2023 & 2024 Riding Journey

#28 A Course with Rugar

Well, Mariah was sound this week, which was good, but I didn't ride her.  I rode Rugar instead.  Friend and Vivie were there for the lesson.  Friend was on Mariah, and Vivie was on Cordell, and we all rode in the outdoor arena.

I got on Rugar and walked around for a bit.  His contact was lovely, with the lightest touch of my hand he would give to the bit.  I did some circles, and then my trainer told me to do a rising trot figure 8 to help warm us up for the jumping we would be doing later.  The goal was that he would change from one bend, to straight, to the next bend through the center of the figure 8 smoothly and without jerkiness.

So I picked my place and started doing my figure 8.  Figure 8's can actually be kinda fun, just so long as you remember to change your diagonal when you're supposed to in trot.  The center of my figure 8 was more diagonal instead of straight, so it was more like I was making half circles at each end then full circles.

My trainer told me to make my center more straight, that would help him to learn to change the bend as he should.  Also, she told me to stop sliding around on the outside of one of the circles every time I came around.  We fixed that up and things went better.  Then we came to walk and then stood beside my trainer.

She said that, for the purposes of what we were doing the figure 8, it was better if the center of the figure 8 was more straight than diagonal.  She then told me I could go have some canter on a circle if I wanted to, or I could just be satisfied with the canter I would get while we were jumping.  It was good for Rugar to have some defined canter, but it was also good for him to just start cantering while jumping and do things that way.  She didn't tell me what to do if I chose not to canter, and there was really no reason not too, so I went to another place in the arena and got on a circle.  

I think I made my circle too small in the beginning.  I sat and asked for the canter twice, each time he only sped up and got grumpy at me.  I knew it was most likely my fault, not his.  The third time (I think it was the third) was messy but we got it.  His canter isn't bumpy, but his strides are huge, so you still have a lot of motion to move with.  My trainer said the canter looked nice, and after several circles we came back down to walk.

We walked out for a bit, and then stood while my trainer outlined to Friend and I what we were going to be doing for jumping.  I'll try to describe it here.

We were to come off the fence on the west end of the arena and head for the telephone poles for our first jump going north east.  After that, we were to turn to the right and come around to jump the log standard jump (also now known as the flower box jump) going west / north west.  From there we were to make another sweeping turn to the right to come back to the telephone poles, this time jumping them going southwest.  After them, we were to make a half circle turn to the right to jump the log standard jump going southeast, and that would be the end of the course.

It helped that all of the turns we were going to make would be to the right.  My trainer said she didn't want us to be making any nasty  fish hook type turns at the fence line when we turned to come to the last jump, it was to be an actual circle shaped movement.  She also said that we had to have a plan after the last jump, because it so happened that going southeast is the direction to go out from the arena to the hitching rail and home.  So, if we finished up the course and did not have a plan for afterwards, those horses might just try to take us home.  We were to make a turn either to the right or left, but we had to have a plan.

My trainer asked if we had questions; I repeated the course back to her to make sure I had it.  It appeared I did, and so I volunteered to go first.  That was better to me than sitting around waiting for my turn and overthinking things, and Friend didn't seem to mind.

I knew that if I would pick myself up and ride like I knew how to, that I would probably do alright.  But if I just froze up, things wouldn't be good.  So I rode out with a 'go get 'em' mindset, and sure enough things went pretty smoothly.

Rugar was as good as gold.  He took me to the jumps and was feeling lazy enough that he didn't break into canter, except maybe after the last jump, but I'm not sure...  Overall, my trainer was pleased with our round.  She said I could do my next turn in trot, or if I wanted to pick up the canter and do some that way, that was fine too.  That first round gave me some good confidence.

Friend did her turn, which also went pretty well, and then it was me again.  For this second round, my trainer raise the log standard jump a bit, so now it was about the same height.  (I'd estimate each one is a foot or a smidgen over.)  The first jump went pretty smoothly.  On the second one, Rugar actually slowed down and kinda stopped before going over it.  My trainer said I'd jumped ahead of him, which hadn't helped him with things.  I needed to stay back.  

I went over the telephone poles for my third jump, and made my half circle to the fourth one.  This time I remembered to stay back, and it was a good thing I did.  Rugar made a bigger leap than I had anticipated, and my trainer said that if I had not been back as I was, I very well could've ended up in the dirt.  As it was, the leap felt kinda crazy, but I stayed with him enough.

My trainer said (and she may have said this while I was jumping, I don't remember) that even if you know a horse is going to make a huge leap, it is better to sit back in the saddle, to stay back, rather than to throw yourself forward.  That staying back over your legs is what keeps you secure, not the throwing yourself forward onto the horse's neck.

Friend did her second round, and then it was my turn again.  I knew this was probably going to be my last round and I wanted to make it good.  So, when Rugar offered canter after the first jump, and it was on the correct lead, I just rose up into a half seat and went to the second jump.  That one also went well, and to be honest, I was enjoying his canter so much that I had a blank moment in which I forgot to be looking for the third jump.  

By the time I remembered and turned, it was not going to be a fun time if I attempted it.  So instead I made a circle, during which Rugar broke to the trot, but I was fine with that, and we got a better line.  My trainer thought I was making the circle because I didn't like his canter, and he may have been starting to get a faster canter, I don't know.  I'm just glad I made that circle, for whatever reason.

If I remember right, Rugar picked up the canter again after the jump, and though the half circle I made was tight, he kept it.  My trainer started saying as we came out of that half circle and down the line to the jump "Don't fight him, don't fight him, don't fight him."  Thankfully, I listened, and just let him do his deal and go on to and over the jump.  My trainer said "Good girl!"  in a very pleased tone of voice as we landed and I started turning him to the right.  

Afterwards, she said I hadn't been doing anything wrong as I was coming to that jump, but she'd told me not to fight him because it is a human instinct, when a horse comes out of a turn like that and goes for a jump like Rugar did, to grab at them and clench against them.  So she'd told me not to fight him because I might be tempted to do that.  And she'd be right, but I'm so glad I didn't.  

She told me to go ahead and walk him out, so I let him walk out a loose rein and moseyed around while Friend did her final round and Vivie also did some more jumping.  Then I halted him for a bit, and then my trainer told me I could dismount, so that was it.

Later, my trainer said that she thought I'd done my best jumping that day.  She was really pleased with how I did.  And I'm pleased with it too. 

Actual lesson 9/19/2021