I have got to stop letting so much time rush by in between blog posts. It's really quite a terrible habit. But I have such good news to share, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to let you all know.
In mid-May we had Simon Eades come for a clinic to my trainer's farm. Willy was already on-site (and he gets to permanently stay in full training!) and so I signed him up for both days. My trainer rode him the first day and I rode him the second day. I was having an awful day. Just the kind of day where everything that could go wrong before I put my foot in that stirrup did go wrong. Willy was a bit fresh--not bad by any stretch of the imagination-- and I just started crying. I was a mess (anniversary of my brother's death did nothing to alleviate any of it). But Simon was super patient with me and Willy, and we eventually ended up popping over some cross rails in my dressage saddle. Keep in mind it had been years since I've jumped him over anything, and my trainer hadn't seen me jump before.
He was really super and it was a lot of fun to do. So in my next lesson I ask my trainer if we can do a jump lesson, but in her XC saddle instead of my dressage saddle. Again, my pony was acting like a complete school pony, very adjustable, taking the grids really lovely. Then came the leg cramp. My right leg seized up coming out of the grid, and Willy decided that going straight into a standard was a good idea. I ended up whacking the tip of my middle finger on a jump cup. It was not good, but we went back around a few more times and he was super, no steering problems whatsoever.
This past Friday I had another jump lesson on him, having gone 10 days without riding. First off, I am getting out of shape with this whole full training situation. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic because he can get worked first thing in the morning when it gets ungodly hot by the evenings, but man, I am not in the saddle enough, and I am never in a jump saddle so my quads were screaming. My trainer asked me to get him to a bigger trot (and told me that he could do it), and I'm like I just don't have it. I had the stamina to keep going, but not the strength to stay with the bigger trot that he had developed, especially in an XC saddle. I digress.
Anyways, we spent that lesson doing more grid work, and again, I had a perfect little school pony where my trainer was really able to work with me on my timing and my position. Who knew Willy had it in him to let me work on me?! He did take some long spots a few times, but we were alright with that. He was so cute and excited, but remained adjustable throughout the entire lesson.
I did get glasses this week. My vision is still pretty great, but I've been having some depth perception and night vision problems. The optometrist thinks this will help with not only my kickball career but also my ability to see jump distances (I've never been able to see a distance in my life so I remain cautiously hopeful). I'll keep you all updated. I will write an update on the house pets soon!
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