Unexpected XC schooling result

We did this TWICE!

So clearly there were issues.  Uno jumped everything well except this tiny log.  Even after fall number 2 when we put him on the lunge, he never got a 'clean' jump.  it was at the bottom of 2 hills, in a cut through between the two fields and in shade.  IDK, man.  Firstly, I have never fallen off this horse. Secondly, after our first XC school he has never refused an XC fence. 

See we can do it.

 We started off with a quick hack around the fields at w - t - c.  Then we practiced trotting down a hill and halting 1/2 way. Once we had that under control we did the same at the canter.  Then we went around and jumped a little log in both directions.

His normal self.

 Then we moved to the log of death and all the wheels fell off.  I have a bunch of thoughts on it, but the end result it that I was too forward and trusting with my shoulders, so when he he stopped I went over the front.  It super doesn't help that his neck in like a foot long, so there is nothing to catch yourself with.

Back to the first log.

After that we struggled to regain our mojo.  Uno was fussy and neither of us was really confident.  The was a lot of weaving and bucking. We went around and schooled the water, the up and down backs, then made a small course out of those 3 jumps.  

This is the scariest thing.  I hate down banks.

We even trotted off the down bank multiple times!  It is hard, because there was good work done, but I felt awful.  I did not jump the things I wanted to due to fear.  I drove up with high expectations, and left feeling pretty poor.  I have a lot of thoughts about this;

1. This is least fit he has ever been at this point in the year, we usually spend the winter hunting, this year he just sat around and trailed a few times.

2. Last year he bucked and sucked back the whole way around our first XC course, then was foot perfect the rest of the year.

3. All the horses spooked at that log, and I know he has compromised eye sight.  It didn't necessarily look or feel like he couldn't see it, but he also jumped it real weird on the lunge.

4. I trust him to carry us too much.  He is still a green-ish XC horse, and he needs me to be more steady in my forward aids.

5. Other than the horse show the weekend before, he has not actually jumped more than 4 times since Christmas...

Brave pony.

 Clearly we are not ready to run a full HT next weekend, so he is going to get magna waved, then we will go to another CT and XC school the full maiden course after.  My goal is still to qualify for our local GMO and Horsepark Championship at Maiden.

Cool artsy picture is cool and artsy.