We ended up riding from the pasture to the hill behind the arena on the hill (confusing, I know) three times. We practiced having a more energetic walk and then transitions to the trot. As usual there were a few things that caught Finn's eye, but he was willing to pass by them with hardly any fuss. His transitions are definitely not as available on the roads as they are in the arena, and when we get to the arena I can always feel Finn take a big sigh of relief... which I take to mean he's still a little "on alert" when we're riding out. That's fine, and is exactly why I'm trying to do it so much! I want him to feel like he can be calm and relaxed ANYWHERE!
A few highlights... you may recall that last time I rode around the farm, I was working on getting Finn more confident to go up the road past the arena on the hill. Well, I am pleased to say he was very confident to go up there yesterday! By the second time we went up there, he had no hesitation. I once again allowed him rest and finally dismounted up there and let him eat some grass, to further reinforce that it's a good, safe and pleasant place to be.
Also, on our last climb up to the arena, I had Finn trot up the hill for the second time and he really stretched his neck down and got to work. (Instead of keeping his neck UP so he can keep an eye on everything.) It felt absolutely lovely, as he felt like he was really pushing from behind and I could feel come flow through his back. The beginnings of having a horse who really uses himself well!! That'll keep me coming back for more.
I might have ridden longer, but all the irrigation ditches on our route were dry and poor Riley seemed like he was on the verge of over-heating. I paused once in the middle of our ride to give him a shower and a drink, then did so again on our walk back to the car. Here's Finn taking a break while I cool the dog off:
Tonight I'm going out in the evening. Hooray for finally getting smart and avoiding the sun! The fact that shade comes in early is one of the best features of this property during the summer, and I haven't been taking advantage of it since we had the long stretch of storms late every afternoon. But the weather has shifted and the evenings have been lovely, so time to use them again.
In other news, I can hardly believe it, but I bought a Tekna jumping saddle off eBay yesterday. I've heard great things about them, and after doing as much research as I could online, I decided to chance it because the price was very right. I'm crossing my fingers that it fits us beautifully and we love it.
I really debated the necessity of having a jumping saddle right now while I was trying to decide whether or not to bid yesterday. I feel like having the right saddle for the job will help me develop Finn in a way that will build his confidence and enthusiasm for jumping. While it's certainly not impossible to jump in my Ansur dressage saddle, it isn't a great base for a stable jumping position. Since I want Finn to learn to be brave and forward to the jumps, I want to be able to ride in a way which supports that and be more able to stick with him when he fumbles.
Ultimately it comes down to this: I am not planning to just "play around with jumping" with Finn. Which is not to say I don't want it to be fun, just to say that this is a main part of our hoped for future, not a side thing. So from the beginning I want to do it as well as I can, and having a jumping saddle is important for that. Anyway... hopefully the saddle will get here soon! I'm impatient to give it a try.
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