Trying to do a little more

Thank you, so much. I can see I am going to need to start a list of things, I need to take along on a trail ride, and then get a bigger saddle bag.

Daughter, and I have had a lot of fun playing around with the few obstacles we have.  The steps look very scary from on top of a horse. They make you seem very high. The more I ride over them though, the more comfortable I get.

I have thought about it, and think my problem staying in, or rather a bit above the saddle, when Diamond took her drastic drop, has a lot to do with the fact that I can't ride a hop, or a jump. Diamond has hopped over things on a trail ride, and I have had much the same results. I am taken by surprise, my fanny gets separated from the saddle, then I slam back down. So far, at least, for now, I was still on the horse.

I think Diamond, and I need to learn how to jump. I am not talking about going into competition with Shelly or LD, but more about my learning how to ride her over a small jump, so if she does decide to take a bit of a hop, I will be more able to deal with it.

I set up a little cross bar jump, to lunge her over today. My plan was to lunge her over it, then lunge her with the saddle over it, then ride her over it.  She only needed to jump up about 6 inches to clear it, but she must have jumped up a foot and a half the first few times I asked her to go over the jump. After a few trips she became more reasonable with her height, but then jumped to low a few times as well.

Ok I can see that she must learn how to get her own self, over a jump, before I cause her more problems, by trying to learn how to stay in the saddle when she is jumping. 

Questions??;  Why did she jump so high? Did the rails being higher on both sides, because I had them crossed, throw her off, so she couldn't figure out exactly how high she needed to jump in the middle? 

                                  Would it be easier for her if I was just using a straight rail, or maybe, I should give jumping rail a try, and just use a stick?

We are working toward being able to go on a bit of "A nature ride." I would appreciate any ideas, on how to set up little things, for us to hop over.

Diamond, you don't see jumping over an obstacle in your training videos because the goal (in most) is to get them to walk calmly over an obstacle rather than jump it. And sometimes you really can't prepare for the unexpected jump.

If I wanted my horses to jump a log in the trail, I would approach it at a trot and give a little squeeze with my legs right before the log to encourage a jump. Otherwise, if I walked up to a log, I expected my horses to step over it calmly. Of course this doesn't always work.  One of the last times I was on a trail with Mister, we had calmly jumped a log in the trail on the way out. On the way back in, I asked for a jump and Mister jumped pretty much straight up and cleared it by at least an extra foot. I wasn't prepared for this so I slammed down on his back when we landed. Sometimes it just happens.

Another lesson I like to teach my horses is to stand straddling a log - front feet on one side and back on the other. It takes timing on my part to whoa them at just the right time. Once they will stand there quietly, I practice mounting and dismounting on the log (from both sides). It's a great lesson for them to learn in case you need to get off/on while out on the trail and can't do it from the ground. Anyway, that's just how I personally approach obstacles in the trail.

That being said, if you wanted Diamond to calmly step over a twig/log and she jumped it, I would go back and forth over that twig until she understood that you wanted her to walk over it. I would work on one thing or the other at first just so she's not so confused.  Once she is calmly walking over an obstacle, then try teaching a different cue to jump the obstacle.  HL has given some great advice as to how to approach a jump.

Of course this is jmo. 

You are right MM, I should insist Diamond does what I ask her to. Unfortunately, sometimes when she misbehaves over an obstacle, I don't have the courage to go back, and try to get her to do it right. We will just have to keep working on both of us.

Great idea about the dismount on a log. I never thought to do that. I have some railroad ties set up that we just step over. Some times I stop her, half way over, and side pass her (sort of) over, to the end, keeping her front feet on one side, and her back feet on the other, but I never thought about getting off. I could get off on one side, then back on, on the other.

Usually, if I get off out there, I walk up the steps, while I have her walk to the side, then when we get to the third tier, I just have to swing my lazy leg over.

I like HLs description of the 2 point seat. I have heard the terms, of a 2 point, and a 3 point seat, but didn't exactly know the mechanics of either position. Honestly, the only lessons I have taken, have been from the cowboy, who put 30 days on Diamond, and his most memorable comment to me was, "if you was ridin me that way, I'd buck you off too." Adventures2If only I could have regained my composure quickly enough, to ask him if "that" was an option. He was such a hotty!!! in those tight jeans, and spurs.

NO!!   I'm kidding!!! :-/I would never say that..... Joke about it later,,,, Yeah... But actually say it......NEVER!!!