Youtube - my eventing coach

I'm giving my big horse a couple days off so we both can regroup. Usually, on his non- riding days I still lunge a bit to keep him loose or we do something stupid like see how long it takes for us to spook the baby with tarps and such (getting A LOT harder to do, kid is getting pretty solid) or ride bareback  around the farm with a halter. But right now I am doing NOTHING. I even think he was mad at me Tuesday night. A storm blew through while I was at working, picking up my jumps and dumping them all over the fucking place. So I went out to move them around and put them back up and he was over the fence giving me dirty looks. I did his feet yesterday and found a little bitty abscess that blew out on the bottom of his foot right on the hoof wall. It's not draining anymore which means he blew it a few days ago.

Let me tell you about Twister and abscesses. He doesn't tell me he's got one. And I wish he would. He is stoic and sucks it up. But really I want him to gimp and refuse to do anything because then at least I'd KNOW. So for a week I've been thinking he's over worked and that we are having all these struggles. But really he was abscessing. I pick his feet daily. But I don't always use a stiff brush on his feet unless I'm trimming. Like yesterday. When I noticed the little hole. Well at least I know he'll be good as new in a couple days. With all the rain and my very soggy "arena" I probably won't be riding again until this weekend.

goal is to look like this yet again.

and this. stewart. another over jumper. seems like i like
over-jumping QH sorrel geldings.

ANYWAYS. The point of this post was that I've been watching tons of Youtube riding videos. Basically, I miss having a trainer. Like really miss it. When I lived in NY, lessons at F&CO were the best. I was doing hunters back then. But I had a coach to work on my position and help me work through issues I was having with my horse. I didn't do a lot of jumping in college but still went home on breaks and took lessons at the barn I'd grown up riding in.

200......8? or 9? But my legs Did. Not. Move. And no mane grabbing
or falling all over the place.

I can't afford to trailer 45 minutes a way to take lessons. And I don't really like any of the trainers that will travel to farms, except Silke, but she only does dressage. So I'm using the professionals in the industry and their Youtube videos to help me. My favorite are the Schramms. I've also been watching some instructionals from other pros too. Back to basic type stuff that I feel like Twister and I *should* be able to do competently but  I know we would make a hot mess out of in reality.

I need to retrain my eye to distances. EventionTV has a 3 episode set about how to do that. Here's the first. The other's should be listed for you to click on. I never know when he's going to take off and I interfere too much. If I kiss, he takes off. So I can control it some. So I need to be able to see distances. And we need to be adjustable. So I need to work on having a horse that is in front of my leg and supple and that can be sped up or collected without much urging. We have a lot to do where that is concerned.

Pole work like in Distance 1 is hard because my "arena" is VERY uneven with mini rolling hills.

As far as my seat. LESSISFUCKINGMORE. Sit fucking still. Get in a nice half seat and don't move a damn muscle. At all. Let the horse rotate under me. This way I'll stop getting left behind and jumping up on his neck and stop almost falling off. I hate my saddle and I have a hard time in it. M is letting me borrow her CC for a few days. I'm hoping it works out because she'd sell it too me cheappppp. And because she's my bestie and owes ME money already, well... win.

And it all comes back to Twister needing to be in font of my leg. Which he is King Hurtling Around on the Forehand. Pick your face up. Get your ass under you. MOVE.  And stop ripping my arms out. We are actually getting a lot better at this. I wish it didn't make my legs die though. Which reminds me. Get in a little paddock, drop the irons. WTC. No ands ifs or but. My trainer back home used that as the staple riding lesson. You just did it. I need to get back to that. If I'm worried about getting dropped by the Hurtler/Shoulder-dropper, put a vest on and man up.

again i have no idea what yr this was.
early college.

I'm seriously wondering if we're ready for a HT in July. I'm trying to find one around Labor Day, maybe in Indiana near L1 and L2. M and I could go up on a Fri am, school XC Fri afternoon, school over some show jumps and dressage Saturday morning, show Sunday, load up and come home. I know M isn't ready to do a HT in July.

And PLEASE tell me you all saw this. If you didn't, you need to. Hysterical but sadly true.