Jumping without the jumping....

Today when I went out to get Olly he seemed a bit disconnected. Not like he wasn't feeling well, but just a bit sad almost. I gave him a little extra attention, just to show that I understand. He seemed appreciative. I saddled him up and hopped on. Then it hit me. Three days ago I sold Kiki. No wonder he wasn't feeling like himself. His girlfriend was gone. Poor boy.
Kiki has gone to a great home. This woman has 11 kids, that's right 11!! She also took goaty-goat and baby goat. They will all be together. She seemed like a knowledgeable woman who will take care of them, I hope...
So, back to today...I was feeling sorry for my poor boy. It was a bit warm out so I didn't want to do anything too strenuous. I was asked not too long ago by Megan, if I have a hard time seeing my strides. I answered with a "kinda." I mean I can tell if I am going to chip or take along spot, but I have a hard time adjusting far enough out. So, I guess that would be a "no" then.  I decided to give it a whirl today. I set up two ground poles 48 feet apart. How many strides can my BigRedHorse get in 48 feet? Well, my initial guess was four.  Since one stride is ~12feet and he didn't really need the six feet on either side for take off and landing, I thought my guess was pretty accurate. HA! First time through I think we got SIX!!! Ummmm....Olly is 16.1h and has an average TB back. He should have no problem getting four strides. I tell you what, it was easier for him to get seven strides and almost impossible to even get five. As a matter of fact, we couldn't even get five. We came close though, we got five and a half....lol! I wasn't too worried on the number of strides in that length, I was more concerned on being able to control his stride length. I did get some control over it, and that was good enough for today. I did at the end of our ride sneak in a three foot jump. He missed it once in the last jumping video on the full course and it made me think that he may not be ready for it yet. So I decided to try it when he was a bit tired. He cleared it, no problem. I think we are going to start schooling 2'6" and 2'9" more often. When we are doing more tricky combinations I will drop the jumps back down to 2 foot and 2'3".

Here is the VIDEO.

If only my leg were where is was suppose to be....DANG IT!

I like big butts...I cannot lie....

After our ride as we passed the neighbors house, something caught Olly's eye. A tarp on the ground. It was white and not normally there. He HAD to keep his eye on it while walking, which ended up with us in a whole other problem. Looking at the tarp and not seeing the mail box coming right for your nostril does propose a problem. Let's just say I am getting good at grabbing mane and staying calm. I didn't go off, and he got himself to gether quickly and we moved on.

He did own his fear and walk up to it to sniff it!

It alsmot ate him...

Back at the house I hosed him off, no soap, and attempted to braid his mane and tail. I thought I might be able to get away with using the little braid binders that I use for banding. NOPE! Gotta go get some yarn tomorrow. I did condition his mane and tail so he can look oh-so-handsome at the show in a week. I pampered him for a few hours while he ate grass and then put him back in the paddock. No sooner than I took his halter off he was in the dirt rolling.

Awwww...maaaaan!

SHAKE!!!!!

No big deal, no show today. But next week, I better not see any rolling!!