I Used to Jump

Today is my last day of class EVER. NO MORE CLASS EVER. I have lots to do, so enjoy this post I wrote two weeks ago (look at me acting like a real blogger, setting up content so I don't go too long without a post).

It's hard to tell with all the DQness that goes on around here, but I used to jump!

I've actually jumped for a lot more years than I've done dressage. I've been doing dressage since 2004 (so 11 years) and I jumped from 199something to 2010 (at least 15 years). I did a little jumping in 2012 when I took the paint horse on, but he severed a tendon in his hock before we could actually do anything fun and then had a year of rehab before he could jump again. By then I was competing at the FEI levels and in grad school so no fun eventing horse for me.

Obviously I'm better at dressage than I am at jumping. Much of my jumping training was from not-so-great trainers at a low level and half of my dressage training has come from big name trainers at a high level. I also never put as much effort into my jumping as dressage. I find dressage really fascinating and I find jumping cool, but the level of fascination isn't strong enough to actually want to sink time into it. Maybe one day I'll have a horse that is SUPER fun to jump and I'll actually want to do it. Most of the horses I had (save for the paint horse) were slow off the ground and lazy to the fences = lots of leg. I love those horses on the flat. I hate them over fences.

Whatever horse I end up with though, I want to get some jumping lessons on eventually. I'd love to compete at Beginner Novice in eventing and maybe do a few schooling shows (hunter jumper shows are so confusing to me, I'd have to have one of you guys help me fill out the entry). I do like jumping, especially cross country. Just that on any given day, I'd rather be doing dressage.

Pictures!

Rico and I jumped together in 2007-2008

Rico wasn't the best jumper at first...

Dillon and I jumped a little in 2012, he's a pepperpot

I evented at Rancho Murieta in 2003

A combined test in 2004

Rancho Murieta in 2003, I stuffed him at the base and jumped
up his neck, quality riding right there! *note the difference in
me between 2002 and 2003, that is what a horse change for the
stronger and a trainer change for the worse does to you. 

This was in 2001 or 2002, I did the jumpers on Stretch

Stretch and I never did an event (he went lame) but we schooled
a lot of cross country for pony club

These were in 2007, I was schooling him before one of my clients
took him out in the field

He was so fun to jump, he always found the exact perfect distance

Quest in early 2000, he was great when he wasn't bucking

Pony club camp in 2000

2000 on Quest, note the devil horns! It was our Halloween show
and this was me getting him back for bucking me off all the time

1999 or 2000 on Dandy

2000 I think on Dandy

2002 on Stretch again

2003 I think, I show jumped a Gypsy Vanner!

The cutest connemara pony in 2003

I've shown a picture of this guy in the past on here- Novice at
Galway in 2010

His first event early in 2010 

Previous Rides: Larkin

I've had Rico for so long that sometimes I forget I used to ride other horses. Now that new computer is all set with pictures from my past, I figured I'd share some pictures and stories about the horses I used to ride, especially when there's a lull in new content (yesterday conditioning ride, today trail ride, tomorrow Heidi).

Larkin remains one of the coolest horses I've ridden. He is a percheron x thoroughbred gelding who evented at the training (and I think was solidly schooling prelim) level with his owner before I leased him. Larkin had attitude. He was very lazy on the flat and very forward over fences, which remains one of my favorite types of horses to ride. I light horses up on the flat and can't stand the hot, anxious types, but that's exactly what I want (minus the anxiety) over fences. Over fences I want to just sit there and regulate. Larkin was... kind of that.

Always the classiest of jumpers! My position looks great too... eek!

He had a bit of a bolt in him, not helped out by my hot seat and inexperience. I think he thought it was funny. I remember that he wanted to run at all the fences. I was maybe 100lbs soaking wet and he would just leave with me clinging onto him. It took a while to find the right bit combination but once as we did, I was able to jump him around without risking my existence. I still remember the jarring SPROING he had over fences. Coming off of my equitation horse who had the flattest jump of all time, it was weird to be on something with such a round jump.

I started riding him in 2003 with my previous event trainer. I evented him once at the Novice level at Rancho Murieta that year. That show was great! I earned a 35 in dressage despite not knowing how to keep him on the bit (he had a fabulous walk and canter). Cross country was a BLAST, although the last time Larkin was there, he schooled prelim, so we had some minor steering issues as he downshifted and took off toward a preliminary fence instead of the tiny novice log. Woops. Stadium went well and I moved up to either third or fourth, I forget.

Hey look! A Prelim fence! That looks fun

Larkin at Murieta

After leaving my event trainer, I did a couple of schooling shows in the spring on him before he decided to stop jumping. He was getting old and started taking rails and eventually jumps down.

Stylish, this was his go-to jumping form

Such furry feet! And I'm always twisted
 one way or another

Learning to put him on the bit...

Jumping! Actually straight this time

Second place! Our last jumping show

I was struggling to find a jumping trainer I liked and had found a dressage trainer instead who convinced me to show him at Villa Rosa. I earned a couple of 70%s and some pretty picture frames which are still on my wall.

Warming up, so much rounder! I'm still twisted though :) 

Winner!

From then on, I was bitten by the dressage bug. I continued riding at shows, eventually qualifying and competing in CDS JR/YR Championships at Training and First level in 2004.

Look at this fancy animal!

So much better

We earned a 10 on this medium walk!

Championship JR team at Training level!

That fall, my back was not holding up to Larkin's jarring trot so my parents decided to buy me one last horse!

And that's when this weirdo comes in