We did jompies!

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What better way to recover from a ski trip than to tax your legs more and ride?

Bryan and I came back mid-week from a ski trip up north with my sister and her fiance.  Since I hadn't been in town for over a week and a half and obviously hadn't ridden during that time, I decided (why not) to continue with my usual hacking schedule and headed out to the barn.

You can bet Mae was happy to see me, if by happy you mean she gave me a - oh it's you again - look and went back to chomping on her hay.  It's warming up in Texas and she's shedding her long winter coat.  She has a new neighbor, a bay appendix gelding, who makes her look so thin and petite in comparison.  Girl's gotta put on some summer weight to keep up with her neighbors.

We did a regular warm up in the outdoor arena.  Someone had parked their dirt bike next to it, and Mae had to stare hard at it several times to make sure it wasn't going to jump out and attack her.  She must have been feeling pretty good because our normal steady canter all of a sudden turned into a full on gallop down a straight away when she "noticed" the dirt bike again.  And of course she did it right as the barn manager was walking past.  He turned to watch us breeze by (and I'm sure make sure I didn't come off and die).  She came back to me pretty quickly and without any frisky bucks, so I'm certain she had some extra energy to burn and wasn't just being naughty.  When you ride an ex-racer, you have to prepared for some moments of madness.

The outdoor arena had a few leftover jumps from an earlier pony lesson, and after taking a deep breath, I decided we'd give them a go.  It's been a few months since I've put her over jumps and almost a year since I've had a formal jump lesson.  I'll admit there's been trepidation since she popped me off over a year ago going over a fence.  Trainer has been working with her on poles, grids, and courses, so I shouldn't have been surprised when she cruised over the tiny jump like it was no big deal.  This is exactly the horse I've been looking for.  Not the horse that would over jump an 18 inch cross rail as though it were four feet high.  Not the horse who would rocket off after each fence.  This mare who took the fence like a champ was a completely different ride than the horse I had jumped with previously.

I'm really so proud of her and the progress she's made and definitely foresee more jomping in our future - maybe even a line or a course next time.  She's maturing into a great girl with a good attitude and I can't wait to see what this summer brings.  Maybe - dare I say it - some trails??