So much to talk about

Suddenly I am faced with too much to say, not enough time.  I could easily have 3-4 posts by now, how crazy is that?  I guess I am going to have to do a summary post.  To make it up, I have media for you.  Does that make it better?  :)

Last week:
Last week was weird crazy.  The horses got trimmed and made me REALLY miss my MI farrier. Unfortunately, this farrier does EVERY SINGLE horse in the barn and I don't want to rock the boat, he does okay enough work if I micromanage him.  But dude, a trim is not take off ALL the toe and leave all of the heel.  Alas.

Really dog?  

Monday I didn't get to ride bc my dog decided that her separation anxiety has reached critical levels since the move from MI.  She has always been anxious when I am gone, but just a little whiney and annoying to others.  Well, then she started moving her crate around when we got to PA.  Then she was bending the bars at the bottom of her crate.  And then she apparently had enough, flipped her crate over and broke 6 of the welds to get out. *sigh*  So on Monday she went to the vet and was put on Prozac.  Hoping it kicks in by the end of the month because right now she is getting Ace almost every day.

Big mare jumps big jumps

Last week was total fitness work, with it being BEAUTIFUL I took advantage and rode outside with some jumps set up.  I have been working hard to get my fitness back up and was able to get to 3.5 mins of two point and then be able to walk the next day lol.  Mia is being a machine while jumping and NOTHING is phasing her.  I set jumps up to 3'3" and mare just didn't care.  We finished off the week with some 4 min canter sets and I could two point for 5 mins.

On Saturday I was supposed to ride with another boarder, MC, and practice some of the XC jumps here at the barn.  MC then had to push the ride time back but some severe storms were moving in at exactly the time she wanted to ride so I rode earlier to go xc schooling.  That said, it involves 5 logs, 2 ditches and 2 coops in total.  Better than nothing I guess!

LOVE this pic!

Mia was SUPER excited to be going XC and from the get-go I had a hard time keeping her from just going fast.  We trotted around the XC "area" and while Mia got to see some of the jumps, I tried not to get close as I wanted to see how she would react to them "cold", without any previous presentation.  Let's just say Mia wasn't concerned lol.  The ONLY thing she hesitated to was each "ditch".  The first one I walked up to and she refused but when I trotted her to it, she jumped it without question.  The second ditch she actually ran out on.  She got acquainted with Mr Spanky as she was told refusals are not acceptable and she then had zero issues with either ditch.  (Ditches, we be making them our bitches!)

The only real issues we were having was Mia's tendency to streeettttch and ggooooooo over the fences, so she is galloping for 2-3 strides after a fence while I desperately pull her back.  It will fix itself, eventually, I keep telling myself.  She is better than last year anyway, so it is a start.

We finished on a good note over some stadium fences and with lots of good pics.  Takeaways?  My position is SO much better.  I think I need to close my hip just a little more and sink into my heel just a little more and I am good.  My position is pretty solid over all jumps, not just a few random jumps.  Win!

Position love

I need to really consider changing her bit for xc to one that will get her head UP and a little more bite.  Mia is a XC machine and isn't phased by much at all.  Here's to hoping it keeps up, I have a show on Sunday!

Example of Mia, one stride after a xc jump, hauling ass,
having yanked me out of the saddle.