Spent quite a bit of time on the warm up – ensuring that I could get Finn going ‘through the gears’, soft but responsive to the aids to g forward and come back (go and whoa). I was also using my body a lot more as a handbrake – which kind of worked – need a bit more practice methinks! We popped a cross pole or two and then Ibby made it into a very steep cross pole which was to make Finn really use herself over the jump – I could rally feel this – she felt great.
We then moved onto a spread – of cross-poles! Never jumped a jump like this – but it worked on the same principle as the steep cross pole to make Finn really use herself and be more careful. We then built up to the spread followed by a (v) long one stride to upright plank with no ground line – I kept getting this wrong and Finn was chipping a little stride in – at one point I ended up a little bit like the Thelwell rider as Finn flew and catapulted me into the air…. I didn’t come off and found it funny – but Ibby put a pair of spurs on me and told me to push on as soon as I landed after the first element, saying that Finn MUST go off the leg (hence the spurs). I got the hang of it and Finn was able to make the distance as long as I rode really positively. Goes to show how little I really don’t do enough between the fences – especially in combinations.
We finished off with a line of 4 bounces – concentrating on rhythm and straightness. Finn was really working hard and didn’t miss a beat. Love her!