Amazing Sally

On Tuesday, I saddled Leo up so Sally could jump school him. It was raining buckets that morning so all of her lessons got moved into the indoor. 

The fences included a 21' 1-stride on the one long side; a vertical to oxer at some random distance on the other long side (Sally never rode the fences as a line but would have riders jump one and do a roll-back turn to the other); a triple down the middle of the ring (distance of 33' and 33') and then 2 fences at either end of the short sides. 

What can I say. Watching Sally ride your horse is total inspiration. Leo looks so smooth with her in the saddle! She said she forgot how good he is off the ground. She also said he felt great (no hint of any soreness - yay!) 

Head Up

First and foremost, Sally said I have to keep Leo's head up at all times. She said it requires all core stretch. There's nothing fancy about what she's doing. She said she holds her core and takes both her reins and bumps Leo's head up when he starts to disappear behind the bridle. She said I can't put leg on until I get his head up. If I put leg on while his head is down, I will just drive him on his forehand. This is the biggest challenge when jumping Leo. 

She noticed that Leo got tired quickly when she rode him with his head up. This is because it forces him to use muscles he's not regularly using. When I ride him, I tend to let him have his head down between fences or around turns, but Sally said that's only permissible on cross country when I'm galloping between fences. In stadium, he needs to carry himself with his head up, through all his turns, and in the approach to all the fences. It's the only way to keep him focused on the task at hand and make sure he understands where he's going and what's ahead of him.