New balance

I don't have to work on Tuesday so like any normal person would do, I promptly scheduled a riding lesson. But this time, we are going to an eventing instructor for Hampton's formal intro to jumping. Yay! 

Oh wait.

This means I will need to ride in my jumping saddle.

I have not ridden in that saddle in 2 years (I started Hampton in that saddle and put about 3 rides on him with it before switching to my dressage saddle). Even worse, I have not ridden in the hunter/jumper balance in close to 7 years. And that become obvious today.

It really is a totally different balance between dressage and jumperland. I have been riding only dressage for so long, that I felt unbalanced and sloppy when I rode today. I decided it might do me some good to ride as much as I could in 2-point. Take that floppy lower leg! 

Hampton thought I was drunk. He kept slowing down as if to check on me as I tried to stay balanced, all the while grabbing mane and the running martingale. 

Things got a little better as time went on, but ladies and gents it did not come back to me like riding a bike. I rode hunter/jumpers for many years and gosh in college you could send me to a 3' - 3'3" jump and I would think no big deal. Now a days, I might trot up to a 2'3" fence and crap myself. What happened? Lack of practice? Self preservation?  

So I look at it as a very good thing that Hampton is so young and just starting out. Because this means I also get to go back to basics. And I can just use him as an excuse as to why I will be entering all the green as grass classes. NOT because I am rusty and a chicken. No it's because my horse is young. Duh!