A Good Tuesday

I rushed home, and rushed out to the barn yesterday to get in a jump school outside with the Queen B. After Sunday's... expressive ride, I was expecting her to continue to be a crazy jumping fiend of a horse. Alas, as she does, Bailey morphed back into her hunter canter and was night and day better behaved than she was just a few days ago. She got a bit hot and sassy coming into a line, and did a big drop and dance routine after she landed out of our fences, but no bucking, and she was relatively controllable. 

We started out with a bigger X on a diagonal (it feels strange to set the cups at waist height, but the center was still 2'3 or so) and did some wiggly line work to incorporate the vertical that was the first element of the line I set. I need to get more exact in setting my lines - I swear I was setting a two, but it rode as a tight three. I made the best of it, though, and the X became the backrail on my oxer, which with a gate front and a panel back rail, looked pretty darn big! She clunked through and was a mess the first few times, but we got it right a few times with the funky distance and then figure-8'ed through the line which worked out spectacularly. With the weird striding out of the equation, she galloped a very respectable oxer with hardly any effort. Good girl! We did some simple changes and trot work outside, and while we ended much softer than we began, I felt she wasn't as responsive as I would like.

I'm still contemplating more bridle, as I'm still having problems unlocking her jaw and poll when she gets distracted, but I am also seeking something I can be more subtle with- I gave her a few big 'ol body check style half halts and it just made her fling herself all over everywhere like it was insulting. I dislike having to manhandle her face to get her back, or half halt, or turn and I'm going to try some new things to see what we can figure out. 

Unfortunately my plan of trying new bridles and bits (as well as getting out my second trunk, putting away my medium blankets, etc) was totally foiled by the mud, which almost claimed the BO's 350 diesel pick up in 4-wheel mode; I have no doubt it would have eaten my trusty Escape for dinner. Foxie was acting a bit odd but I'm going to chock it up to being too warm and possibly the start of her allergy season, as she was wearing a medium weight until one of the staff pulled it off of her when she came in acting strange, and it did seem like her glands were swollen. She ate, drank and pooped while I was at the barn, so I'm confident it's not colic. I threw her bridle and bare back pad on her after she cooled down and hung out in her stall a bit and she seemed fine, if tender footed, and when she didn't seem into being ridden, I quit and used her as an all-terrain pony to haul sheets in from my trailer.

We will do dressage, hopefully with a different bit, tomorrow and then over the weekend I plan to do some riding and give both girls a spa day to get manes pulled, legs and bridle paths clipped down, etc. I need to grab the last of my stuff from La Casa De Randel, as well, so hopefully I'll have all of my tack and such back soon!