The Bermuda Triangle – Tales from a Bad Eventer

The Bermuda Triangle is the subject of legend, with mysterious disappearances and unexplained navigational problems.

Christopher Columbus reported odd compass readings when he navigated the triangle, along with fire in the sky (likely a meteor).

In 1918 the USS Cyclops sank in the triangle.

In 1945 five Navy bombers and a rescue plane sent after them disappeared in the area.

I’ve been to events all over the country.

But I have one that is my Bermuda Triangle.

For some reason, every – single – time I go to this one event something goes sideways.

The first time…..

I was well on my way to winning my first FEI event when I fell off at the massive ditch brush,

just two jumps from home.

#HowtoFeelLikeaFailure

Another time my baby horse got loose and lapped the entire show venue at a gallop.

#Embarassing

Last time I was there I got very broken.

#Bionic

It was a “nothing” fall that ended in emergency surgery and why I will never wear an airvest again.

After repeated fails I vowed never to go back.

And then Covid happened, and events all over got cancelled.

So there just weren’t as many to choose from.

Then I decided my ban was ridiculous.

After all there is NO scientific evidence that the Bermuda Triangle is any more dangerous than any other section of ocean.

So I put the “Bermuda Triangle” on my competition calendar.

I gave myself a pep talk.

I’ve got this.

I’m going to step down a level so there’ll be no pressure.

It’s not really cursed after all.

So off I went to face down the Bermuda Triangle head first.

Dressage went well.

Really well.

And we laid down one of our career best tests.

The 9 on the stretchy circle was a huge accomplishment for a horse that had exactly zero stretch when I got him. His solid performance put us in 2nd place in a competitive open division. (It’s always an ego boost to lay down a better score than a handful of Olympians.)

Show jumping came around and things started getting ~~Bermuda-ish~~ weird.

Other than my tumble last week at the jumper show (see that story here if you missed it), we’ve been kicking butt and taking names in show jumping.

We did the entire winter show jumping circuit with a couple dozen rounds and maybe 2 rails in all.

We have this part sorted out.

So I thought……..

I’m still not sure quite what happened.

But my unicorn who had just laid down a 26 in dressage went into the show jumping ring a little bit wild.

My fancy pony who jumps clear 95% of the time had

not one or two

but FIVE rails.

I really blew it at one jump, totally galloped him past his distance, and that’s the one he left up.

Next was cross country.

Last time the course started with 3 gallop fences and then a downhill combination to a skinny. And that’s where I got broken.

When I walked the course and it started with 3 gallop fences and then a downhill combination to a skinny……..

I was a bit horrified.

I basically decided that I had one goal this time.

Stay on my horse.

And anything after that was optional.

I gave myself another pep talk about the Bermuda Triangle curse not being a real thing and I left the start box.

I got through that first combination

and felt incredibly relieved.

Things were going pretty well when we came to the second water.

It was an A B C combination and it walked in 6 strides to 5 strides.

We jumped in and squeezed 7 strides into the first part.

And being way too much in my head I thought – uh oh – I just did 7 in the 6, I better do 6 in the 5.

Turned out that was

the – wrong – answer.

When I squeezed in the 6th stride the Zebrasaurus hooked a hind leg on the jump out and it left quite a cut. I jumped off, retired and that was the end of my latest trip………