Windstorm

I had my first group jumping lesson last night. My trainer wanted to overlap my lesson with the lesson ahead of mine . I showed up early and they were running behind so I just jumped in.

Let me tell you that riding with other people is a lot less exhausting than taking the brunt of your trainer's exercises for a full hour alone!

Meanwhile, it was crazy windy. Like 100 km/hr winds. Some of the horses were freaking out because the wind was really giving the barn a good banging. My horse, Bentley, only spooked once but another girl did fall off.

I also did my first real course of like 8-10 jumps. A line to a line to a line, rollback, zigzag (or in more professional speak, I believe it's called a bending line).

There were mostly crossrails but I was one of two who got to have a couple two foot verticals. Don't get excited. I think this is because I had one of the two horses who could be trusted to jump the verticals in the middle of the monsoon without dumping their rider.

As usual, my takeaway is: better two point, better release. 

Bentley is also an extremely strong horse. The kind of strong that, once he gets cantering, you really need to work to slow down. I'm really not used to that with lazy bones. 

Bentley doesn't get worked much so he doesn't like to go round, bucks when you ask him to canter, gets strong at the canter and after jumps, and over jumps by a good foot or so.

I like him. He's got character.

Ps: I now understand why you all clip your horses in Winter. He was drenched. It took forever to dry him off!