Cross country schooling

Last week I took two of my students to Graham Hill's Showgrounds for a little cross country schooling.

We had a pretty fabulous time.

 First of all, having the kids ride in a huge arena is simply delightful. Our arena affords a lot of opportunity for turning and not a lot of room for really developing straightness. This point aside, we did not focus on straightening our horses, we just warmed them up here.

Thanks phone, for putting this together?

Graham Hill has a variety of cross country jumps of a maximum height of probably 2'3", making it perfect for schooling. There's tires and a small bank, various coops and hedges, and lots of logs.

There's something so cool about being confident in my students and horses as they go around the field - I can't wait for the moment in the near future (hint, hint) when I get to let them run their first full cross country course. 

Thanks to E for letting me highlight her experience at Graham hill

All this aside, I'm taking Kat to Graham hill tomorrow for her first ever cross country experience.

Wish me luck.