Riding Big Red

I was able to leave work early on Friday and spent the afternoon riding Colt (affectionately known as Big Red) with Kyla and Cal for company. Colt has improved about a hundred times over since he arrived- he's easier to catch, behaves better in the barn, and seems more relaxed while being ridden. He's turning into a real treat to work with. 

Before we got on, Kyla and I set the second set of ground poles on the diagonal line to a crossrail. I was excited to take Colt over a jump, however small. I wasn't sure if he'd ever been presented with jumps before, but I was certain it wouldn't give him any trouble. He warmed up beautifully, staying loose and pleasant at the walk and trot. His canter is a bit of an uncoordinated mess, but he managed to keep an even, rhythmic pace through two large circles. I took him up the ground poles (set 5' apart) to the first crossrail and he handed it well. He took an extra large trot step and didn't do anything silly. After Cal successfully went through the line, I took Colt around again. He went right through. I went ahead and turned him toward the diagonal line. He tripped over the first ground pole, but steadied himself in time to give a small hop over the second! Woohoo! I was so proud of Big Red- he's a willing and game horse. I was even prouder of Cal, who quietly trotted over all of the jumps, even when I raised them to small verticals for him. 

Today, I'm headed out to ride G. Anne wants to set up a couple of bounces perpendicular to one another (think ground poles arranged in a square). If Gina handles those well, we're going to move them up to crossrails and possibly verticals. I'm looking forward to seeing what Miss Mare does today.