Position, Position, Position!

Things are always crazy around here.  Had a good lesson last weekend, we worked on jumping and position and helping the instructor get to know each horses' abilities as well as my own.  With Chip she had us jump a wide oxer at 2'3" (no problem), then had us jump it at an angle (no problem), then made it a really wide oxer, like 9 feet wide (no problem).  THEN she tried to kill us.  She moved the jump about 2.5 strides away from the wall and had us jump it at an angle, and we had to make a square corner and go straight into the jump at a canter.  So we had a stride to turn, a stride to set up and then take off over a 2'6" 6 foot wide oxer.  At one point we clipped/jumped into the standard and I thought we were going down but my boy kept us up and going.  We ended on a really good note and we had a good time.  The only thing I would like to do more is repetition, if we "get" something she says good and moves onto something else.  Personally I like to practice a couple of times but I guess that's why I can practice outside of a lesson.

I rode Sinatra as well, we introduced bounces to an oxer.  I think we really taxed his jumping ability/knowledge, I haven't made it that far in my gymnastics training so I don't think he has the best foundation for what we did but we did it anyway.  He hit a lot of the poles and he can't adjust his striding, I need to bring him back a step and progress in gymnastics.  He did, however, give forth a fantastic effort and he is so honest about jumping so we ended the lesson very pleased.

The biggest thing I took away from the lesson is that my position sucks.  I basically took a year off from jumping due to the move and due to a move to a new barn that had exactly 2 standards.  That is a poor excuse but it is my current reason.  I can tell it shows, I am collapsing over a jump, rounding my back, heels coming up, hands not going forward, being left behind, I am just not pleased.  I almost came off twice last weekend, once per horse.  Chip due to severely overjumping after not meeting the jump correctly, the instructor swore I was coming off.  Sinatra due to random spookiness where suddenly he was 2 feet left of where he was .5 seconds ago.

This morning I drug my tired butt out of bed at 5a, despite massive thunderstorms that woke me up at 1a and made me go outside to close the stall doors of the horses, and rode Chip.  I set up a small 2 foot oxer with a placing pole before and after and simply schooled it.  Again and again and again until I started to feel my position come back.  Finally I stopped rounding my back and kept my heels down.  Bumped the oxer up to 2'6" and jumped it.  Perfectly.  I kept my position.  Finally.  We schooled it a dozen times both straight and at an angle.  Chip did try to help with my position by encouraging me to come off a couple of times, his enthusiasm for helping me did not go unnoticed, unwanted and not unnoticed, but I stayed on like a champ and didn't feel unsecure either time.  I think I am finally ready for cross country schooling this weekend!