Ride Notes: Jumping Practice

Monday Jumping:

• 2 big Xs set on each diagonal. The goal was to canter over them while staying in half seat and not flinging his head and running at them.
• One way harder than the other because of a longer approach.
• Each time he ran through my half halt he got sat down and backed up on landing before going right back around to it. Needed it a few times in a row to start, but then it really started clicking and only needed it a couple more times after a break or stringing several jumps together.
• Had to make sure I could also put my leg on and keep him coming while still not speeding up and running the second the leg went on. Ended really well though.
• Made sure we either landed or got the correct lead right off the bat, not trot changes, flying only. Even if I had to knock him over onto the correct lead from a small circle, I want the flying changes to start becoming a reliable thing while jumping so he does them and then goes right to something else instead of lingering on what just happened. When asking for them during a dressage school, they're giant and he takes off afterwards and it leads to a big production reining the tension and crazies back in. With the jumping, he does them and then it's, "Okay, back to the good jompies canter because look! There's the jompies! Love those jompies! You don't have any memory of being asked to change!"
• The flat work was flawless.