Bravery

This weekend I attended another local horse show with Charmer. I've been riding him at home, but we don't have any jumps (yet). But even with that being said, when we jump he has been doing really, really well! So I decided to be a little extra brave when signing up and enter him in 2'6" and 2'9", as well as our first ever 2'6" derby for fun.

From our 2'6" round. New favorite photo

For him, basically every time he has walked off the trailer lately, he just marches right off, looks around a little, screams a few times, and then just eats hay with zero drama. It is so nice I have never had a horse that will just do that. I can leave him tied at the trailer for hours at a show and feel confident he will still be there when I return. This show was no different. He took his look around and then settled right in at the trailer.

I wandered around the show all morning talking to people and taking lots and lots of photos. Our first class of the day was the 2'6" derby, so I spent time getting Charmer ready and got on about 45 minutes before the class just in case he needed some extra time since he hasn't been jumped since the derby two weeks ago.

My favorite beast

When I first got on, the warm-up arena was empty, which was super nice. I got on and we had a nice w/t/c both ways. Then a few other people came in along with a jump crew so they could adjust all the jumps for me which was awesome! I started out popping a crossrail a few times and he was thoroughly bored by that. Then I had the jump crew set one of the fences to a 2'3" vertical. Charmer plowed through it once. They set it back up, and I went again, and he halfway jumped with his front end and then didn't even try with his hinds and plowed through it again. I asked them to throw it up to about 2'9" to give him something to think about. Once it went up, his ears went forward, he locked in to the fence, and FLEW over it. Didn't even touch it. That 2'3" fence in warmup was the last rail we tapped all day. 

Height is clearly not an issue

Since he was doing so well after that, I jumped about 10 more warmup fences, and headed over to the derby about 15 minutes early. We watched the 3'3" derby go, and then we went second in the 2'6' derby. I decided to ride the derby in his SJ bit (loose ring lozenge snaffle) instead of his open spaces/cross country bit (full cheek corkscrew). Which probably proved to be a less than stellar decision, because he went around fast and big, but he never reached a point where I felt out of control, and I was thrilled by that.

Feeling so good

We kind of biffed the first fence with a weird distance, and then had a stop at the brick wall at the second fence, but after those two kinks, we had a fantastic rest of the course. He even jumped the rolltop at fence 4 without batting an eye.

Down bank like a boss

There was a down bank only maybe 12 strides after the rolltop, so I couldn't really get him back to a trot quickly enough (especially in his non-XC bit), so I decided to go for the canter, and he rocketed off the down bank from a canter for the first time ever without hesitation. 

Ditch was no problem

Option #6 was a ditch, which he couldn't have cared less about. We had a few more normal show jumping fences, all of which went fine, including our first triple bar!

Tidy hind end

Final two fences were an up bank then a rollback to the jump pictured above. Charmer boldly canter up the bank (which I've only ever asked him to do one other time) and ended with a very tidy, clean jump over the final fence. Even with our one stop at the brick, I couldn't have been prouder of him! Especially for his first derby, in a non-XC bit, he never once bolted or made me feel out of control.

We had about 3 hours between the derby and our next class, so I took him back to the trailer, untacked, gave him a drink and a quick hose off, and then just let him eat at the trailer for a while while I went and visited with more people and took some more photos. 

I saw some friends have some really awesome rounds, and accomplish lots of personal goals for themselves. I love the community aspect of local shows, where everyone is supporting each other, and cheering for when someone gets their horse over a jump that it was clearly struggling with or when a little girl makes it around their first 2' course and they are just so proud of themselves and their ponies. That feeling is one of the absolute best things about horse shows to me.

When we got closer to the start of the 2'6", I went over and tacked Charmer up once more. It was about 100 degrees out at that point, but Charmer still greeted me with perked ears! We tacked back up and again got on about 35 minutes before our class, just in case he needed some time. Wrong. I got back on and we w/t/c for about 10-12 minutes and then we jumped exactly 5 jumps and he took every one in stride without even thinking about it. So we went and just restudied the course and chatted with friends while we waited.

When it was our turn to go around the 2'6", we marched right in and the jump judges even commented that most of the horses looked exhausted and hot, but Charmer looked totally ready to jump anything I pointed him at! The first jump of the course had been coming down all day long, I mean probably a good 30% of the rounds took out the first jump, so Charmer made sure to give it some extra room. 

His jumping felt better than it almost ever has. He jumped so cleanly and so quietly, and he is actually starting to pick his knees up more properly too! There was one line between jump number 5 and 6 that was a little bit of a tight turn, and I was a little nervous for it, but I shouldn't have been! Charmer took a really beastly jumper turn and we rocketed through the line! I couldn't believe how good he felt. Never tapped a rail in the whole 2'6" and it felt like the best that either of us had ever jumped.

Charmer got lots of pats and cookies after his 2'6" and then we waited only about 15 minutes before the 2'9" was ready. Not a lot of people were willing to be out in the heat, which worked out for us, so our classes were pretty quick and small. Charmer was extra sure to give the first jump extra room again, and he was awesome over the second jump as well. I accidentally buried him hard into fence 3 but his heart and athleticism got us over clear. 

We took a huge long spot to the fourth fence, but Charmer wasn't phased, and also didn't hold a grudge from the previous fence that I buried him in. 

This jump is sponsored by the high school I graduated from!

We made it through the next several jumps really well, then I buried him into a couple more distances, but both times, he somehow squirreled the both of us over without taking out any fences. The biggest grudge he held was a slight flick of the ears at me as if to say "get it together lady". 

Then at the very last jump I got this BEAST picture of Charmer doing his first kick out with his hind end! We even got second place in our 2'9" round! I was so happy. I still have not wiped the giddy smile off of my face from yesterday. 

I think the best part to me is that this is the first 2'9" round I have done on him, and the first I have done in exactly 2 years, since I did it with Pancho at this show exactly two years ago. Also, I couldn't believe how small the jumps felt!! I distinctly remember the feeling of 2'3" feeling big at the beginning of the year. Now 2'9" feels small? I love this horse and the confidence and the bravery that he gives me. 

I hope you all made it through this huge proud mom, brag post. I am just so thrilled to have a horse who so wants to try his heart out for me and be my partner. 

All the pats for the best pony ever