>> In the early summer, Hestia moderately tore one of her muscles and was out of work for a couple months. She came back into flat work in the past month, and recently, we tried to introduce her back into jumping. However, she's developed a really bad habit of refusing at jumps. So today I really wanted to work on that: building her confidence, trust in her rider, and overall strength. >> I trotted and cantered her around a bit to warm her up. But I didn't want to spend too much time on this and exhaust her. I'd set up a really low crossrail for today, and I turned her towards it, trying to ride really relaxed but confident. She did refuse, stopping short and ducking her head. Then she kind of reared and backed up. But I hung on, determined to make her work. >> I circled her and went back to it again, this time being really strong in my leg and making kissing sounds to encourage her. And she made it over! I gave her lots of pats and let her cool out. After I got off, she got several treats. This won't be an overnight fix but this is a great start and we'll keep working on it in the weeks to come.
~ Hestia Tack: ✔️ @Stxrry-Nightz- Art Credits: @daisiiyu ~ Rider: @MythtopianPegasus ~ Arena BG: @Everlark_On_Fire ~ Red-white-blue jumps: @thghorse- ~ Treats: @Chxcolate-Pxlomino
