Life has been moving a pace at the farm. Arya is back under saddle after losing nearly two months to the foot abscess from hell, and is doing pretty well. In my last post, I believe I shared how fantastic Bailey schooled out at our old boarding barn on their XC course.
This weekend, we got out to school again - this time in Wisconsin, at Otter Creek Farm. I haven't ever had the chance to school there before, and was both excited and nervous to finally be getting there in a non-competition setting. Bailey hauled well, and I didn't die driving, despite the often pouring rain that followed us from home to Wisconsin. It was pouring when I pulled in, and luckily S, Bailey's biggest fan (and who own's Bailey's mom, Cali) and her boyfriend were wonderful and took Bailey from me when she unloaded and stuffed her in a stall out of the water and helped me tack up. I got geared up and at least I remembered a crop this time; I mislaid my favorite nubby spurs so I had longer ones on, but I did remember a crop. I didn't end up getting boots on Bailey, and forgot my gloves, but hey! We got there.
I had Bailey in her new myler combo, and let me tell you... I love her in that bit. I already need a snaffle. Arya likes it, as well, but Bailey was just a star in it. I had power brakes and good steering but she wasn't backed off from it like she can get from "bigger" bits. I had a leverage rein and a snaffle rein, and was glad I did, because Bailey was a bit up once we were on and warming up. She was a bit silly spooky and jammed pretty hard in her warm up canter. We started over the truck jump, which is one I want to replicate at my own house (the jump is the trailer of a semi, hauling "logs" that are round poles mounded up). and she actually bucked once on landing once she got over it a few times. It was thundering and raining through all of this, but Bailey came out to play.
We did have some stops, which we haven't had in a while. One was a bit odd - I think B couldn't read the take off, which was on a downward slope to the fence, which was set in a little cup of ground between two trees. She stopped a few times before finally going over it, and was looky at it the next time I came around to it. After a few rounds over a couple of fences, the trainer pointed out a couple of really helpful things for me - I'm a better course rider than I am a single fence rider, when I look where I am going for my next fence vs just kind of schleping off to my downward transition. She immediately called me on my eyes, which is SO TRUE, and my rounded shoulders. I tried to ride taller and that did help. She also got after me to keep my legs on and keep churning Bailey's hind end up to the fence. I feel like I got better at that as we went along. We had a couple of silly stops at the banks and bank into water, but Bailey didn't back up, she just would stall out and waffle, and after one big launch into the water dropped in super nicely after that. I also had a totally me stop at a fly fence up on the back of the property. You canter along the tree line on a decent slope before dropping down a hill to a fly fence near the bottom. I was really psyched out by that fence, but it rode GREAT once I got over it, and I picked her up and cantered on to a white table, what she flubbed to. We redid the table, but left the fly as it was.
It was a really positive schooling experience, and I'm already itching to go back and practice churning the hind legs across country again. I'm happy with the bit set up (though I might school more in a single rein at home - the extra leverage isn't probably needed when she's much more chill at home) though unhappy I forgot my gloves and have matching holes in my pinky fingers. I'm just chuffed to bits with the horse, too - she jumped a good amount of novice questions and always had the answers. I just need to re-discover my own bravery so I can give her the ride she needs - novice doesn't feel all that big when I have my shit together! I am sore and need to oil all of my tack, but I am so, so excited to get back out and do more XC, be it schooling or in competition. It's fun, and I had forgotten!
