Thursday, June 23, 2016

Winter jumping days 1 and 2


Both horses were schooling really well before the first show and I admit I was a
Little ambitious in my entries, but my trainer being smarter than me had me move Bob down to the 55-65cm class and she wasn't wrong. He was mostly just green with steering and control but super brave to all the jumps. I even sneaked him back into the ring to jump that height twice and get him cantering more consistently and he was really good. Then he went straight out and jumped the 70-80cm class and he had some rails but I was super happy with him. It was pretty apparent he learnt so much from those three rounds, because his technique got better as he went and he learnt to back himself off
More which isn't something that comes naturally to him.

Chinaman was a giant know it all dickhead. He's right at the stage where he thinks he knows everything about jumping and doesn't want any input from
Me. He was supposed to the 70-80 twice and that would be him but I was so annoyed with him I put him in the next class up, the 85-95 in the hopes the extra height would make him think more. He was a lot better in the second round and all in all

I was really happy with him. He's very bold though not Always careful. If you
Can keep his canter round and bouncy he jumps really cute and round, but open his stride a little and he's too weak to jump in a good shape and he takes rails. When we first started teaching him to jump I would never have thought he'd like the deep spot so
Much but there you go. As time goes
On and his canter develops I imagine hell jump in a better shape even from a longer spot. The fence size is certainly irrelevant to him, he's so sure of
Himself. 

The second day they both went in the 80 class first up and China was again a complete burger brain. To be fair the videos don't look that different just in the second one when I asked him to wait he would and we didn't nearly hit the arena fence twice. In the video after the Liverpool to oxer line you can kinda see I got both hands on one rein to turn him.


That should link to his 80cm. Bob was good in his 80 though terrified of the white sign on the fence and couldn't cope with that at all. Jumped all
The jumps fine, handled all the horses around but that sign!

He was good in his first 95cm class too, at times he's feeling really scopey. Plenty of power. I had a pretty terrible ride to the Double and he tried really hard to fix it and I'm very proud of him for that. He had two rails but he's literally been is sport horse training for six weeks so good progress bob.


Chinaman was much more settled in the second class And had some really good jumps. Much more rideable. I'm
Thinking I might have to school him the morning of shows but I hate that because I want them to feel full of beans and jump the best they can. More miles should settle him but I don't think he'll stay a snaffle horse for jumping some how


Overall I'm pleased at the progress. Bob can jump the same classes next weekend and China can do two at the 85-95 and hopefully be more settled. 



2 comments:

  1. ha he certainly looks like he has quite the ego out there! looks great tho - sounds like a fun day!

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  2. Such a cute photo of Bob! China sounds like he's loving life a little tooooo much 😁 Haha!

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