Back in jumping position

I pestered my trainer last week about doing a polework/small jump lesson. She was too busy last week and we couldn't really match our schedules, so we left it. But later she mentioned to me that why don't I join Monday's group lesson and she will make us do some jumps then. This suited me as I haven't jumped Rainbow since end of last year and wanted a gentle way back into jumping. So it was high time for me to get back in the jumping position. My trainer had jumped Rainbow yesterday, in an unaffiliated show jumping competition at our yard, so she was in a good jumping mode. 

Today was quite windy and we were outside which made all the horses a bit perkier than normal, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Rainbow and I were the first ones in the sand school and we could hear horses in the distance galloping around their paddock and neighing, I was little bit unsure about Rainbow's state of mind. She's always ears pricked and more upright when we're outside anyway. But it was good; I just rode around the school and, as we were joined by others, kept going around in trot, etc. She wasn't concentrating all the time but I made sure I rode through the initial excitement and didn't let her completely lose interest in me. After the warm up trotting and cantering I could feel we were back to normal and she wasn't bothered about the surrounding horses and fields anymore. 

We did little triple poles in trot to get everyone in the jumping mode, then we went onto cross-poles and eventually to a normal fence of about 2 feet high. So nothing spectacular, but exhilarating enough for us. Rainbow jumped each fence well, only I had some 'stylistic' trouble with knowing what kind of a jump we were in for; she sometimes does massive leaps, so I now prepare myself for one and try to stay on...! So, when she was just jumping 'normally' I was preparing for a leap anyway, so wasn't always in perfect rhythm with her and my trainer said I stay low a bit too long after the jump, which is fine when you do one jump but would cause problems in a course of jumps. 

Overall I am very pleased with today's lesson. This is a good place to start practising regularly again. I am trying to organise so that will jump her once a week if at all possible – to keep it going for both of us. In the meantime my trainer can still jump her in competitions.

Otherwise Rainbow has had a chilled out weekend in the field!