So, apparently the freight train feel when we gallop at tables is caused by yours truly. Farrah obviously plays in to it, (I think she likes to antagonize me) but it is her rider that is creating the bulk of the problems.
I managed to show Mike Huber that the pony is athletic, not by wowing him with our brilliance but rather burying Farrah to the base of a number of wide training level obstacles. Which she packed me over anyway, to her credit. His comment was "Well, she will really go from anywhere, even if her front feet are in the jump".
I can still get that deer in the headlights look to some of the fences. Large gallop tables are my usual culprit. Apparently, I approach them like this: /:O
And then I push Farrah past any distance that might have been there. As Huber put it, I am gunning her at nothing. Why Farrah is choosing to still jump them at this point is beyond me. So Mike worked on getting me calmed down, and things went much better after that.
Our lesson finished with us jumping with ease the large training tables and the corner and also riding through a preliminary coffin line. It really is all me and the pony is just fine. At this point, I am glad she is putting up with MY learning curve. We head to Longwood on Saturday for a final school prior Rocking Horse III.