Self-critique For Jumping

I've been planning my summer out. But before I can even show I have to get Twister and I into shape and improve on our riding.

Because it's snowing in KY and I can't do shit outside as far as actual riding, I've been watching all my Facebook videos and looking at old pics of us jumping and cantering and have come up with some things that NEED to get better in order to have a successful summer.....

1. I need to sit up and encourage Twister to get back on his haunches as we take our final strides to a jump. Too often I am rushing and jumping ahead which pushes him on his forehand. When we're only jumping 2ft we can get away with it. But it's a bad bad habit on my part.

2. CREST RELEASE! No wonder Twister shakes his head all the time or bolts off after landing. I don't give him any release then proceed to pop him the mouth/face. What would Uncle George say?!

3. RELAX! Twister has a long stride and I always feel like we are going WAY faster than we really are. Then I watch the playback and I'm like hey that's a nice forward and halfway upright canter. I need to let him be. Just sit back and point him in the direction of the jumps and stop fiddling with him all the time. I don't have ONE video where he looks even remotely out of control. He might power off after landing a jump but nothing that SITTING UP won't fix. I get too worried about everything and just need to get out of Twister's way and let him do his damn job.

I just saw this on Facebook and I am totally #1. I NEED TO STOP!
http://www.horsecollaborative.com/6-common-ways-riders-mess-distance/

4. Jump more jumps. Last summer we only jumped 3 or 4 times a month. Sometimes less. We had foot problems and too busy getting a job problems, Twister hurting his hip problems and it won't stop raining problems. My to do list for this month and into March is to build more jumps and fix some of my broken ones. I also have a friend that knows someone at a farm that said we can come use their jumper ring and xc course to school. The more we practice the better we'll get. The more jumps he sees, the less he'll look. (he's really not a looky horse but he's still a HORSE and some things still might eat him....)



btw, this guy is my favorite meme
 to use for ALL THE THINGS!

5. XC school!!!!!!!! I either need to school with friends at open schooling days (available at a couple of farms about 45 minutes from here) or I need to go to the xc clinic in May. Maybe both. Other than logs in the woods, ditches in corn fields and my ghetto xc jump, we have yet to jump any real xc jumps. And those might be REALLY scary. So practice is necessary!


ghetto cx jump with optional pallet to make it bigger.
May 2014...which reminds me, also need to work on getting
 my leg UNDER me. On the flat and over jumps!!!!!!!!!

July 2014. This only happens 1 time out of maybe..... 20? :-\

I think all the dressage we've been doing is going to help us across the board. It strengthens my core and my legs and which keeps me centered not flailing around like a dying fish. And it helps Twister learn to get his haunches under him and gallop a bit more uphill so he can be a powerhouse over jumps and now plow through them. Because I really hate when he does that.