Obviously this is only Cinder's third time free jumping and I wasn't expecting her to nail it. She seemed quite game and went blasting down the line, but she hasn't learned how to find her distance yet. There were a couple mishaps but she figured it out, never got flustered or upset, and kept going. All qualities I hope she'll have under saddle.
The tales of an adult ammy hunter/jumper rider and her ponies
Showing posts with label free jump. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free jump. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2020
Fail Friday: Free Jumping
Obviously this is only Cinder's third time free jumping and I wasn't expecting her to nail it. She seemed quite game and went blasting down the line, but she hasn't learned how to find her distance yet. There were a couple mishaps but she figured it out, never got flustered or upset, and kept going. All qualities I hope she'll have under saddle.
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Wordless Wednesday: Free Jump
A and I finally got around to free jumping the ponies this weekend. We did my two, as Scottie had conveniently twisted a hind shoe and was ouchy. We started with Cinder and she very clearly remembered her free jump lesson from last summer. Once I turned her loose in the arena she walked right up to the first fence in the chute, walked over it, and calmed walked down the line (we started with a crossrail and ground poles) and then turned and looked at me. Definitely too smart for her own good.
Peebs went after her and I added a bit more height for him. He was not nearly as extra as Cin.
I have some hilarious fails of Cinder that I'll share on Friday, so I can stretch content out. She might have been bred for dressage, and will hopefully want to be hunter, but she's got the eventer fifth leg gene in her!
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| We finished with a 2'3" oxer that clearly was too small in her opinion |
Peebs went after her and I added a bit more height for him. He was not nearly as extra as Cin.
I have some hilarious fails of Cinder that I'll share on Friday, so I can stretch content out. She might have been bred for dressage, and will hopefully want to be hunter, but she's got the eventer fifth leg gene in her!
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Lumps, Jumps, and Lunges
I realized I hadn't had a Cinder update post since the show over a month ago. But in all honesty, until last week not much had happened with her. After the show I let her be for a while and didn't mess with her like I did prepping for the show. Which was maybe not the best idea for a smart young filly.
Apparently Cinder figured out if she wiggled her nose/butt/body against her stall door hard enough, she could get the latch to work its way free and the door would open. She did it once while I was at the barn, but I had been in her stall earlier and figured I hadn't latched it correctly. She's done it twice more over night and been loose when the morning feeder came. Both times she didn't appear to have gotten into anything, or done any damage except pulling halters off hooks and chewing a fly mask. She's super people oriented and is easy to catch as she walks right up to you. She now has a clip on the latch so she can't work it loose.
Since she's started displaying bad boredom behaviors, I've started doing more ground work again, including teaching her to lunge. I had used voice commands for our in hand work (trot, walk, whoa) so when I put her on the line she already kinda knew what to do. What she didn't know was how to stay on a circle. The first lunge experience was me basically water skiing behind her and Cinder being confused as to why I was there. A round pen would make it so much easier, but we'll work with what we go. By the second time she was able to make egg shaped circles and mostly going off my voice and by her third session she was pretty darn good. We only do 5 minutes mostly walk and trot, and only 2 times a week but I'm super happy with her progress so far.
Last week the ponies got their spring vaccines. Cinder had broken out in hives a couple of day before the appointment, but they had gone away in a day. So of course she broke out again the day of their appointment. She's not bothered by them at all, but some were pretty big. The vet wasn't too concerned and vaccinated her anyway. He did have me give her some banamine that day and the day after. Since then most of the hives have gone away, but if she breaks out again she'll go on steroids. The barn got a new shipment of hay the week before she broke out, so we figure there's something in it that's bothering her. The distribution of the hives is mostly on her barrel and girth area, so she must be rolling/laying down in whatever it is.
