Lesson #182: There's Always Something That Works Out

My Thursday lessons are typically jumping lessons. It was a good opportunity for me to practice more. I rode Ariel with the same intent that I told myself to have, when warming up and insisted on straightness at the trot. It was not easy because for whatever reason, while tracking right, she did a little bit of a counter bend that I felt like I was constantly pushing back into a straight line.

When we worked on the canter, I remembered a post I read earlier that week, about the sequence of aids to initiate the canter depart. It's a bit tricky for me because I generally don't sit back enough and my weight being on Ariel's front makes it difficult for her to spring up and forward. So this time, I told myself, half halt then lean back and proceed with the other aids. The transition was flawless and smooth. I managed to get this twice during the lesson and I felt awesome about myself.

The lesson is otherwise relatively straight forward in that we continued to the canter after warming up and then went to work on some courses. I kept it simple and just went with the Xs because I didn't feel that I was in the right shape to attempt more. It was a short course of 3 or 4 jumps and that's fine by me! It's funny because my consistency with jumps is and isn't there. What do I mean? When I was doing the course, I would seem to consistently have the same trouble with the same jump or the same corner. I should know better the second time and appropriately make adjustments so that it doesn't happen again. But for whatever reason, I was making the same mistakes again.

I did manage to canter this little course and to me, that progress is just fine. Some of those jumps were clean as a whistle and we both sailed right over and others were a mess. One mishap happened when we broke stride and I had difficulty getting Ariel back into the canter to complete the course. Sheri reminded me that when showing, I need to remember that a rider has a limited opportunity to pull themselves back together: circle twice and you better be moving again or you're OUTTA THERE. They really don't mess around! Good thing that wasn't a show and I'm just working on getting myself together.

Since most of the jumps were coming together in a reasonable fashion with minor mishaps, Sheri added in a single vertical jump and told me to take it at the end of the course coming towards home. That didn't go as I planned but I did make it over. My body is still sorting itself out in terms of figuring out where it needs to be, during the two point over. I'm sure that it'll come... I just need more practice with the verticals on a consistent basis to get the right feel.