Cross country school at Green Acres

I’m cashed–got up early to get over to Green Acres to school. They’ve really done a lot to the place, the x-c course is great for quick schooling. The stadium fences are set up in the field across from the indoor, the x-c fences are in the side and back fields. We schooled everything, even a more technical question (for us), a downhill approach to a panel slanted against the standards so that it was a sort of ski-jump/ramp, and two strides to a low stack of telephone poles, then a sharp right hand rollback turn to a phone pole suspended over three planters full of bright mums (we had a look but cleared), land turning right, gallop up the hill to the front of the field and hop over a 3′ tabley-coop. I looked at the coop twice, and twice we ran out before I finally packaged Clover up and looked past it on our third approach. We cleared with a foot and a half to spare–I could really feel Clover basculing under my seat.

We also went out to the back field and schooled the bank, ditch and faux-trakhener. We got over everything well enough, but I have to stop grinding my seat into the saddle (aka buttsucking) in an attempt to drive Clover forward. It’s actually counterproductive, all that seat action tells the horse to slow down. It was a good day–I have a lot of food for thought to put into practice. In our next flat school I have to start breaking the nagging leg habit. I have to make the aid clear and insist on a response. Back to the drawing board.