Getting our feet Wet

This past Sunday WallE, Iris, Guy, Avary and myself headed to Windridge Farm for cross country schooling. After raining all weekend, we knew that the footing would be iffy, but we decided to go anyway. 

We we arrived, we noted that the ground was wet, but rideable. We tacked up, lunged and headed to the field. WallE was a little more forward and distracted than normal thanks to a few horses kept on top of the hill. We warmed up and cantered up a hill a few times before he settled down. 

We jumped the grasshopper fence(18")  with ease, but he was a little unsure at the starter fence (2'3") in the warm up area. To his credit, it was wet and, if you have been following along, you know that we were disqualified on a wet cross country course last summer. Alas, he did not refuse, he just backed off and then launched over it. We did that fence a few more times, then added a few other grasshopper fences to the mix. 

After working through the water feature, things improved greatly. We walked, trotted and cantered through the water, then added a few jumps to the mix. WallE hit his stride and the fences became easier to navigate. As we set ourselves up for succes we gained confidence and as a result grew bolder in the fences we jumped. 

After the water, we worked on the starter and beginner novice fences. WallE was a champ. He felt confident and right at home. We jumped, then we watched Iris jump and then we jumped again. His attitude stayed pleasant, his gate stayed forward and we had a great day. 

Looking forward to Stableview Horse Trials next weekend!