I have the best husband in the world.

Really.

He will feed horses before he goes to work – IN THE DARK, break ice out of water tanks, wrestle sheep for vaccines….

as well as jump crew and video tape every single time I ask him to.

Seriously!

Of course he tends to video things that I wouldn’t necessarily deem relevant……………the minis up close & personal……..

the donkey (or in this case someone else’s donkey)……………

or occasionally something really strange…..

and there is ALWAYS a cameo, where he gets in front of the camera and does something interesting……………..

After many…… many video sessions filming yours truly jumping (or more often NOT jumping)…………..



 he proclaimed one day………..”I want to event!”

Be still my heart – I wasn’t quite sure if this was a good development or a BIG problem.

Who will feed the menagerie if we BOTH go to the shows????

Will we start fighting over who gets to ride the best horses?
He’d already “laid claim” to my best jumper (which I had long since laughed off!)

However, I did NOT want to discourage him in any way when it came to horses.  So I promptly ordered him a pair of breeches & half chaps!

I was particularly a teensy bit horrified by his response when they arrived.

I presented him with his new English riding pants and was bracing for the “Oh hell no – I ain’t wearing those!” response………….. he’s a “tough guy” after all.

Instead, he put them on, and said “Oooooh – these are nice! I like how they feel!!” And he proceeded to waltz around the house in his new riding breeches for the rest of the day…………

Yep! That’s MY man!! 

I couldn’t stop from thinking – could this be the start of the next Phillip Dutton??

This was definitely NEW territory.

We arranged a time for his first English riding lesson. I was fortunate that his own horse (though originally trained in a Western stable) had also spent about 2 years eventing. Bomb proof and perfectly willing to do anything asked of her, she would be his trusty mount for his first English riding lesson.

He was very proud as he donned his riding helmet & tacked up his horse.

I’m sure he wouldn’t have worn a T shirt if he’d known this would show up here!

After 45 minutes in the arena learning how to post the trot, the beginning of “2 point” and doing a few trot poles I decided that was entirely enough for his first lesson. Everything was going well and I didn’t want him to be too sore or push him too hard.

I ended the lesson with……”That’s great honey. Go put your horse up.”

I was riding one of my show horses, and after giving the direction to put his horse away I turned on my trusty steed to do some trot work. As I was trotting away I heard the unmistakable 3 beat cadence of a canter.

I turned just in time to see my husband

CANTERING

ON THE BUCKLE

IN A TOTAL CHAIR SEAT

towards the BIGGEST jump in the arena.

I saw the catastrophe coming, but he was committed……. It was too late to do ANYTHING!

His trusty girl jumped the jump (of course), and because he was sitting back on the back of the saddle it LAUNCHED him into the air.

I think he reached the thin portions of the atmosphere before he started his decent.

As he returned to earth’s gravity his leg caught in his much too long reins, which turned him upside down and he landed in a heap on his head.

After he was upright again, and I was fairly sure he hadn’t been crippled or brain damaged I screamed at him asked him calmly,

“WHAT THE H*LL WAS THAT???!!!!!!”

He shrugged and said, “I was trying to show off.”

20 years teaching lessons and never once have I had a student pull than number.

Husbands on the other hand – are entirely different. 

Now he tells everyone how I “made him fall off” riding English.

At least I don’t have to worry about him wearing those riding pants again.

And apparently……………….. being a Bad Eventer…………….runs in the family!!