BadEventer’s continuing adventure in Jumper land

Things have been going pretty well on the dark side.

The jumps are getting bigger (or at least FoxxyCleopatra thinks they are.)

The rounds are getting faster.

And this week I even won my very first legit jumper class with a jump off!

JumperLand has almost zero different equipment rules, and when tiny little blinkers appeared on Miss-I-Spook-at-Everything-on-the-Side-of-the-Ring I was skeptical.

But I’ll put this in writing right here.

I – was – wrong.

They are magical.

The ponies are becoming total experts at the hurry up & wait.

I hear so many people say that’s the part they really hate about jumper shows – no start times.

While it has definitely been a total mental shift I find a bit of comfort in the flexibility. It gives me time to watch other rounds, review my course a gazillion times, do a little more warm up if I need to. I have to say, so far I actually like that part.

After competing for over a decade in exclusively white breeches

and occasionally pink

I now have my first legit pair of buff breeches.

But when the fearless leader said this hackamore thing was going on my horse

I put my foot down.

No

it’s not.

The conversation went something like this.

“Have you seen me ride?!”

I can’t use something that has brakes I will pull her to a stop!

I cannot be trusted with anything with shanks, even little bitty short ones.

He said, “Just stay out of her face.”

We argued.

We argued some more.

I did the whole, “I’ve been competing longer than you’ve been alive.”

This went on for two days.

I finally, reluctantly,

agreed to try it once.

And

We Won.