My bad Riding Instructor posts, (see Riding Instructors and Riding Instructors Part II) had a bit of a following. It seems from the private posts I received that the string of Bad Instructors I described have doppelgangers in every part of the country.
I’ve had a little time since my spring show season ended to contemplate my journey. And ponder what next?
It brings tears to my eyes when I think about 2009 when I started eventing again. I had some pretty unrealistic goals, and I was going about them all wrong.
I’m actually pretty excited that all those RFs and Es are about to drop off the first page of my show record.
In short, I decided after a very long break (that means no jumping, and no English saddles) that I really wanted to event. I bought a horse (the wrong horse) and I started eventing at a level well above my (and my horse’s) ability.
Yeah.
Bad Eventer was on the scene.
After my second CAT scan in one show season……… I was able to lease the most perfect horse in the world.
A seasoned veteran who knew just to look for the flags. I never had to ride do anything, and in spite of being 21 years old and only marginally sound enough to compete we had 4 perfect competitions where he was in the top few in dressage and put in a double clear on XC and stadium every single time.
Honesty, he was such a rock star that he didn’t teach me a thing about riding. He was the definition of point and shoot.
But he gave me confidence, and you can’t put a price on that.
After a few months of toting around Bad Eventer (not to mention 15 years of Eventing after 57 races (yes really!) he very much earned his retirement…… and I was off on the horse search once again.
I found the most incredible horse I could ever have hoped for. When I went to get her my truck blew up, and I spent 2 weeks stranded. I made the most of those 2 weeks and took her to a schooling show (I’d ridden her 3 TIMES!!) But it was a blast, and I also got to do a XC schooling with a top rider.
At that time, trakehners were my bogey fence (and the cause of all those CAT scans.) Next thing I know I found myself at the lesson………..hearing these words,
Jump the trakehner.
OK, jump it again.
OK, jump it the other way.
Now jump the bigger one.
I swear we jumped a trakehner at least 20 times in that lesson!!!
At the end this was what she said, “I understand you’ve had some problems with trakehners, I just wanted to make sure you knew this mare would jump them.”
I finally got my wonderful new horse home, and in the most tragic of turns I lost her to colic before I’d had her a month.
At this point I had to seriously reconsider my goals, and I thought maybe the universe was telling me not to be an eventer.
After the shock wore off I bought another horse. A reject actually (yeah I know). One that no one else wanted, but that had jumped around at Prelim and could get the job done.
It was about 6 months after getting this trouble maker that I found my coach.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’d been taking lessons and going to clinics from day one, but I hadn’t really found someone that believed I could do it. One of my former instructors had even told someone while standing next to me, “Oh she’ll NEVER go Prelim.”
So I went looking for a new one. I remember my first lesson like it was yesterday.
It was a XC schooling and I couldn’t find my spurs to save my life. I decided that showing up
without spurs, but on time, was better than being late.
” Never leave your spurs on the fence.” was echoing in my head.
I walked up and introduced myself.
He gazed at me and my horse for exactly 3 seconds and said, “Where are your spurs?”
I didn’t think admitting that I was such a Bad Eventer that I couldn’t find them was the best choice, so I quite convincingly told him she was a hot sensitive mare and did better without them…………………..
It only got better when I showed up a few lessons later with my shirt on inside out. (see I’m a Highly Skilled Surgeon-Really!!)
In spite of my truly Bad Eventer start……fast forward 6 weeks, and I was jumping around my first Prelim. (Where we happened to finish 4th – in an open division – on our dressage score.)
I’d spent 30 years trying to jump around at Prelim, and when I finally found the right instructor I got there in less than 2 months.
Bad Eventer finally found her coach……
that is……….until she gets fired as a student for using him in her blog……………….
Haha! What he doesn't know won't hurt him!