Shows = eh, not so much...=P

I helped out at a show last Sunday. Let's just say, it didn't go down too well. One person showed an EPSM Hano at the show in the 2' baby hunters and did pretty well considering the horse was only just recently started O/F and doesn't have solid lead changes. She didn't place, but he stayed calm and that was their main goal. He got a second on the flat though, yay! =D 


Noodle was a little difficult haha. He schooled fine, and so he was brought into the 2'6". He wouldn't go away from the horses - he sometimes get separation issues, and he ran around a lot of jumps. They entered him in the 2' after, same results. =/ Anyways, there was another girl who has a very stubborn pony, and he was stubborn too. They are probably getting her a new pony because she is having problems with him - he's too green. Ah well.


I'm showing on April 17 at my barn. I'm a mixture of really really excited and nervous. I'm only going to show in the 2' stuff for that first show because, if all else goes wrong, she can trot over it haha. Plus, the 2' is in the indoor, so she has no where to go if something happens. I'm also hoping to do the Open Pleasures. I can walk, trot, and canter Sasha with no contact and a long, loopy rein. I can two-point my canter, and basically place my hands on her withers and she just lopes around haha.! =D 


I rode in the outdoor the other day. It went alright, considering I have only ridden her inside. I rode her in the indoor for 25-30min walk, trot, canter. She was a little nervous and fidgety outside, so I only walk/trotted. I think some of her "fidgety"ness was because she needed to pee haha...I brought her back to her stall and yeahhh...=P


So, overall, life has been good!

Wow!

So the last few days have been fudging AH-MAZING!

It feels like I'm finally under control and handling Sasha well. =D I...

Wait for it......

Jumped a course with Sasha! She was so good Friday over a single that I went right on to do a diagonal than turn sharply to take a jump right off the rail...oh yeah, this was only using half of the arena which is 180 x 80ft....so it was 90 x 80ft, not exactly huge. Sasha wanted to get quick between the second and third jump, but the turn was so tight [nearly a pivot] that she had to slow down. I also did my first line with her since the trial ride. Not a huge achievement, but I'm happy. She wanted to get quick at first and get four instead of five strides, but we sorted that out.

I rode this morning, and did the same course. She didn't get quick at all! I was ecstatic!

So yeah, I'm really happy. I'm just annoyed because I'm leaving to ski for a week tomorrow. =[ Just when we were getting places!

Sorry I've been bad.

I know, I was bad AGAIN. >.< I'll try to make it not happen again [o.O]

Anyways: Friday's lesson was meh. Sasha got a little strong jumping, but I halted her a few times after the jump and that smoothed things out. Saturday's lesson [my Sunday lesson was moved to Saturday morning - horse show season.! My RI is teaching at shows on Sunday now.] went supercompletelyfabulouslyAWESOME.! I got Sasha going the best I ever have!

She was lunged for about 15 minutes and then I got on. I worked a lot on the flat - spirals, circles, the works! Sasha was very quiet and responsive, and I worked her on a loose rein. My RI wants me to do that to encourage her to stretch down, extend and relax so we can collect her later and get her on the bit. Baby steps. Anyways, the jumping went well. Sasha and I need to work on her flying changes a little - she was getting sloppy/I wasn't collecting her enough so she was getting lazy with her hind end. Uh-oh! That needs to go! =] I spiraled in after the jump, but Sasha barely needed it - she was nice and quiet to begin with! It was an exercise.

I have this week [and next week.!] off from school. I don't have Feb./April break though. I clipped Sasha's legs, whiskers, ears, and bridle path. I expected her to flip or spaz because it's Sasha and she is usually a spaz haha....she was really good! I did it over two days because she was touchy with her ears so I worked on desensitizing her. No ear plugs or anything, my mom and I were just like "let's try and clip her ears!" The clippers are really really quiet though - you can barely hear them over the birds tweeting and the horses trotting in the arena, etc.

I also have ridden Sasha bareback three times. I gathered up my courage Sunday night to cool out bareback, cooled out with a short trot session bareback Monday, and cooled out/more trot sessions yesterday. =D =D =D I was so happy!

It was chaotic in the arena yesterday, and Sash was very "up" especially at the canter, but I am a lot more confident than I was. I just sat up, half-halted, and continued on our merry way!

My dad may be looking at a 2002 Eclipse trailer on the way back from a business meeting, and if all goes well, it will be at my barn Friday night!

Well, those are the major events. Off to eat a bowl of ice cream and then ride!

Heart <3 you, Cruce

Please don't hurt me.

I know! I haven't blogged for about a week. I was busy!

Anyways. RECAP:

Last Sunday's lesson went well. I did a single vertical. I ended up trotting three foot. Um...it was interesting. It all went well, except at one point I over-slowed Sasha and then realized it, then tried to go forward at the last moment. We got a weird distance, and she stepped on the ground pole. She stopped because she was rolling around, but she was nice and quiet after the jump! Yay!

I was away for most of last week, so nothing exciting really happened. My riding instructor rode Sasha twice, so she would not magically "forget" everything lol.

Sasha was LAZY yesterday! She broke about three times at the canter [I rode for a long time yesterday]. She was really good, and I tried my two point for a few minutes at the canter. She was perfect!

I had a lesson today. I just did a little in and out. Sasha was really good. She kept getting a little quick in the middle of the two jumps, and she was thinking about doing things after the jump, but I just needed to "set her on her butt" and then soften. We are finally getting somewhere! Now, all we need to do is get around a 2'6" course like that. I do not care if I have to do a strong half-halt after the jumps. Hell, if I did not have to set her on her butt every now and then or send her forward, that would not be riding. I just want to do away with the excessive circling and halting. I really did not need to circle today. I did it just to make sure we were not going to have an issue.

Yay for progress!