Launching

Per usual with my posting lately, this is a little bhind, but better late than never amirite?

Amy from Slow & Steady has essentially adopted me as a 4th child and puts up with me begging her to ride with me every weekend. Generally, this consists of me hauling to her house and using her land and her jumps and her time, so lets all praise Amy for a moment on her wonderfullness!

She even videos for me.

Such love. Many thanks. Very friend.

So last Saturday we hauled over to jump, now almost a week ago.

I only think of this song when anyone says "about a week ago"

B has been LOVELY to trailer lately and I'm not going to say "it" for fear of jinxing us, but its going well. We are keeping it under 5 minutes now and he is stepping off like a gentleman. So proud I could cry. My jaw still drops everytime he steps on up like a grown ass horse.

Having not jumped in a while we started off low, but he felt great, really in sync with me and moving forward and back when I asked in each gait.

Shiny OTTB

Sidenote really quick- you'll notice that girth is black. That is not mine. I lost my girths somehow. Yes, lost. I haven't found them since the show and I have zero clue where they could be. How did they get displaced from my other tack? Did someone steal them? Where did they go? Do they miss me? These are questions I ask.

Little upsetting considering my dressage girth was a TSF and they are NOT cheap, and I have no girth for my non-mono-flap saddles and my monoflap jump doesn't fit him. So I've been using my shitty spare dressage girth and dressage saddle to ride this week, but yeah, girths nowhere to be found and I'm fucking annoyed because I just bought Piper breeches as a treat to myself and now I have to replace TWO girths unexpectedly & the moneypit only can give so much. Fuck!

Anyways, he was great. I'm STILL, yes still, learning to ride his very awkward jump style and we are still learning how to jump together. Since we've only done it about a dozen times, I'm not too upset that we still look awkward AF together. A saddle that literally hasn't fit me for years does not assist.

Seriously what is happening all over in here

So we popped over a 3 jump course, switching up the turns and raising form x-rails to low verticals. Bacardi was doing really well. He refused a certain x-rail a few times which is always baffling to me, but whatever. He was being super honest for the most part.

This one, to be exact, when it was a X-rail

Mostly, I was just working on figuring him out. I noticed he prefers a forward ride. Leg on, sit down and push. I tried sitting there and letting him figure it out, I tried holding him back...and we got some real awkward distances...

What are horse doing?

OKay, shove hands shove hands stay out of face, whatever it is

This is awkward

I mean, he looks kinda good actually, minus the fact he took off ten bajillion feet away and he skimming over the jump with zero bascule.

Literally the flattest jumper on earth until you raise the fences to 3ft then he's like "oh, okay, I'll try now"

After a while, playing around with our course and raising the fences, I discovered he jumps best when we take the longer (not longEST) spot and I stay on the aids.

Typical OTTB really.

Yankee is the exact same way. But he jumps "smaller" if that makes sense.

How a flat jumper cracks his back SO much I will never know but he tosses me so often its dumb.

I wonder if I will ever look good on him.

Its fine. We're fine. Just two discombobulated try hards working towards....? Betterness. Yes. Be better.

I just got a promotion at work, so MAYBE I can afford to get a new saddle soon. Fingers crossed I can work out a deal with the Voltaire reps I spoke with at Rolex.  I've always considered the horse first and how the tack fits them before me, but seriously this saddle is 7 years too small for me. My femurs are just too long and my ass does not fit a 16.5. At some point its gotta give and its obviously affecting how I ride him and our growth together.

Completely justified purchase right?

Sadly, not made of money and the saddle it too sentimental to sell/wouldn't fetch much anyways.

Overall, a GREAT learning experience. We are going back this Saturday, obviously, because BFFridingbuddiesforever, & work on some gridwork hopefully to get his shoulders up a bit and that weight back on his haunches.

Sometimes we look great all around

Bonus Corgi