4, 3, 2, holy crap horse!

I set up an oxer on the rail and did a lot of dressage in today's ride with Kat - we're doing much of the same thing I'm working on with Matheo in order to integrate it better. Can you lengthen? And stay light and connected? Can you shorten and come more through? Can you yield off this leg? How about this one? Can you lengthen the canter and shorten?

These are normal questions, yes, but the 'yes'es I'm giving her have to be much higher quality these days...

back at RDLA where the footing is so beautiful and eyecatching

Anyways. So there was this oxer on the rail at about 3'3 and every time she felt balanced and on my aids I came around and I took the fence. The first four times (I'm not kidding you guys) I started counting down, 4, 3, 2, and then she'd just HAIL MARY JUMP IT. So the first time, okay, fine, she wasn't ready or sitting enough. But the second time? No half halts? Really? The third time? Are you even capable of riding? Is your eye functioning? The fourth time I finally got unseated enough to actually have to ride to the stupid fence so we had no flyers after that.

A nearly-accurate representation of today's jumping efforts...

Despite my dubious riding it really was a lovely ride - her counter canter is getting very strong and balanced and the connection is getting very honest and over the back.

I posted a teaser yesterday but I'll write more about it today: The Las Vegas National Horse Show... back in August I rode a friend's horse at the JK Presents show at Woodside.

Guyz. This ground is beautiful. Imma stare at it.

 She recently had surgery, but still really wanted to attend Vegas National in November, so she approached me about riding for her again. It's a very good opportunity, so I agreed, and as part of bringing me along we worked out a way to enter Kat.

'WE'RE JUMPING I KNOW IT, I SEE IT, LET ME AT IT' - Kat

And that's the abbreviated version of how Kat and I are headed to Vegas! We're entered in the 0.90s, the 1.0s, and (shh please don't tell Kat) a single 1.10 class since she's been jumping so VERY spectacularly. We also have a VIP table for the FEI World Cup Saturday night... I'm totally dying I'm so excited about that. Kat and I have a bit of work to do to get ready. I'm confident in my wicked talented little mare, and I can't wait to see how it goes! I promise lots of photos of completely random things: horses I don't know, stalls charts, trainers coaching, warm up fences, and my horse's ears.