Too Hot to Work My Horse...

So I put myself to work instead building jumps. In the woods it was "lovely, dark and deep" like the poem. It felt significantly cooler than in the sun, but I was still definitely sweating moving around old, rotting tires!!!

Here's the first one I made!

I sent that photo to a trail riding buddy of mine...and she inspired me to make a shorter, but possibly more challenging version for jump #2:

However I am not 100% sure my horse would actually jump what is basically a skinny the width of a tire, so I dumbed it down with guide poles.

And added a second element, just because I couldn't resist after finding the perfect-shaped stumps.

Then I went back and added a second element to the first jump for good measure (the tire coop at right, below). The heat was probably getting to my head at that point. I'm not sure if this last one will actually work out, just because of the approach--you need to jump into or out of it at a 90-degree angle to the main trail--but I think if you start with that coop, then the vertical will actually be very inviting.

We'll see if I am skilled enough to actually jump all of them. Good thing is, I put them together, so I can take them apart! It was a fun way to spend what was otherwise a miserable day to be outdoors, and I give myself 50 Frugal Points for the free jumps and free exercise. (Unfortunately you can only trade those in for smug satisfaction, sweaty BO, and battle wounds on your legs from sticker bushes.)

We'll see how it rides when it gets cooler. Unfortunately that won't be until the end of the week--and then we will be starting cubbing! I will ride really early a few mornings this week, but I typically stay in the ring when I ride before work. I want the morning feed person to be able to find my body if necessary!

We have a dressage schooling show coming up so it's probably not the worst thing in the world to do some early-morning ringwork. We'll be doing Training 1. The main goal is to be FORWARD! Lefty's least favorite word unless it's going Mach 10 alongside a corn field...

I was going to try and find a recent photo of Lefty doing dressage and there are none. Whoops. It probably is time to start doing some ringwork...

Here's a photo of Lefty and a sweet donkey to make up for it: