Ditches, Banks, Water and a Few Jumps

Ditches, banks, water and jumps

By Jennifer Klitzke

It’s been a rather rainy show season. Every show my Spanish Mustang Indian’s Legend and I have entered, it has rained. Storms cut us short at the last Pig Pond Classic schooling show and we had to take a rain check on the cross country, so this time we skipped dressage to make sure we’d have time for cross country before the rain moved in. Birchbury Farms who hosts the Pig Pond Classic just completed their water complex, and I didn’t want Indy to miss out on his favorite thing to do. After our 2′ and 2′-3″ stadium course rides, that’s where we were headed.

jumping the 2'3" stadium course
Jumping the 2’3″ stadium course.
lengthened trot
Leaving the arena at a lengthened trot.

Due to our rainy summer, Indy and I haven’t had much practice over fences, yet I was very happy with how well he jumped his 2′-3″ hunter course. He took every canter lead on cue and jumped the first six fences with beautiful form until we reached the seventh fence. It was a very tight turn into an oxer and Indy unexpectedly put on the breaks. I struck the oxer like a bowling ball on its way to a perfect 300 game—it sounded like it too! Indy stood over me wondering what I was doing on the ground.  Thankfully I landed between the rails and walked off the course with only a scraped arm. After a short break we were on to the cross country field.

Indy and I jumped a couple new fences we hadn’t tried before, practiced the banks and the ditch before heading to the water complex.

Jumping the log pile.
Jumping the log pile.
Jumping the table.
Jumping the table.
Jumping the ditch.
Jumping the ditch.

Indy loves the water and entertained a couple onlookers.

Up the bank.
Up the bank.
Down the bank.
Down the bank.
Cantering the water complex.
Cantering the water complex.
Jumping up the bank
Jumping up the bank.
Down the bank.
Down the bank.
Jumping up the bank
Through the water and up the bank

While riding the cross country course I recognized the horse/rider team we met at Three Ring Circus, Megan and the Mustang who changed her life. Wow, not only is their story inspiring, but that Mustang jumps with great form and Megan is a lovely rider.

Megan and the Mustang that changed her life.
Megan and the Mustang that changed her life.
Megan and the Mustang that changed her life.
Megan and the Mustang that changed her life.

 

We squeezed in the stadium and cross country just in the nick of time. As soon as we trailered up the skies grew dark and the clouds let loose another dose of rain to fuel the bug population. Indy and I had a wonderful time and were glad that we squeezed it all in before the rain. Special thanks to Birchbury Farms and to all of the volunteers for putting on the Pig Pond Classic.

Video: Ditches, Banks, Water (and a Few Jumps)