Saturday Stick Jumping Day

I've been partaking in the Angry Orchard, so I apologize ahead of time if this sounds buzzed.  Because I totally am right now.  Also I'm jazzed to watch the Devon live feed so YES LET'S TALK ABOUT HORSES JUMPING OVER STICKS.

Last weekend the barn family all pitched in to get the jumps painted and finished, and they look great!  I had my quality time with the primer and also the work on the breast cancer awareness jump, so having managed to NOT wreck any of that, I feel like I contributed my share.  Soon and I got to jump for the first time in several weeks back on Wednesday?  Or Thursday...anyway he was really great to the jumps despite being complete distracted by life as soon as we stopped to take a break.  More turnout swaps were causing him some stress, and he yelled his dainty little head off the entire time when he wasn't pointed at a jump.  It was actually a very useful school - taught me that he can easily work through being "up" and yell-y, and concentrate at the job at hand when I ask him.  Should make horse shows easier because I know now just to ride him through it and not give it any additional energy.

We jumped again today, and while he was a little more forward and a bit more in "jumper mode" than before, he was still excellent.  He got his lead changes on the flat during his warm up, cleanly both ways, and did everything I asked to the fences.  I know I need to ride him with more pace; a quality canter gets us there 90% of the time.  The other 10% is just a matter of closing the hand for a shorter distance, or closing the leg for the longer one.  Either way, he goes where I tell him and he was totally game today.  I had the pink fence up around 3' or 3'3" and it was easy for him.  He jumped the barrels and the tires, didn't peek at either.  He is so easy to the jumps it's really almost mind-blowing.  I'm so thankful for a horse who just goes unless he truly does not understand the question; and even then, he tells you loud and clear.

Afterward I hung out with him in the turnout to snap some photos.  Twice now he's come running up to me outside; realistically, it's him being a little off-center from the other turnout swaps, but the overly sentimental owner lady part of me likes to think it's because he wuv wuv wuvs me.  <3   Or he just knows I have a carrot.

Countdown 2-ish weeks before we move back home.  I'm excited for the future, but I've truly enjoyed our barn family here and am sad to leave.

CARROT LADY I WILL TROT OVER TO YOU DON'T MOVE