It was the most terrifying jump I’ve ever seen.

Yeah, that’s it. That D*MN Corner!!

For most of you this probably doesn’t look that challenging, but this particular jump has parts
of my DNA embedded in it, and had become the source of all my anxiety.

I don’t remember the rest of the course walk after “Jump 13”. I was too busy being horrified that I had actually paid MONEY to try & jump that thing.

These are the moments when I really wonder what exactly about this sport I find appealing!

My fear had become so all encompassing that my friends were starting to ask me if I was ok, and promised to ply me with liquor at dinner to help with my anxiety.

That’s when we found out we were in a dry county. This is one of those weird “southern” things where the county is “dry” (no liquor), but they sell beer and wine at every gas station.

Makes perfect sense….. right?

A young lady in the group said astutely, “It’s not a dry county. It’s a Damp County!!”

A  course walk with my instructor, and a bottle (or two) of wine later and I was feeling much better.

He said “Line up the jump, Sit the Hell down & relax! Now repeat that!”

Have you ever told someone to RELAX?

How’d it work for you?

So……………….my cross country time came, and I hardly noticed the first trakehner

 or the second trakehner………………..

Crazy huh?

As I made the approach to the corner.

I lined it up.

I SAT!

And I started yelling saying, “I’ve got this! I’ve got this! I’ve got this!”

She never even wavered. My super pony jumped it like it was nothing!!

I’ve never been so relieved and I had to remind myself there were more jumps on the course to be jumped.

I felt kind of bad & silly later for how upset I had been about that tiny little corner.

Or maybe that was just the hang over.