too bad.

There was a jump set up near the dreaded gazebo that Hayley had us start with.  It was a tiny jump, but I knew it would be difficult since it was close to the gazebo, oh, and there were dogs and part of a roll top right next to it to ...  But by keeping my eye on the jump, using an opening rein, keeping her feet moving, and waving the whip a little near her face on the opposite side, we were able to get over it several times.  The first few times were definitely a mess, but once she realized that nothing was going to kill her, she went over it rather nicely.

Then we proceeded to work over a small course.  Our main focus was to keep a regular tempo before the jump (not get too fast), and for me to get a little left behind over the jump so that Gia had to work a little harder and pay attention a little better, rather than jumping and running away.  I also had to focus on staying straighter after the jump before using a circle to help her balance.  Things were a little messy in the beginning, but by the end, she was really getting the hang of it!

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