Gia - session 425 - fun in the field!

 I took Gia out in the field for her workout today.  We started with a bit of walking and working on stretching down.  She was a little nervous, and excited at first, but once she relaxed, she really got into the stretching.

Although I was expecting her to be a little naughty when I picked up the trot, she was actually pretty good.  Still a little nervous, but fairly well focused on me.  We worked on straightness and attention as we trotted around the fields.

After warming up, I put her towards some of the smaller jumps in the field, just to see how she would react.  If I remember correctly, the last time I asked her to jump in the field, she was quite naughty, but today, she was very well behaved!  I think she really enjoyed the jumping, and realized that she would get to keep doing it if she was good. ☺

There was one set of jumps that had a larger one in the middle, surrounded by two smaller ones on either side.  I had her pointed at one of the smaller ones, but she pricked her ears at the larger one, so I allowed her to drift over and take it.  It's very rare that a horse CHOOSES to take the larger jump!  Since she seemed so eager, I pointed her at a couple of other larger ones that she hadn't done before, including the Road Closed jump.  The first time we came to the Road Closed jump, I second guessed her and messed up her rhythm, but she took it anyway.  The second time through, she was on the wrong lead, but I just supported her, and she jumped it just fine!  The third time through, all the stars aligned, and the jump was AMAZING!  I do wish I had a video of it for you, but just trust me when I tell you, she was awesome!  She did stop at the down bank on our first approach, and hesitated on our second approach, but did it fine on the third approach.  She cantered after several of the jumps, so I just tried to support her in the canter to keep it going when she could.  I believe this is the first time I've really felt her true jumping talent - with an excitement for the work, in addition to really good form before, during and after the jumps.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gia - session 955 - lesson at CDP

 I had a lesson with Hayley today at CDP.  Gia felt great today!  We started with a nice, crisp walk, and then moved right into a forward trot.  We worked all over the ring with changes of direction and in a good, steady tempo, we also worked on lengthening and collecting the trot.  Gia was nicely obedient to everything I asked her to do.  When I first asked for the canter, I forgot to keep my arms soft, so it didn't last more than a few steps.  But the second time, I remembered, and stayed a little off her back as well.  It started awkward, and counterbent, but as I stayed soft and following with my seat and arms, she eventually figured out what to do with her body, and started to come nicely around my inside leg.  We did the same thing in the other direction (which is usually her bad direction), but it went really well!  We decided to quite while we were ahead after that!  Hopefully, this ride will carry into this weekend for the show! 
Read more

Gia - session 956 and 957 - War Horse schooling and show

 I took Gia to the War Horse schooling and show this weekend at the Carolina Horse Park.  When I got on Saturday morning, she started out quite tense - wanting to go up in the front, and up in the back as well, but not really wanting to go forward.  I finally did get her forward, eventually, and slowly, and we made it to the stadium warm up.  After warming up with some trot, and over a few jumps, we schooled the stadium course.  She was a bit nervous, but did OK otherwise.  So, on to cross country schooling.  She felt fairly the same on cross country - a little nervous, but at least by that time, she was moving forward.  She was a bit nervous about a couple of the jumps, and some of the soggy ground.  We "discussed" it, and then she was able to get over/through it.  She felt a lot more confident by the end. On Sunday, she felt fine when I got on for dressage.  I warmed her up in the grass, near the barns, first, where she could stay calmer.  She was fairly responsive and rela
Read more

Gia - session 947 - lesson at CDP

 I took Gia to CDP for a lesson today.  She was very good with her shipping boots this morning - no drama at all!.  She was also pretty good for getting on the trailer, with me on the off side.  She did get her head a little stuck on the wrong side of the divider, but I quickly got it unstuck, and she was good to go. I warmed Gia up deep and low at the walk and trot with lots of changes of bend and direction, all over the ring.  She was a bit spooky and resistant, but we worked through it, and she started to settle down, relax, and stretch her neck out a little.  I added canter transitions, and those went fairly well.   Susan worked with us today.  She had me focus on Gia's rhythm and the timing of her footfalls at all gaits.  She also had me focus on my straightness in the saddle and my alignment with Gia, as well as Gia's straightness on the circle, and through changes of direction.  We worked through transitions between the gaits, and they gradually improved, and I felt Gia
Read more