Learning to Jump

Griffin and I had a good training session today.  It started out just a normal lesson - trot this way and that with 4 other horses.  Then we got to the cantering portion and the others were cantering around together.  Joanna had not asked me to canter yet but when the others were all in line and at the other end I let him rip.  Grif did well!  He didn't freak and we ended up going large.  He went around a circle (to the left) and up to the other end before dying out.  To the right he was harder to get going well but we kept at it until he was on the correct lead and in balance.  Joanna had the girls circle at the other end while we worked on it.  Then on to poles.

First Joanna had four poles set up close to each other and the other girls were riding over them easily (left rein).  I headed toward them with Grif and he started/prepared to canter so I circled.  On the second approach he did the same so I circled.  The poles were much to close for him to canter through.  So I calmed him again and trotted around for a third try.  "No way!" he said.  He broke into a canter and nearly bucked.  I circled in a canter and went large.  I had trouble calming him and getting him back to a trot.  Joanna suggested just trotting him for a bit then having him walk over them by himself without the others trotting.   So after a bit, the others went to the middle and stood to watch.

I had him just walk over the first time and trotted back around to the end of the arena.  We walked up through the poles the second time then trotted back around.  We walked from the end of the arena then trotted a few strides before.  We went around and around, building up the distance we could trot before going over the poles.  Finally after 8 or 10 times I was able to trot all the way around the arena including trotting over the poles calmly.  Now on to jumping.

Joanna set up a smallish X with one pole in front and a ground line.  "Do you want to take him over it?"she asked.  "I'll try it once and see what happens" I said.  So we did.  He got excited and tried diving this way and that.  He jumped over the far right side of the X.  "Next time, kick him good with your right leg" she said.  "Get after him and let him know you mean it."  So we trotted around and past the jump so I could get him thinking calmly again.  We went over again.  He got excited going in but jumped it well. (When he jumps, even if it is over the biggest part of the X, maybe 2' or 2'6", he jumps well.  He does over-jump sometimes but it usually feels right.)  He was very excitable so I trotted around the arena a few times and over the 4 ground poles 2 or 3 times.  After all that, when he was calm, we went over the X again.  It was good!  He stayed pretty calm and just jumped and cantered off nicely.  I asked Joanna if it looked good to her and she said it did.  So I said "I'll end on this one then."  We trotted around a couple more times then walked and cooled off for a long time.

Griffin was sweaty from head to toe, from his chest to the saddle and all under it.  He was sweaty on the upper part of his back legs and in the groin? area where the fur goes up just in front of his legs.  The weather is turning to fall or winter and was a cool, moist 54 degrees.  I had a long sleeved shirt and fleece vest on to keep warm.  It took him a long time even after I took his saddle off and brushed his fur to make it stand up.  The question is...  Was he sweaty for being anxious or from all the hard work?  He was very wet!  Even his neck and chest were soaked.

This was very fun!  I realized that I was teaching HIM how to jump.  He can jump very well but is not familiar with jumps, standards and poles.  Today  I was teaching him that he could do it and remain calm.  All the jumping I have done, and the relationship we have built really paid off today!  I know how to get him to move right or left and how to control his blast.  He is teaching me to remain calm and let him be energetic.  I have taught him to balance and have a good bend.  I can tell him to trot (with my body and voice) when he is thinking canter and he is listening now.

On Tuesday we had an excellent day.  I felt like we have finally gotten to a place where we trust each other!  I was riding with Megan and asked her to hold him for a minute while I ran to the honey bucket.  He looked worried like I was abandoning him.  I didn't know he cared!  Later while untacking he seemed to be really connecting with me emotionally.  That was the first time I really felt like he ... I don't know... trusts me... or was feeling close somehow.  Interesting!  It is not like the relationship you can have with a dog but it is more than I have had with any other horse.  We are really becoming a team!

Maybe this next summer we can go to a show.  Maybe even a grasshopper cross-country course.

But first we have to see what winter and spring hold for us!
:-)