XC school at Course Brook Farm

The Queen Bee, photo by Amanda Rains/Red Horse Photography

Yesterday morning was an exciting one - we were heading out to Course Brook Farm in MA for an XC school with Suzi Gornall. Lucy started the day off in style by getting loose at the barn before getting on the trailer...I took her lead rope off so I could put the chain over her nose because she was being a bit strong when I was leading her around, and she waited until she knew the clip was undone and then said:

She had a GRAND time running around, getting all the other horses riled up, and playing hard-to-catch. We corralled her into the indoor where she finally stood for me to catch her, and then she got her little heinie kicked on the lunge line. Oh, you think it's so much fun to run around? Well then you can do it on the lunge line.

Yes, two can play that game!

After a good amount of lunging, and then some refreshing on ground manners, she was a perfect angel. She loaded in no time, trailered great, unloaded at CBF, stood for me to tack her up, and let me mount from the ground. We walked around the trailer area on a loose rein while the rest of our crew tacked up, then hacked back to the cross country course.

Suzi asked me what my goal was. I told her about our massive failure at Groton House and said that I didn't care what height we were jumping; today I needed to get confidently over some jumps. That is exactly what we did; the "scariest" jump was a 2'3" (if even that) log that was hoisted up in the air, with a small ditch underneath. Going up to it I was like, THAT IS A SCARY JUMP!!! but Lucy hopped right over it. Given my defensive ride, she threw in a few bucks upon landing. Suzi said I needed to stay off her back a bit more and let her jump; she is a nice jumper but jumps very round and I should try to stay out of her way better.

One other thing was that she loaded like she could not WAIT to get on the trailer. WTF horse? We used my barn owner's ramp load trailer, and of course her super sexy Dutch Warmblood gelding was in there. I think the key to my loading issues with Lucy is to buy myself a nice ramp load trailer and an even nicer Dutch Warmblood. Yup, that's what I need! Kenny, are you reading this?

I hired a friend to come out and take photos for me, so here are a few! Check her out here (Red Horse Photography on Facebook).

warm up gallop around the field

pep talk from Suzi

can we just jump little logs forever please?

folks, this is why I do what I do

the scariest jump of the day
no really, I was petrified of it...

The Lucy Special

trotting through the "water jump", which had really dried up to nothing
more than a puddle.