Guest Blog entry # 5: Take THAT Ditch and tarp... Kapow!! by: Holly Breaux

Take THAT Ditch and tarp... Kapow!!

It's a start!!! Go pony :)

Today we had a XC lesson at Ashland. It was fun. We had some good parts and some not so good parts, but overall it was a big success. I worked on my hands and hugging Fleck again while keeping my shoulders up. I also worked on my "landing gear", although apparently not on every jump.

Egads!! I promise this was the worst one!

The big thing was trying to find that fine line. Argh... I either close my leg and kick him on, letting him get long and flat. OR... I try to collect him but leave my leg off and essentially just shut him down. Argh... it's that stupid fine line that I can't quite get. At least not all the time. I did manage to get it some of the time and then at the end, I think fatique played a part too. But we did manage to get it for the ditch and tarp!!!! Yay!!!

I had been in a tizzy after walking the prelim course at the AECs and seeing that giant ditch and wall. So we vowed to get me over it. Literally ;) So we started over the ditch today and then Beth built it up with the standards and a tarp. I was joking that I had seen skulls and crossbones at the ditch and wall at pine top, so as we built it up, I told Beth that I was glad I wasn't seeing skulls yet. YAY! And I never really did. I got a bit nervous when it got at the top of the standards (Short standards, but still). But Fleck was awesome. And I did well too!! I did manage to collect/shorten Fleck while keeping my leg on and mostly keeping my hands low and releasing without throwing him away. And I stopped rowing too. Go us. Fleck was brave to it too... never even faltered even when I abandoned him. So yay!!! Sucess so far! I even had Beth make a cross rail on it too so that it was a bit more impressive. Yay for us!

Then we did a few more things.. banks, water, etc. And then I finished with a course and.. ugh... I think we were both tired at this point (have made a point to do more fitness work!) but it was either running and flat, or behind my leg. I did manage to sort of salvage it mostly and then we finished on the corner, which he NAILED!!! He just locked on it and took me to it. Yay!!

Like I said... all in all a good day.