Hmm...on Saturday my daughter and I rode Sam. She rode first and wanted to do a little jumping so I set up a small grid and started her off just trotting over the poles on the ground and then making one x-pole and another etc until there were three low jumps in a row all on a 'bounce' distance. Anyway - she got on fine, Sam was great as she was holding the martingale so that she didn't jab his mouth and he just popped over them very calmly and steadily. He was a real star.
Then I go on and did the same grid with the fences a little bigger - no problems there. Then we adjusted it so that one fence was a spread and the second was an upright - both only 80cm high and we did them a couple of times.
Then we came towards them again and I can only think that for a brief second Sam thought it would be good fun to jump the whole thing!!!! He jumped high enough over the spread that my daughter had time utter - 'oh my good gracious' (or something similar) before he got his feet down in between the jumps and immediatly cleared the upright. During all of this time I was not in contact with either saddle or horse. I stayed on until he landed after the second jump and then I bounced once in the saddle, threw my arms around his neck and then I was on my feet beside him and he was standing stock still. He was really good about it - it didn't even sent that shock through my legs that you get when landing heavily. So - daughter looks at me and says - what are you doing down there and I just stood there in amazment. She then said that she looked the fence upright (it's one of those plastic ones with the height markings on) as we went over it and he cleared 1.40!!!!
Still - I got back on (legs a little wobbly) and did it a couple more times then we took the upright away and started widening the spread while leaving it at 80cms high. I did about 4 more jumps and then called it a day. I came out later and measured the spread - it was 1.20 and he found it easy. I must say that it really was an eventful ride and Sam wasn't even out of breath or sweating, he seemed to really enjoy it.
sorry this has been such a long post but I'm still a bit shocked by how high he went.
Then I go on and did the same grid with the fences a little bigger - no problems there. Then we adjusted it so that one fence was a spread and the second was an upright - both only 80cm high and we did them a couple of times.
Then we came towards them again and I can only think that for a brief second Sam thought it would be good fun to jump the whole thing!!!! He jumped high enough over the spread that my daughter had time utter - 'oh my good gracious' (or something similar) before he got his feet down in between the jumps and immediatly cleared the upright. During all of this time I was not in contact with either saddle or horse. I stayed on until he landed after the second jump and then I bounced once in the saddle, threw my arms around his neck and then I was on my feet beside him and he was standing stock still. He was really good about it - it didn't even sent that shock through my legs that you get when landing heavily. So - daughter looks at me and says - what are you doing down there and I just stood there in amazment. She then said that she looked the fence upright (it's one of those plastic ones with the height markings on) as we went over it and he cleared 1.40!!!!
Still - I got back on (legs a little wobbly) and did it a couple more times then we took the upright away and started widening the spread while leaving it at 80cms high. I did about 4 more jumps and then called it a day. I came out later and measured the spread - it was 1.20 and he found it easy. I must say that it really was an eventful ride and Sam wasn't even out of breath or sweating, he seemed to really enjoy it.
sorry this has been such a long post but I'm still a bit shocked by how high he went.