Apparently Cinder figured out if she wiggled her nose/butt/body against her stall door hard enough, she could get the latch to work its way free and the door would open. She did it once while I was at the barn, but I had been in her stall earlier and figured I hadn't latched it correctly. She's done it twice more over night and been loose when the morning feeder came. Both times she didn't appear to have gotten into anything, or done any damage except pulling halters off hooks and chewing a fly mask. She's super people oriented and is easy to catch as she walks right up to you. She now has a clip on the latch so she can't work it loose.
Since she's started displaying bad boredom behaviors, I've started doing more ground work again, including teaching her to lunge. I had used voice commands for our in hand work (trot, walk, whoa) so when I put her on the line she already kinda knew what to do. What she didn't know was how to stay on a circle. The first lunge experience was me basically water skiing behind her and Cinder being confused as to why I was there. A round pen would make it so much easier, but we'll work with what we go. By the second time she was able to make egg shaped circles and mostly going off my voice and by her third session she was pretty darn good. We only do 5 minutes mostly walk and trot, and only 2 times a week but I'm super happy with her progress so far.
Last week the ponies got their spring vaccines. Cinder had broken out in hives a couple of day before the appointment, but they had gone away in a day. So of course she broke out again the day of their appointment. She's not bothered by them at all, but some were pretty big. The vet wasn't too concerned and vaccinated her anyway. He did have me give her some banamine that day and the day after. Since then most of the hives have gone away, but if she breaks out again she'll go on steroids. The barn got a new shipment of hay the week before she broke out, so we figure there's something in it that's bothering her. The distribution of the hives is mostly on her barrel and girth area, so she must be rolling/laying down in whatever it is.
On Sunday I convinced A to come out with me and help me free jump Cinder. I don't want to do too much since she's not yet 2, but a couple small fences shouldn't hurt. We made a chute and started sending her over just a ground pole. It then went up to a cross rail, then a small vertical. She did maybe 4 jumps in total. She was pretty darn cute over fence and didn't seem phased by it at all. She even trotted it once on her own after we finished and were taking the chute down. Hopefully she continues to like jumping as she gets older!
Monday, September 7, 2015
New Jumps
About a month ago there was an add on a local FaceBook group for jumps for sale. We have plenty of standards and poles, but not a whole lot of filler so when I saw that they had multiple boxes for sale I claimed two of them. After driving up and getting them I set them up in arena with a plan to lunge McKenna over them and jump them with Tia. But then the girls went lame and that never happened.
McKenna's all healed up and sound after the abscess and has PLENTY of energy from her two week vacation so I figured it was time to introduce her to the boxes. I started by free jumping her over a crossrail then move it up to a vertical. Once I dragged the box over she thoroughly inspected it and took a taste test or two. I asked her to trot around and she immediately went right to the jump and popped over with no problem. I had her do it a few times at the height set in the pic then put it up a few holes.
This time the mare was all over it. I barely stepped back from readjusting it and clucked to her and she took a few canter strides and jumped it the opposite way I had set. Then she landed, went around the corner, did an awesomely tight rollback and came directly back to the fence. I'm so upset I didn't get it on camera! It was something out of a jump off, they way she sat on her hind end and flipped around. And best of all, I just stood there and watched her, I didn't have to do anything. The mare has definite talent as a jumper.
She probably went around on her own 3 or 4 times before I actually had to ask her to stop. She was happy to keep on jumping and didn't need any encouragement from me. I guess I didn't need to worry that she's be scared of the boxes or fill.
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| Obviously they were terrifying |
This time the mare was all over it. I barely stepped back from readjusting it and clucked to her and she took a few canter strides and jumped it the opposite way I had set. Then she landed, went around the corner, did an awesomely tight rollback and came directly back to the fence. I'm so upset I didn't get it on camera! It was something out of a jump off, they way she sat on her hind end and flipped around. And best of all, I just stood there and watched her, I didn't have to do anything. The mare has definite talent as a jumper.
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| I really like how the gif slows down and you can see her form. She doesn't normally have that much hang time. |
make animated gifs like this at MakeaGif
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