The black mare in the picture is the one Im talking about!

ur not dumbing him down at all. he's teaching you! dont be nervous. he can prolly spot his own jumps so all you have to think about is ur position. doing the big stuff is fun but only if u do it right. and if you don't believe me on the dumbing hi down his owner can get on him and smart him back up. lol

That's very true, and u shouldn't look at it like that, his owner is still making sure he is fit for shows and if she is as competative as u say she wouldn't have leased him to u in the first place if she thought it would dumb him down. I think this is an excellent opportunity not only for you but the horse as well since it is always beneficial to work horses at the basics as well to keep them from developing bad habits and reinforce what they already know, kind of like reviewing what u did the year before in school beforgong onto something new. : )

I'm in the same situation as you do, but I'm not yet prepared to jump 2'6" in a show. I need much more training. How much can you jump without having a horse on your school?