2022 Riding Journey

#36 Intense Jumping with Mariah

Whew, this lesson was one of the more intense ones, but not in a bad way.  Just a 'learning something new and having to figure it out' way.  

My trainer had me fetch and tack up Mariah for a lesson.  James and Vivie were there as well, with James on Cordell and Vivie on Riggs.  My trainer actually tacked up Cordell for James because James was busy working on her wheelbarrow, which has been broken for awhile now and which my trainer would really like to get back.  

Anyhow, we all went to the outdoor arena for the lesson.  My trainer rode Romeo, and this week I really noticed how he's been shedding the pounds.  He look so much nicer now, and I do think he has a sweet nature.  I wonder if I'll get the chance to ride him.

Vivie worked with Riggs on this lesson with trotting over raised poles.  I believe this is the first time she'd done something like that.  I think she did better with it than I did when trotting over poles the first time with Bia.  And James got to canter Cordell at the end of the lesson, which was amazing.

When I mounted, my trainer didn't tell me what to do for a walk warm up.  Honestly, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for one either.  I knew we were probably going to be jumping...  Anyhow, I went to the old stand-by of circles in the corners and halts.  

I only did like, two circles going one direction before my trainer told me to pick up a rising trot.  And that's pretty much all she told me to do next, just pick up a rising trot. She also added that we were going to start jumping Mariah early on in the lesson.

I thought about maybe adding some circles in while trotting, but then decided not to and just enjoy a nice trot around on Mariah. 

We kept a pretty steady trot going around the arena. I went a little over a lap going on way, and then changed directions to go the other.  My trainer didn't see me change directions, and after I'd gone a little ways she said something along the lines of "Looks good Abby, go ahead and change directions." 

Now, there have been times where I've gone ahead and changed directions.  But this time I called back "I just did."  And she was like "Oh okay, carry on then!"  and then she said to go ahead  and ask for canter in one of the corners coming up.  

Now, the past two lessons I've been working on sitting her canter.  To be honest, the gait I've practiced the least is canter, because Shorty and I have mainly stuck to walk / trot throughout the time we've been together.  Our arena is small enough that maintaining his canter was always hard on both him and me, and there was always something else to work on.

I got a good canter when I asked for it.  For some reason, I seemed to find a different way of sitting it.  I can't quite describe it.  It seemed like I was flexing more through the front of my body to follow the motion?  Anyhow, it was a new sensation, but one that seemed to work.

At one point,  I was able to look at my shadow and see how I was sitting.  I was bouncing a little bit, but pretty much my seat was staying with the saddle, though I did try to sit a bit better than that.

I cantered one lap going that direction, and then brought her to a very speedy trot to change directions.  My trainer said something along the lines of 'looks good' while I was doing this, though it most certainly didn't feel good at the time because Mariah's trot was terrible and I was starting to feel a bit tense.  I think it was more my trainer letting me know that I was on the right track and had sat her canter well.

We changed directions and I asked for canter.  I think the transition here was better than the last transition to canter that we did, either way, it didn't take as long.

The canter went good going this way too, and I once again employed the same different sitting technique.  Again, it seemed to work pretty well.  

After completing another lap, I came to walk and let her have a long rein, not sure what my trainer would want me to do next.  We walked for a little bit before my trainer called me over to her to explain the jumping we would be doing.