Headed In the Right Direction

The last jump!

WE DID IT! :D

It's only been about 2 weeks since my last post but I have so much to tell y'all!
First off- Black and I's first Prelim was a success! Black went to Amy Barrington's for a little boot camp and his whole attitude had changed. Mhm imagine that! haha He was much more willing to work and cooperate with me instead of fighting me. I also switched his bit back into his elevator because he wasn't hearing my half halts again. We had a great lesson on Wednesday before Windridge and I was really excited for the weekend. Dressage went okay. I warmed him up too long which was a shame because the beginning of our warmup was pretty great. But we got through it! Stadium was in the grass which was probably good because it gets us thinking more forward. And that he was! I was nervous so I threw him at a couple fences which gave us 2 rails and I kept adding a stride that wasn't there that gave us a stop. BUT... we got through it haha. My new motto! As long as we still got to do xc on Sunday I was happy!! This was my first time at Windridge and I was super impressed by their xc course. The first few fences really get the horses into a nice rythmic gallop and the entire course is extremly inviting. Absolutly perfect for our first Prelim! Amy Barrington had me warm up a little bit differently than I normally do. She had me continue to canter around the start box right up until I had to go in the box. I was a little stressed in the process but it really helped Black to stay connected. Black blasted out of the start box connected AND forward! He jumped the first one right out stride and dug in on the landing. By the 4th fence he had jumped everything out of stride and I knew we had it! I have never ridden a more perfect xc round in my life! It was truly unbelievable. He did not miss a distance to a single fence and came back to me and moved up every time I asked! I moved his rein down to the actual elevator ring and that seemed to help with bringing him back too. I was so proud of us! Black listened so well and I know he was happy to be back out on an upper level course because instead of looking for things to lock onto, he already found them! That xc round made all the stress and battling of this spring worth it. To say that I am thrilled with him is an understatement! I am so blessed to call this awesome horse mine!

Elliot and I in SJ

While I was at Windridge, Janna Ritacco asked if I would take her horse Elliot to Eventing Rally the next weekend! I was super excited to be able to spend some time with the Pony Club girls that I have become so close with. I was able to fit in a couple lessons with Janna this week and lesson with Carolyn West and off we went! Elliot was great for dressage and super in SJ but had other plans for XC on Sunday haha! But I learned so much about Elliot and riding horses like him as well about my own riding so I am extremely grateful for the opportunity! Elliot is a 17.2h Belgian/TB cross so quite a difference than Black haha! It was such a fun weekend and Elliot was a ton of fun to ride. I really do enjoy the team aspect of Pony Club, it's such a unique thing that you don't get to experience at regular horse trials.

AND Black decided to start the week off to a great start with a great ride today! Janna and Carolyn let me jump on Sunny for a few minutes after Janna's lesson last Thursday. Sunny is 3rd level dressage horse who was in training with Carolyn and he was just generously donated to Pony Club and is at Janna's in transit to a dressage 'A' candidate! Well that horse is pretty dang awesome to say the least... I did a couple lead changes on him and applied what I learned to Black. What an unbelievable difference! Our changes have been something that have been developing with our canter but today I got FOUR clean, on time changes while staying connected and through! I learned the key is to slow his canter (almost thinking walk) before I ask for the change of bend that way Black has a chance to get his haunches underneath him. Unbelievable what a 5 minute ride on an upper level dressage horse can teach you!

It's been a pretty cool past couple weeks and I hope we can keep progressing! I am going home for my 21st birthday and then I'm thinking we'll go to Full Gallop next.