It has been awhile since I've posted, but we have been busy, busy doing horse things, of course! After 5 years of doing the Hunter thing, my daughter asked about possibly entering the world of Jumpers. At the farm there is this adorable large pony, Bugs, that was made to be a jumper. He didn't have any lessors, so why not give him a job. This would mean multiple lessons a day and hardwork on Faith's part, but she said she was ready for it. And so began our second journey in the horse world.
Learning the ropes
Of course, there are many things that are different from riding a Hunter course vs. a Jumper course. However, I am not the expert on explaining those differences. I can only speak of the differences from a spectating horse mom.
The first thing you need to know is your metric conversions, since all jumps are in meters. 1 meter seems small, but that is a 3'3" jump. 😉
This is all about time, you want to be the quickest without any faults. It doesn't have to look pretty, but just make the time.
You can bring some bling! You can matchy match all day long! I love this. Riders and horses rocking out in their matching saddle pads, shirts, bonnets.
Ladies and Gentleman! There are ride times!! This is glorious. You come in, ride, and then can go home. It is NOT an all day affair. After years of Hunter shows, I was shocked.
The classes are pretty much based on jump height. In Faith's first show, she had adults, children, horses, and ponies all in her class. I have peeked at rated jumper shows and it looks like they may sometimes give ponies their own class.
The First Show Recap
While their first show together, didnt get them any ribbons, it was a great experience overall. They rode it more like a Hunter course just to get Faith comfortable with the longer course and ensure their first time out as a team wasn't a horrible experience. They were a bit long on time and didn't meet the time requirement, which we expected. I learned how methodical you need to be to ride a jumper course. There are areas you need to collect and slow down and others where you just let the horse go. She enjoyed it and wants to continue working with our new buddy, Bugs. Their trust in each other continues to grow after each lesson.