Cross Country Schooling at Fair Hill With Sally: The HEAT Is On!

Boy, it was hot out for cross country schooling. Not in the triple digits but the humidity felt like it was. Blech. Since it was one of my first cross country schoolings of the Spring/Summer I was going no matter what and was actually glad it didn’t get rained out (it poured the day before) but at about 10 Sunday a.m. I was wishing I didn’t have to go out in the heat and ride. Remus himself thought the same thing when I went to get him out of his cool stall with the fan blowing on him (Shawn the barn owner said he wanted me to know he was lame (he wasn’t) and if that didn’t work, that he had left for another appointment (wrong again).

I rode in the saddle I still haven’t gotten a saddle fitter to look at. Egads it is tough wrangling someone to come take a look. I tacked Remus up, threw bridle and crop and etc in the truck, and loaded him up and headed for Fair Hill. Somehow I got from having SO MUCH time to being a bit late (that happens SO easily).

Luckily everyone else seemed to be moving slower too since I was not the last of my group to arrive. Got to Fair Hill and got my pinny then unloaded Remus and started meandering up the hill to the course. Remus was walking like a snail by then and the horse-eating tractor was cutting grass up the hill so he was pretty sure he did not want to go that way. Finally got him so he could see the jumps and horses and we loped (I kid you not) over to Sally. I was on the buckle as he loped. Horses were leaping sideways and bucking and my horse was….loping. SIGH.

Met my group and they were higher than me in level per normal (one was Intro but on the cusp of BN so I count her above me too). But with Sally it doesn’t really matter as she teaches on such an individual level. THANK GOODNESS.  After the one took off after a jump, I asked Sally if there was a way to transfuse some of that energy into Remus. Not a lot just a smidge.  She said she would look into it!

Yeah I had not a lot of horse under me. He did everything we pointed at. The first couple he thought about refusing but a quick tap of crop and a growl from me and he went over everything. We did a few logs, a rolltop or two, the feeder, the baby ditch to the feeder, the water (Remus personal fave), and then the log up on the bank. I asked if we might have to go down the little bank over the log on the 1st (She said we would not for the Derby) and she said she was not sure. So I asked if I could do it. After she picked herself up from shock (ME wanting to jump something HA) she said go for it, and I did. And Remus was like what is the fuss about, mom, just let me do my job. Sometimes he  makes me love him even more. He had ZERO energy but went and did it all with no issues. Such a good boy.

We finished up and walked back thru the trees (ahhh shade) to the trailers. I pulled all the wet tack off and did my traditional “STAY REMUS EAT” (amazing how that works) while I put stuff away in various places. Since my barn was so close, I chose to take him home after cooling him a bit and giving him a real shower in the shady, cool wash rack at home versus in the hot sun.

Sally was raving about the saddle I was riding in. Said my position has never been better and I was so much more secure (if i could sit up and hold onto his mouth a bit more we might get somewhere, I literally threw my reins away at the jump after the water and Remus saved my ass…again. LOL). If I can get it customized to Remus I think we have a winner.

Then I got Remus settled back in front of his fan and then had to run home and then out to the farm where I am house sitting this week, 2 tbreds and a mini horse. This should be fun(as I woke up at 530 a.m. to bring horses up before heat of day, fun yeah)!! Sneak peek of the miniature horse along with Ollie and Gretchen attempting to be farm dogs and wondering where the a/c is in that barn!