Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Small World, Big Jumps

Not long ago someone shared an event happening close by. It was a Free Jump Clinic. I decided to sign Roscoe up since he enjoyed the chute. His time was at 230 and we had an hour drive. Mom, Peggy and I loaded up Roscoe earlier so we could watch at least one session before his.
We knew this would be a pretty high end barn since we got a gate code with his time. The last few roads before arriving, Peggy kept saying she had been on this road before. She could not remember when though. The barn was European inspired and so new it still smelled like cut wood. We went to find the people running the event. Eventually we found them in the upper viewing area. As we talked, we heard the name of the barn manager and Peggy finally remembered.



A few years ago Peggy and Roscoe's breeder went to see a Cob mare for sale in our area. Peggy emailed back and forth with her owner for a bit before Larry said "no way." The mare ended up going to PA. Her new owner asked me about breeding to Roscoe, but went with her Lusitano. This year she won the bid during one of the auctions and will breed to Roscoe. And small world that the equine community is, the barn manager at the event was the mare's owner in VA.

Needless to say, we did not watch much of the clinic because we were talking to her about Cobs. Luckily there were not too many going through the chute during our chat. Roscoe ended up going at 2pm since that person had not arrived yet. This place is so fancy, they pick your horse's feet before entering the indoor. We handed him off to the clinician to begin the in hand portion. I swear my pony stands and poses better for other people. He behaved well while trotting over the poles. It helps that the clinician had long legs.







When they released him, he knew the routine. He did decide to mix it up by changing direction. Have you ever wondered why everything in done off the left?




Then the jumps began to go up. This clinician was different from the USEA one because he adjusted the distances for Roscoe. He did say Roscoe is a show off, which is not surprising to anyone who knows him. We did not get much feedback as the session went on. I was okay with it. You could see Roscoe was having fun and that was what this was about.







He always knew when it was time to stop while they changed the jumps. We had to fend off someone who wanted us to leave Roscoe with her.


Roscoe's waiting spot








The clinician asked if we wanted to go higher. As long as it was safe and Roscoe was willing, sure. His last jump was 3'3" and the clinician said he was amazing. He thought he could be a great show jumper.





My awesome Stud

We asked him about when to start Ember in the chute. He said that if we are not selling to take our time. Longevity is key. That made me feel so much better about the fact we took so long with Roscoe. I have always said I want them to last.

As we watched a couple more sessions, we chatted with a lady who turned out to be the barn owner. She thought Roscoe needed white boots, so that his socks are not interrupted. I may be looking for some.

Overall it was a great day and I can't wait to bring Ember to one in the future. Roscoe will start some jumping lessons, so that I can catch up to him, next week. And for those keeping track Roscoe has been called great by an Irishman, a German and now a Frenchman. We joke that Roscoe is an American, Welsh Cob, German Riding pony. Good thing he is pretty dang secure in himself :)

9 comments:

  1. Cobs can jump. My 14:2 mare and I maxed out at 105cm. Only because Im rubbish at picking a distance so she became a chronic chipper and lost her nerve. Best thing about cobs is they tend to have super tidy front ends and so much power from behind.

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    1. I believe it. Roscoe likes the long spot, but is learning to wait. It is fun for both of us.

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  2. I love the "Wow!" from the clinician!

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    1. I forgot about that moment. I had to go back a watch it again :)

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  3. How fun! I love watching Roscoe in the chute -- he's so athletic!

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  4. I really want to attend a free jumping clinic!

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