Planning is overrated

Raspberry lemon drop martinis are fabulous things. They're a cool color, they taste like summer, and they are just the thing after a lesson that makes your lower back try to curl up into a ball. Lower backs are not supposed to do that, so it's less than comfortable.

Poles on the ground are a challenge. They have been for some time. I thought we had it under control, she was trotting sets of three and one time even four poles without jumping through them. However, in today's lesson, she was not too clear on this concept. Sometimes she would trot through, other times she would jump through. Or just over. My back was not at all amused by her going from a slow, sedate trot to jumping over the three trot poles (approximately nine feet wide) with no warning. My dressage saddle did not help matters much and I think I hit my butt on that high cantle. There's a reason we don't jump in those stupid things.

Yesterday was another snow storm (another foot of snow, like we needed that), so she did have some extra energy, but that's never really her issue. She would walk through the poles on the buckle every time. It's just when she's trotting in that she thinks she's supposed to jump. She's completely calm before and even after. My instructor for the winter was a bit fascinated by the princess's behavior. She wasn't afraid or stressed, just anticipating and jumping poles like they were fences. It is like she truly believes her job is to jump these, and she's confused by just stepping over them. It was a challenging lesson. But then again, they've all been challenging lately.

I've thrown out the Omnibus. Metaphorically speaking, since it's online, but I'm just not going to make any competition plans. There is too much going on and too many gaps. Competing should be the last of my worries. The first of my worries? That's a toss up between my canter transitions and being able to jump without scaring people. I may do nothing more than two foot this entire show season, and I have to adjust my thoughts from 'but that's not progress!' to 'that is okay'. I am okay with this. It is not embarrassing or anything like that. Patience is a virtue.

Damn my competitive nature.

I have her purple heavy on her now, and purple is a really good color on her. I'm thinking about ordering some new chains for her browband, some gaudy ones that would never see the inside of a show ring. Purple is definitely in the lead for colors to go with my lovely redhead. Maybe something in royal blue to go with my cross country colors. I may not be able to jump her around, but she is very eye catching on the flat and blingy browbands suit her.