A weekend to remember, part I

This weekend was simply awesome, I got a lot accomplished and had a lot of saddle time and was surrounded by friends.  I don't think you can ask for a better weekend could you?  I even had good weather!

I rode on Thursday and did the 2'6" bounce grid again on the App to make sure the knee issue was resolved.  After some hard knocks and a pole down, the App remembered to pick his feet up and the ride was uneventful.  At the end I made the bounces into a 1 stride to a wide oxer and the App just soared over it.  The boarder was out with me and volunteered to be my jump crew and was fantastic help.  She really enjoyed watching the App jump and we had a great night.  Friday was the biggest fail day as I didn't end up riding but I did give a lesson and then started cleaning to be prepared for a hay delivery.  I was planning on restacking the first cutting of hay and then possibly riding the TWH, needless to say I only got started on the clearing and I didn't get the hay restacked or a horse ridden.

Saturday was a whirlwind of activity that kept me busy from 9a until 10p but I had a lot of fun.  I gave a lesson at 10a and then had to clean stalls and continue to prepare for the hay delivery.  While cleaning stalls I became pretty irritated at my uninvited guests and had an eviction party for the spiders.  I was successful in killing several but mostly I took down the spider webs over the stalls and cleaned the dust off of the rafters.  The down side of my being sidetracked is that I lost an hour that I could have/should have been doing something else, oh well.  Evicting needed to be done anyway!  I got the stalls cleaned and was able to finish clearing a new spot for hay as I knew I wouldn't have room for all of the hay in my hay stalls.  By this time it was almost 130p and I went in to shower before my lesson at 3p.  Suddenly I realized YIKES!  I need to be on the road around 2p, not getting ready at 2p.  It was so random that I made this realization, I would have been in serious time trouble if I had kept up my course of action.

I changed clothes into something presentable and got the trailer packed to haul out.  I grabbed the App and wrapped him up, much to his extreme dismay.  He was not happy when I took him away from his precious hay bag he was sharing with the donkey.  To my pleasure, however, he loaded onto the trailer without even taking a paused step like he normally does.  He walked on like he has been doing it for over 10 years (and he has) and that it was no big deal (since it isn't).  I was so happy!  While I no longer have to fight to get him on the trailer, he always puts the brakes on right at the trailer and has a sniff and a look.  I typically have to threaten with the stud chain to get him to walk onto the trailer.  Wahoo!  We made it to the farm right on time, I wanted to get there around 2:40-2:45p so I could unload and be ready for our lesson and I got there at 2:40.  I unloaded, unwrapped and was on to warm up at 2:55p.  Good timing by me!

Under saddle the App was forward but not hot.  While this was a very pleasant change of pace from the last show we were at where he was a monster who had no brakes. I was hoping I would have the monster App so the instructor could see and hopefully have some good ideas to help defuse him when he gets like that.  Alas I will have to try again sometime as this weekend he was an angel.  I warmed up at a trot and then did some canter and gallop sprints to help settle him down (aka make him tired) and by the time the instructor came over he was at a good spot mentally.  We went over everything she pointed us at and didn't act badly a single time.  He went in and out of water, we went over logs, coups, brush piles, benches and tables.  He picked his knees up over almost every fence and she liked his jumping.  The things we have to work on is mostly me, I was still riding defensively because of the horse I can have and not the horse I have right now.  When I jump, I tend to jump very vertically and don't close my hip angle.  As a result he jumps vertically and doesn't reach forward even over wide fences.  I also need to pay closer attention to my leg and actually apply it for support when the App is being good instead of keeping all legs off.  I am accustomed to him just going (and going and going) without needing me.  She said I was a nicely balanced and didn't have bad habits that needed addressed, besides the being vertical, at least right now so wahoo!

I brought the App home and I rubbed him down with liniment and gave him carrots and he showed no signs of any soreness that night or on Sunday.  I ended up meeting RB3 for dinner and the boarder brought over dessert and we chatted and talked until 10p.  It was a great day.