JOMPS!

Okay, let's be real here. I'm just excited to be on a regular schedule for lessons.

I moved Gwyn to her new facility on Monday. We can call it a facility loosely because I found the one damn place in all of Snohomish and King County with minimal fancy shit that was actually near where I live and didn't cost upwards of 800/month. New boarding place is literally a pasture, some shelter and they feed hay in the winter and make sure water doesn't freeze. It's perfect. I can store my trailer there and that's my tack room. There is a tack room for boarders but eehhhh, it's not big and if I'm lessoning frequently, it just makes sense to keep everything in the trailer.

ANYWAY

Lesson! This was at L's house in the Tolt Highlands near Carnation. She found a turnkey equestrian property. She teaches lessons  and it's just this gorgeous house/barn (house on top, barn below) with a pasture paradise track, arena and pastures. She also does endurance with Cortney!

"These are way fancier digs than where I stayed the past couple days..." - Gwyn

 I packed up Gwyn after she gallivanted around the hay field (grrrr, MARE) and was still on time because I was operating under the "it will take an hour" mindset and it did not take an hour! Win! I'd previously been to the farm to pick strawberries with Trudy and my kids so I was generally familiar with how to get there.

 It was a lot of twisty road up into the foothills but it's a lovely secluded little farm.

*boop*

Looking fancy shmancy. I finally got rein stops

 Despite that, Cortney and Jim were late. I think if it were anyone but Jim, I'd be upset. But he's coming from his primary job and traffic is a bitch out here.

 Right away I was remembering the feel of my rein aids and how that helped Gwyn bend. We had warmed up in the walk while we waited for Jim and he started us off on the rail in the arena (small dressage court sized) doing shoulder in down the long sides in the trot. Slowing and controlling my posting was super key. Once I got a good tempo and steady slow trot, Gwyn's head dropped and she bent around my leg and reached into contact. It was fantastic. If I started to lose her I'd do a 10m circle and she'd come back to me.

I want to try this solo now in the field and see if I can recreate it.

I take pictures when we stand around to discuss the theory of what we're working on. 

L is on her morgan on the left.

We also had to go around in 2 point, maintaining our good trot and shoulder in. I did pilates yesterday. I am SORE today, haha. But I'm feeling so positive about the fitness I'm improving in myself for the sake of Gwyn. 

 We took turns cantering since the arena wasn't that big and we each had slightly different things to focus on in this gait and each of the horses had different needs. My focus was making sure that when I asked, it was from that good trot, and not the giraffe trot. Gwyn threw SEVERAL bucks each time I cued for canter. Third time on her good side I got a decent depart that we held together a little bit before it got discombobulated. Then we switched directions. Immediately she was way more tense and it took a lot of work to just regain that relaxation. She was anticipating the canter cue and bucking and crow hopping before I even put leg on. We didn't push it. I need to get the chiro out to see her.

 And then we did JOMPIES!  My last jumping lesson was when I school X-country in 2018. Jim is big into the idea of everything is dressage and dressage is for everything. And of course we had our educational bit about how there are only 2 types of jumps. Vertical jumps, where you want the horse to give you height, and liverpools, where you want the horse to stretch out and give you a broader parabola without as steep a curve in the jump. We basically worked on the liverpool style and asking for that length.

The jump started as an oxer set of x-rails. L and I needed to add leg to get the impulsion. Cortney was tasked with slowing her mare down because she was frogging her way through it and not gathering herself up appropriately. Then Jim moved it to be a straight oxer.

Again in the jumping my goal was to collect her up and keep a smooth, relaxed trot going into the turn toward the jump

Cortney did get video, of our second to last attempt where I got majorly left behind. Our final attempt was much much improved. I'm really pleased. We'll be back at L's next week. The lesson day is fluid due to Cortney's endurance schedule. Thankfully I can be fluid too.

And yesterday Saffron got moved to Cortney's house. I've been getting updates from Cortney and it seems like she's settling in well.

Splendid came to escort Saffron. She's a good girl and Kaylee was tasked with bringing her down to the barn.

Reign and Amira are intrigued

Saffron is unsure though...

"You guys are annoying" - Saffron

Saffron has found a little spot under some trees that she likes. The horses are idiots and don't seem to have figured out that's where she hides. So it's now Saffron's spot. The mares all vye for Saffron's attention. Saffron doesn't give a fuck.