Jump, Er, Ground Pole Course

G's been doing beautifully with ground poles lately. There's no more fear or hesitation when she approaches them, and I think she's beginning to enjoy stretching her neck and back while walking or trotting over them. I'm pleased with her progress.

While I believe it's still too early to reintroduce jumps, I want to keep Gina challenged. I don't want any more of last week's bored, sour attitude. Anne suggested something I think is a great idea: ground poles laid out as a jump course. Gina will have to negotiate corners, perform lead changes, and shorten and lengthen her stride as necessary without the stress of actual jumps. It'll be easy for me to give a forward, positive ride. I hope she'll enjoy the exercise!

Here's the course I'm going to set up tomorrow morning:

It's a very simple hunter course that I think will bolster her confidence and make her think about what she's doing. If it's too easy for her, it should be simple enough to change, given that we'll just be using ground poles!

I'm really excited about this idea. Here's to a good ride in the morning!