A lesson on my own and the biggest I have ever jumped!

 Todays plans had a few changes in them but they were all for the best. As you will know I had a great time jumping Gatsby yesterday but I was knackered by the time I got in bed, I got in bed at 8 and went to sleep within about 5 minutes and slept through until about 10ish. When I got up mum told me that there was going to be a change of plans, instead of getting to the stables for 12:30 I got to the stables for 11:30. Fiona said that she would explain when we got there and when she did explain it made a lot more sense. With only having Gatsby and Rocky that we can use I was going to ride Gatsby early on my own and do some jumping I was all for this. In stead of riding for an hour I rode for 45 minutes but it was more consistent work and I wasn't being as lazy as I tend to be, I was working harder and trying to build my stamina up. 

I got Gatsby ready to get on him at 12:15, we started warming him up and making sure that from the beginning he is active. Fiona told me not to worry about getting him in an outline and focusing on building my confidence. At E and B we put down some trot poles, on one side there was three poles and on the other side there was five poles, Fiona suggested that I work towards jumping two jumps. still staying in trot to get me to be a bit more active. We went over both sets of poles linking them doing the circuit 2 times, starting off going over the poles in rising trot and then move on to going over them in the jump position. I was able to do this quite easily without having to think about it, only making sure that he doesn't drift to the right. We then changed the set of three poles to a cross rail, we went over that (still in a trot) we'd go over the jump, then over the five trot poles, then go over the jump again and finish going over the five poles. We then put the jump up to a vertical at about 2 foot ish, I did the same thing a couple of times with the only different things being that it was a vertical, we then put the next jump up and went straight to doing that at a vertical. First Fiona and my mum said that it was the same height and it was just an optical illusion that they looked higher but this one was level with Fiona's hip it wasn't far off being 3 foot. The first jump was a level 2 jump and the second was a level 3 jump. I went over it without any problems not even worrying about the height that it was just 100% trusting Gatsby and Fiona! I really did love it! We carried on jumping them both twice on a continuos lap. I loved it, and can't wait to jump more. I could see how much Gatsby was enjoying it as well and that's one of the most important things! I then cooled him down and Alice rode him for her lesson. 

This afternoon I had a two hour driving lesson because my test is coming up soon! We practiced doing all over the moves that I could be asked to do and I felt a lot more confident. We also did it in the area that I did my test. I can't wait to do my test and hopefully pass it so that I can go where I want when I want to! It's going to be really fun and of course I can then go to the stables when I want to not have to rely on other people being free to do it! 

Oh I almost forgot there are pictures to come of my riding today, after all it isn't true without photographs or videos ;) 

Until Next Time 

A Girl With A Dream!