leaps and bounds...

[fleabitten]

Had a productive lesson tonight at the riding school with H. Different instructor tonight and still in the outdoor as no sign of the indoor drying unfortunately - still at least it wasnt raining!

Lesson started off rather unimpressively but on a good note H wasnt up to any of his prancing about antics this week!

Started off with doing transitions and then we worked in 2 groups on 2 20m circles - difficult to get him to focus due to the horses on our circle and the horses working on the other circle - major falling in and out and resisting/stiffening his neck and just going round like a plank of wood - not an ideal warm up exercise for H really!

2 poles were then set out and we all trotted over them and then had to go one at a time and canter a lap and then canter over the poles and count how many strides we got. No bother to H, over them like he'd been doing it all his life.
Worked on this a bit and RI tried to get us to shorten our strides to get an extra stride in but it wasnt going to happen with H, im just about getting to grips with cantering him let alone trying to get him to shorten his stride - his schooling isnt at that point yet really - but the main thing was that he has a lovely natural rhythm anyway so i was happy that he was cantering over them calmly and organising his legs to meet the poles right!

Then she put up a large x pole with a placing pole and i trotted into it and he got himself sorted out but his tendency to jump to the left really showed itself tonight (he drifts to the left on the flat so its just transferring into the jumping!) so we demolished the x pole!

Started cantering into it and he was trying very hard but wasnt meeting the pole right so scrambled or ballooned over the jump as appropriate - me lumping along on top not really knowing or helping much! - but tbh i think it was a bit too technical for me and H as i had no clue how to help him meet the pole better - RI said to change my line of approach and this seemed to improve it - plus i think the fact of him drifting probably added to it. Anyhow, we werent knocking it down any more so it was improving a bit and a big plus point for me was that i lost my reins completely over one jump and i was flapping about on top trying to gather them back up and praying he wouldnt do anything silly but he completely looked after me and slowed down! What a star!

I came a cropper though at one point as he finally met the jump perfectly and jumped about 2 ft higher than the actual jump launching me into the air and then he started turning and i was out the side door right in the wettest corner of the arena!! Luckily i wasnt hurt or scared and i got straight back on - H had just stood there! What a good boy!

RI decided to change the jump at that point and we jumped an ordinary upright which went well as hes well used to simple jumps but the drifting to the left was back again so RI whacked the jump up to a good 80cm and put angled pole resting on the jump and i felt him a bit unsure but he hopped over it!

Very proud of H and myself tonight, great education for him and very proud of myself for getting back on and jumping again!

[racaille]

Well that's great! You had a bit of a tumble but got straight back on, no worries. Sounds as though H needs to go back to basics for a few lessons and you need to shut the door on that drifting to the left. Don't forget to close that rein and support him with your leg. Have a think about you too: do you sit to the side or use your right leg more effectively? It's possible you are sending him to the left without realising (I too am much stronger on my right, most of us have a strong and a 'weak' side.)

Anyway, it's all going brilliantly and your confidence is soaring!

[fleabitten]

Yes I agree rac. He's done that from the first time I rode him, even walking and halting he always drifts left. Maybe he needs a vet check. Think once he gets the idea about leg yield it will improve lots. He probably needs a schooling overhaul really. Stop start and steer is there but that's about it! Lol I think with regards to my strong and weak side I prefer going on the left rein as opposed to the right so we maybe aren't balancing each other out. It could have been that he was hanging to the other horses as they were on his left going over the jump. But he's not a nappy horse so I'd say its more a schooling issue.

Thanks! proud of myself, had thought I had gotten wussy with riding Murphy lol!

[pboy]

Sounds great FB! He definitely sounds like he needs some schooling work - it's normal for horses to be one-sided and as Rac says, if we're one-sided on the same side it can get us into trouble Well done for jumping straight back on too!

[brigadier]

All of the above!! Well done FB

[fleabitten]

Thanks brig and pboy. Nearly at the end of my time riding him as Murphy hopefully coming back into work next week woohoo! But we'll see I might be able to keep up a wee bit of riding with H alongside. Nobody else to ride him regularly except me! Depends if he gets sold first, would love to see him go to a home where they'll bring him on properly.