Big Talker

      7 Comments on Big Talker

There is a particular venue where I don’t have a single good memory.

In some bizarre version of the Bad Eventer Bermuda Triangle…… every single time I’ve been there it has involved trauma, injury, loss or epic failure of some kind.

The mental baggage I have about this particular cross country course is hard to even explain, and has reached mammoth proportions. But, a super star was coming for a clinic and I decided that a chance to ride with him…….. just might be worth facing my fears.

HOWEVER………….

I had decided WAY AHEAD OF TIME that there was one particular jump that there was NO WAY I would be jumping.

Nope.

Not happening.

I HATE that jump. It’s a nasty vertical corner that my mare hung a leg on and caused me the worst jumping injury I’ve ever had. To add to my own spectacular fall at that particular jump, I’ve seen half a dozen OTHER people fall at that SAME jump.

Personally, I think they should just throw a match on it and be done with it.

So I get there, and not only is that corner hanging out right in the middle of everything, they’ve put it at the bottom of the MOUND!!!

So here’s the scoop on the mound. I don’t know what it is about this mound but the Wonder Pony decided the last time I was there that he wasn’t going near it.

I was at a schooling with a super qualified & amazing coach, and after 30 minutes of running sideways………

we finally gave up.

I never actually got him over the mound. It was a total fail.

So here we are and I’m walking around the course with a friend the day before cross country. I tell her there is NO WAY that I’m going anywhere near that mound, and especially not anywhere near that CORNER!!

I was thinking that with a show coming up, the last thing I wanted in my head was another epic failure at that stupid mound.

And I’m sorry, but that corner has my DNA embedded in it. I was explaining that as an ADULT who can make my own decisions…. should the fancy clinician ask us to jump that HORRIBLE thing, I was going to politely OPT OUT.

I told EVERYONE.

Bad Eventer <the Big Talker> said to everyone that would listen, “There is NO WAY I’m jumping the mound or that corner tomorrow!”

Sooooooooooooooooo.

Cross country day rolls around and right off he says, ‘Let’s start at the mound.”

I think I immediately went into some kind of PTSD coma.

No one else seemed to have an issue with

STARTING OUT

AT THE MOUND.

I had this big sinking feeling…………

We started out trying to jump a few jumps that were in the vicinity of the mound, and sure enough………..my steed who is normally a rockstar went into full on running sideways meltdown. That mound must emit some kind of WonderPony kryptonite.

I was getting ready to raise my hand and “retire” from the lesson. I didn’t want to be THAT rider….. the one that ruins the lesson for everyone else.

But the clinician who happens to be an EXPERT at problem horses, gave me some help, and before I knew it WonderPony stopped running sideways……….and started doing this……….

I’m sure you can imagine what happened next.

He said, “OK everyone, jump over the mound going this way, and then turn around and come back over it the other way and jump THE CORNER.”

The moment he said CORNER all I could hear was my HEART pounding in my ears.

And I thought, “This is it.” This is the defining moment where I act like a grown up and OPT OUT. This is where I tell him, “I’M NOT JUMPING THAT. NOT NOW. NOT EVER.”

I could feel myself hyperventilating and I really thought I was going to have to excuse myself from the group.

Then the impossible happened.

He asked, “Who wants to go first?”

And my arm….. as if possessed by some strange spirit with a super mean sense of humor…….shot up in the air and I said, “ME!”

I tend to compensate for abject terror by going first……..it’s something I’ve always done because I just can’t take the anticipation and I want to GET IT OVER WITH.

Here’s what happened.

Got the pony going forward instead of sideways….

Check

Jumped the mound of terror.
Check

Jumped the corner of death.
Check

Bad Eventer has NEVER felt like more of a rock star.

Thank you Doug Payne!!

 

 

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7 thoughts on “Big Talker

  1. Nicku

    Oh he's such a nice guy! Met him a couple times over the years. Completely understand the going first thing. I'm the same way!!!

  2. Bakersfield Dressage

    Woot, woot! Nice job, BE! And I also suffer from Go First Syndrome. Waiting and anticipating is torture. If I am going to be maimed or killed, I'd rather just get it over with!

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