Pee Wee's Big Aspen Adventure

So after only two days of jumping EVER, the "Pup" and I decided to go to the Aspen Farm Derby for our first ever under saddle outing. Yes, we had trailered off the farm once before. But on that occasion I had not been able to get close enough to him to safely put the saddle on, let alone climb aboard. So I kept my goals for the day reasonable:
get there; get on; walk around; and maybe trot a Hopeful course if all seemed to be going well.

Unfortunately, I quickly went from HopeFUL to HopeLESS when we literally kickstarted our show season. After a rather dramatic loading episode at the farm,  Phaolan had two hours of trailer time to contemplate his revenge.  So when I opened the trailer door to unload him, he unloaded on me.

After finding myself lying on the ground behind the trailer,  I contemplated trading in my boots and breeches for more appropriate attire when handling my feral horse.

But in true eventer fashion, I got up, wiped myself off, shared a few expletives with those around me and got on my damn horse! Two of my goals accomplished already!!!!

While it may seem premature to be taking Phaolan to a show, Aspen is a wonderful place to take a green bean. There is a lot of activity for them to experience but there is also plenty of space so they don't feel too pressured. So after some initial antics

the wolf retreated and the puppy came out to play. We went for long walks on the property, we stood calmly and watched the big kid arena, and we CANTERED our first course! As soon as he saw the jumps, I had Phaolan's undivided attention. His tiny 2.5 inch ears locked in on the first fence and off we went. He popped over the 12" obstacles (I feel silly calling them jumps) perfectly and we even tackled the "water complex."

So even though I spent the next few days icing my knee and popping Ibuprofen, I was pleased with the day. By keeping my goals small I was able to not only obtain them, but surpass them. Now I just need to focus on ground manners.