Jumping into Spring

 Spring made a brief appearance for a few weeks and thank goodness. We got some days in the 60s and some much needed sunshine, which lead to some much needed longer turnout times for the horses as well as the first baths of the season. 

Cinder was not nearly as amused as I was about bath time

Trainer M took a much deserved vacation, so assistant trainer I was doing the pro-rides and teaching lessons. AT I has a diverse equestrian background, and I really like her lessons as she takes a little bit from every discipline and has some fun and different exercises. She also really likes Cinder, as her own mare is almost exactly like Cin to ride, just in an Arabian barrel pony body. She made Cinder her pet project while M was gone, and the results are great.

We got to ride outside!

We had one ground pole lesson focusing on lead changes, and Cinder is about 80% of the way there. We can reliably get them over the poles, but I still struggle to get them without the pole while M and AT I can get them. I can either get her forward but lose the ability to move her laterally, or I can move her laterally but then I lose the impulsion. Doing both at the same time is hard. But thankfully now that it's warming up I can carry a whip or put on spurs, without Cinder blowing up, and that will help with the impulsion and lateral movement issues. 

I jumped the scary (to me) wall for the first time

 In prep for show season starting at the end of the month, we've been jumping a bit more as well. AT I set a fun gymnastic course for one lesson, mainly larger cross rails with bounce cavalettis on either side. Cinder really started using her hind more and I can feel more power in her jump. This past Saturday's course also had some large cross rails bounces, a couple oxers, and the wall. She actually jumped me out of the tack over one of the bounces and was really sitting on her haunches and just flipping around my leg in the turns. It's definitely the best she's felt and gone in a long time. 

Cinder gets her teeth done this week and then her Coggins and EEVCI next week and we should be good to go for the start of show season!