We unfortunately only attended the first day of the Aspen Farms clinic because I fell off on Saturday and spent most of the day in the emergency room.
Up until I fell, Willig was actually doing very spectaular - especially compared to last year.
We started in the indoor arena (the weather was doing typical Pacific NW - sunshine then pouring rain, then howling wind, then light breeze), and Willig was a bit head strong from the canter (I am still doing mostly jumping from the trot at home).
Jonathan told me the same thing as last year's clinic - keep him in control and rhythmic, and then to keep his head turned to the inside, so he's not such a looky-loo. (And later, he said I can start cantering him over everything, that he's nice and solid and I don't need to trot everything anymore.)
Then we went to the outside sand arena, and first did a series of three - a log, then a pile of three logs, then a nice tall log coop. I was a little nervous about the log coop - it looked really big to me, but Willig just soared right over it, as comfortable as could be.
The interesting overall thing about this clinic was how smooth Willig is to ride over fences, WHEN we approach them in a nice rhythm and he doesn't have to squish or lengthen right at the end. For basically every set, we would be off the first fence (and then I'd jump ahead), and then I'd get it and we'd do better.
So, the one trick Jon said, which he said last time and I've actually been doing, is to count - especially down, so the rhythm (1 - 2 - 3 - 4), and then when you approach the jump, count down (4 - 3 - 2 - 1), because three strides out it should be up to the horse and you should not change anything. (I want to get a metronome - Janis loaned me hers, so we both get better at rhythm - it turns out I've mostly just been counting his steps, not keeping us in rhythm.)
Ok, so then we did the bank, and Willig, bless his sweet soul, was like "huh? well, ok!" and he did just great. It took us a few tries to get the down (mostly because I would lean forward instead of back and then he'd LEAP off all enormous and it just was clumsy), but then we got it. We did a few more combinations, then went into the field because Sunday the forecast was for snow and rain.
Out in the field, Willig continued to do great - we did some cantering up a hill and trotting down, to maintain control, and then a slight bench, one of the kayak jumps, a log coop on the top of a hill, and then a regular coop headed back towards the other horses. Willig refused the regular coop the first time (I think becuase there was a hill on the other side, going down), and Jonathan said that for refusals, it's best to stop them right in front of the jump so they don't learn there's a way out to the right or left, that they can stop, but the only option is to turn around and do it again.
So then we headed out to a new section I haven't been to before, and did a log, then another nice sized solid fence (a long canter between), then a canter back towards the group and over a ditch.
Willig's first jump over the ditch was HUGE - I even felt a bit of a twist in the air while he was looking at it. (And I couldn't get him to trot and then we couldn't decide so it was like "trot? canter?" right up until the last couple steps.)
And then, just as Jonathan said, he refused it the next four times or so. We stopped right in front of it each time, and I put my crop in my left hand (he seems to always run out to the left), and then we went behind a nice pony, who jumped it reliably each time, and then ... finally, Willig jumped it.
And he was so excited and exuberant that he jumped it that he started bucking, and I was saying "yay Willig! good boy!" so I didn't get his head up in time, and I sat the first couple bucks, but then he did a really spectacularly huge one, and I went flying off.
And since I'm becoming an old lady, and have a knack, I landed on my left hip then somehow bounced onto my right shoulder.
Willig ran off.
I was on the ground for a while, tried to get up, and passed out.
To keep this short, one of Jon's working students brought me to the emergency room, where I did not break anything, and now I'm doped up on painkillers (which help tremendously), a bit sore, Tom is driving me around, and I have a walker and crutches (but my shoulder hurts too bad still to use the crutches just yet). And, amazingly, no bruise. I'm not sure if it's because it's such a deep bruise it hasn't made it to the surface yet, or if I'm just a total wimp.
Willig did not look remorseful - someone caught him and brought him back and he just stared at the sky instead of looking at me.
Fortunately, Shannon has a little ditch in her cross country course, AND she has a piece of black mat that she uses, so as soon as I can ride again, we're going to work on ditches.
The overall version was that the clinic was really useful, and I am really proud of how far Willig has come. Although we clearly have lots to work on, I am really, really pleased with how he is coming along. I think he needs a lot of experience, and I need some training help, but I feel very positive about him again.
And the other advantage of a clinic is watching the other riders' mistakes and corrections and what a difference it makes. I can't wait for Tom to video me again so I get a better look at what I'm doing wrong. (The mirrors at Forest Park help a lot with the flat for that, but I need to see how we're looking over fences.)
The pictures are of me with walker and crutches, post-clinic.
Oh yeah, and I asked Jonathan, and he said that they typically don't need studs until at least Training (bad weather) and more likely prelim. He didn't know about those trench shoes that were in Flying Changes this month.
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