My next goal... jumping

My goal for this summer is to take up jumping. Growing up I have always done dressage and trail riding. I want to expand my horizons. So, Thursday evening I took it upon myself to create some jumps in our bush which we call parkland. Parkland is a hardwood bush with a lot of fallen logs. I rode my horse Sheylan out with a halter and a lead and tied her to a tree. I thought for sure she would want to graze but rather preferred to stand and watch over me. She took her job very seriously over-seeing everything. She is very matriarchal. Within minutes I was sweating and realized I had totally over dressed. Off came my winter coat and helmet. I threw my coat over my saddle and my helmet on a nearby stump. In one hour I had accomplished 7 jumps. Not bad. Each jump I tested. That was Shey's favourite part - flying over the jumps. It's a lot easier planning a jumping course from the back of a horse than on foot. Within the next couple of weeks - before the ground cover grows too tall, I will attempt to expand my cross country course across the length of the bush. I hope I am not taking on too much at once. This could be a big job!

I went out riding again this morning with my friend and her horse Vision. She loves to jump. It would have been great to show her my new course but unfortunately with the extreme rainfall we had Friday night through Saturday we couldn't cross the river to access parkland. Instead we opted for a ride through the fields (which had amazingly dried up enough --- from all the wind) for us to manage a nice canter across the fields. Our horses were all business, no spooking and very glad to finally get some exercise. Looking forward to what next week will bring. Hopefully less rain and more sun. I have a lot to accomplish!