June Wrap-Up & July Cross Country Schooling

 Hello, bloggers!
It's been so long since I last posted! I'm sorry. Time got away with me there. 

June was busy for me as I wrapped up school things and officially graduated from high school. Whoot! Does this make me an adult? ;) I also got my driver's license. 

It's been super dry in our area, so Daisy and I have been able to trail ride often with no worries of botching up any land. We went riding one evening with a crew from Jenny's barn, and it turns out that we're invited to swim the horses in a pond down my street. Yey! I'm hoping to head out there soon with Daisy for a dip. I can't wait! 

I also went to Lydia's barn where we have pony club lessons for a trail ride. We rode around 7 miles total that day! Daisy was a good girl. Pony club lessons have started up again, and last week Daisy and I had a jump lesson at Lydia's in the indoor. It turned out that we were the only ones to show up, so it was a private lesson. It went decently well, my only complaint being the slightly slippery footing, which made some jumps a bit unbalanced. 

Yesterday, Daisy and I trailered off the farm for a cross country schooling! 

It was a blast, as schoolings generally are. 

Daisy has a history of being a speed demon toward jumps. My instructor at a different schooling once told me to basically let her do that... balance her to the best of my ability, but then not give into her rushing with my own body. She said over time, Daisy would learn that rushing was more strenuous than just approaching the jump balanced, and she would stop being speedy. It seems she was right, because Daisy was uncharacteristically balanced yesterday, all on her own! It was really queer, and yet wonderful, of course. We had a couple jump course runs where she literally kept the same even canter toward jumps, over, and afterward. 

The schooling yesterday consisted of just two riders actually jumping... so it was quiet and nice. 

We jumped the beginner novice jumps, which are a maximum of 2'6" (.762 meters). This is pretty much Daisy's max height, if I had to limit her, but it's still fun to jump her at that height.

Jenny, the owner of the barn we board at in winter, trailered us and took the picture below and one of the others. I love it! That particular jump was one in a line of three going down hill. We jumped a line of 3 jumps, then did a relatively sharp right turn downhill to the next three. Daisy stayed incredibly balanced and nice, and approached the jump below so perfectly. What a joy to ride :) 

 I love my pony :) 

I've been out a few times trimming other people's horses with Daisy's triminologist. I also trimmed Daisy's feet myself for the first time, soon after returning from Canada. She was pretty impatient for trimming-ugh! I hope that improves. Overall it went fine and she's still sound. I especially love to walk her bare feet over the thick gravel on our driveway and watch her not take a lame step. How's that for balanced trim and soundness? ;) 

Stay cool wherever you are! We're experiencing a serious heat wave here.