'Push away those baby blues'

Thanks to frigid, gale-force winds earlier in the week, I am afraid we have not been very productive in the dressage department. I did ride, but I gave up after 20 minutes and our workouts consisted of just big, forward trot and round. It's difficult to be productive when all I could think about was my frozen face and how awesome a hot shower sounded.

CAF in september.

BUT! This weekend we did some jumping. I set up a single jump consisted of two barrels (on their side, thanks) and ground poles on either side. My goals were to apply leg to the jump, keep my shoulders back, maintain rhythm and turn with the outside aids. Hampton did his part and easily picked his way through the placing poles and over the barrels. I normally do not like to do much jumping without instruction, but I felt this was a pretty simple exercise that I couldn't screw up too badly. It was super fun and I was able to find a nice balance over the jump by actually closing my eyes and letting Hampton jump up to me. He was pulling me to the jump and I praised him for that. He just keeps getting better and better!

... which brings me to more news. Amy and I are once again scheming. This time, a lesson at CAF. I'm pretty amped about this. It's not until December but time flies. I'm hoping to work on grids since that is something that's impossible for me to do at home because we don't have enough jumps.

I have started to teach Hampton how to bow. I know, I know. I have never been a "trick" person but I think that Hampton really has the personality for it (and by personality, I mean that he is a whore for treats) and it will be a fun thing to do to keep his brain engaged in the winter months. Actually, in about 10 minutes of work he has already figured out to lower his head between his front feet while I pick up a leg. So I imagine he will have it down after a few more sessions. It's cute, and also I think it's a great stretching exercise - especially for the shoulders and neck. :)

... and here is some Blind Melon. It's been a Blind Melon day for me. (thus the blog title) So here you go. Enjoy the raw genius that is Shannon Hoon.