Itty bitty jumps

I just got it into my head I should do some jumping, and with my new-found enthusiasm for riding I couldn't see a reason not to. Ok, I could think of a few but I breezed ahead anyway!

Before catching the boys I set up the jumps. Two crosspoles, one at B and one at E, and two little uprights across some diagonals. They sort of surrounded one wing of the crosspole set-ups, handy to stop him running out to the side ;) They were very dinky indeed, only about 80cm in height, real nursery stuff!

Quadi was most amenable in the stable too, so nothing to put us off doing something new. As I took him in the school his face lit up, his ears pricked as soon as he clocked the jumps.

Warm-up was fine, little more tricky than usual, he was looky at the wings and took me a while to achieve any yield on the left rein but we got some. Trot was fine too, he didn't try to tram ahead, and I checked we had our Sensible Canter hat on. We did :)

Can't say it was a spectacular, glittering session in that I was lobbed almost as many refusals and run-outs as I was rewarded with jumps. But it was something to do with the right rein. On the left I could barely get him to stop. He wasn't being dangerous and taking off, he just kept cantering a loop and jumping whatever was in his way! On the right he wasn't very keen even from trot. But when I bolstered my confidence and really put my leg on and kept up with him he jumped with such gusto! Much bigger than was appropriate for the height of the poles!

As I cooled him down to a walk on a long rein he picked up canter from walk and took us back over another jump, I managed to gather my reins in time but it was unexpected *lol*

So I can't surmise he was in any huge pain because he went over ok from the left. Perhaps the dodgy right fore? It will be thoroughly x-rayed and checked on Friday, and our physio is coming for a hack on Sunday, I can have his back checked over then too.

He did pick up canter on both reins but it wasn't easy on the right. One thing I did notice was that he was a lot more off my leg and I was a lot more relaxed about the transitions, perhaps we should school around jumps more often!

I should say I was using my dressage saddle today, I was happy to end our session with me still in the saddle and both of us feeling more confident. If I didn't give it a go I wouldn't know what we need to work on now.

Tomorrow is just a lunge day, good for me to check him over before the vet on Friday :s