Guinny Gets Amped Over Fences

We had a jumping lesson today since it's been about a month since the last one.  Our boy definitely loves to jump, and for that we are exceedingly thankful.  But Guinness also tends to get himself worked up when he jumps, and today he was lit up!  Shanna started out the lesson getting him soft and supple, paying attention to what was being asked. She's working on sitting his gorgeous trot and he responds by making it as smooth and light as possible.

After they were going nicely as a pair Erin got on for some small jumping efforts. Guinny can hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of jumping, and it really is a blast to be on his back in those moments.  Unfortunately, he also sometimes gets a little strong and demanding, trying to be the one calling the shots about pace and direction.  He likes to run around like a maniac after he's bounded through the air, and when we try to slow him down he gets pissed off.  The more he jumped the more keyed up he got, the more Erin had to get after him with "I'm the rider and therefore the boss" maneuvers. Which further pissed him off. But it wasn't long before he came to the conclusion that the better behaved he was the more he could actually jump (because when he was having a naughty moment all he got to do was circle and flex his head and neck). We ended on good note with a great 2.5-foot jump, and everyone was pleased.

What Guinny sees in his mind's eye during our jumping lessons!

After our rides we've been heading up the logging road to the top of the mountain, and yesterday despite the pouring rain, Guinness decided he wanted to canter almost the entire way up.  Our biggest concern up there is that we'll come upon deer and our handsome fella will lose his mind.  But he proved us wrong when he and Erin rode upon FIVE of the four-legged creatures, and Guinny was a rock star! We'd just come to the flat spot on the trail about half-way up when Erin asked him to walk. It's not like he gets winded and needs to catch his breath, but it's nice to have a break for a minute. As we rounded the bend there stood 3 female deer, and surprisingly Guinny was the last to know! Once he spotted them he stood gaping, eyes wide open and head straight up like a giraffe, but he didn't move. They eventually sauntered off and despite being a little keyed up Guinness walked forward on the trail like a champ (and Erin had her hand wrapped around his mane just in case!).  We picked up a nice canter again (his gait and path while out on the logging trail are all his choice, so it cracks us up when he chooses to canter anyway), and bounded up the hill like a rocking horse.  As it opened out into the meadow he had settled into a really nice rhythm and it felt like he could go on forever. And then we spotted the next 2 deer, both juvenile males with fuzzy antlers. Again Big G. didn't see them until everyone else had become aware, but Erin brought him to a walk and kept a secure leg on him while he calmly passed the curious creatures, never losing eye contact.

We are looking forward to our first cross-country schooling trip, though the next one on the books in 2 weeks for the farm isn't going to happen for us because Erin will be working. Our goal is to compete in a horse trial by season's end, but since we have yet to see how Big G. will enjoy or behave running cross-country, it's all still a big question mark. (Although everyone suspects he'll eat it up once he's out there -- and maybe it'll cure him of his plastic flower phobia, learning what a bad-ass-future-eventer he can be flying over previously unknown obstacles!). There definitely will be, however, lots of dressage and hunter/jumper shows in our future.  Our biggest hurdle here is a set of wheels for Guinny, but we think we've got that one handled.  Soon!

Erin's got another lesson today so stay tuned for an update again shortly.