Spectacular All-Around

This week Jimmy was great. Of course, he's always great. But this week....he just seemed exceptionally great. We've been practicing all sorts of different things but two main exercises have me very excited. I've been working on spirals at the canter, where I go from a collected 10(ish) meter circle and continue spiraling in at the canter until we're in a piaffe. Jimmy has successfully done if 6 times, and only broke & trotted one of those times!! He is so nimble it's quite unbelievable. He turns on a DIME (...seriously) and he's so compact and under himself. He has been carrying himself so properly since the adjustment with John I just couldn't be happier.

The other item I'm excited about is we jumped BIGGER still! Just twice last night I had him canter a slightly larger vertical than what we've been doing. It was probably a hair over 2'6" and he jumped so flippin' easy. I swear the jumps could go straight to 3'6" and he probably wouldn't notice. I can't wait until he's up to that height because it's going to be SO MUCH FUN. I was telling Bill tonight it's so wonderful to just get on, warm up, and jump around. I don't have to worry about teaching him this or that or letting him "experience" anything for the first time....He just sees the jump, picks his spot, jumps it easy, and canters away. It's absolute bliss. I feel like he taught himself everything he knows because I just never imagined that I could turn out a horse this well on my own!!!! He's absolute perfection and even though I'm completely biased, I believe that it is completely true.

Today Jimmy was a little excited for Lucy's lesson - but I like that about him. He always challenges her in a way that she (and her mom!) still feel safe. She learns to handle it and stay calm and ride through it. Also: Today she cantered off the lunge line! I was calling out what she should do next "Walk. Trot. Walk. Halt. Trot. Walk" then I said "Canter." and she looked at me, eyes bulging out of her head. I said "You can walk and trot and halt and sit trot and back up...but you think you need the line to canter still? I don't think you do...I believe you can canter by yourself. Don't you think so?" And she smiled and POW! Just like that, Jimmy was cantering. Another thing I love so much about him - his canter transition. You STEP in that outside stirrup with our reins collected and he immediately canters from a stand still. Gosh I love him.

After Lucy's wonderful lesson I had another lesson to teach - a walking and balance lesson on Pepe. His rider (Dori) did a great job and Pepe handled it very well too! He was very calm and understanding and just strolled along the whole time while she practiced extended, collected and regular walk, halt, back, and posting at the walk. It was a great Saturday of lessons!!

Tomorrow I ride alone, but the ring really needs to be drug so I'll probably rake the whole arena by hand before I get on. If I can rake it up enough around the jumps then I'll set something fun up so Jimmy and I can jump a little combination.

He hasn't bucked (or thought about it) since last Saturday (before he was adjusted) and he seems to be very happy & comfortable! Before we ride he gets one cookie to do his carrot stretches with & today after I bridled him for Lucy (she's a hair too short still) he took his nose and touched each side of his girth & looked at me as if he were saying "Alright, I stretched. Now cookie." He's unbelievable.