SpiderWoman

I have a new pony.

I proudly introduce SpiderWoman.

But I haven’t had her very long and we’re just getting to know each other.

A week ago there was a last minute scratch at a show that I was already going to (The Zebrasaurus won by the way)

Anyway! There was an opening and I had the opportunity to take the new kid.

My initial plan was just to do the dressage and then probably withdraw. You see, we have actually never jumped around a course together.

We had one small jump lesson the week before and had just focused on a couple of gymnastics.

So we did the dressage at the show and it went well.

As I was looking at the Novice show jumping course, having just won Prelim,

(Fabulous artwork of the Zebrasaurus by the BadEventGroom)

I think I was feeling rather bullet proof. Even on a horse I’ve never jumped a course with.

Why not?!!

I decided to see how she warmed up and I was prepared to withdraw from warm up at any point!

It was mostly uneventful, and we put in a slightly “energetic” but double clear show jumping round.

and I thought…….. you know……… it’s going well so far…………….. It’s Novice…………………surely I can lope around cross country……………………..

And off we went putting in a clear XC at a show we hadn’t even entered!

So this weekend, we actually HAD entered the show and, this is super funny, we were entered in Beginner Novice.

Having just jumped around Novice the weekend before, with NO practice, I decided Novice should be fine so we moved up.

As I walked the course I noticed one of the training questions and was thinking that I would throw it in for practice. The Novice course had an up & down bank, and the training did the same bank with a bending 4 stride to a roll top. It seemed easy enough and I thought I’d just add in the roll top while I was out there. One training fence, no problem.

As I was discussing the plan I mentioned that I sure would like to do the training water but I can’t. Ever supportive, the BadEvent Groom said, “Sure you can! It’ll be fine!”

I was NOT persuaded.

See here is the thing. I’m a planner. I’m a thinker. I need to know PRECISELY where I’m going, what my line is, how many strides it is supposed to be, what to do if I get too many or too few strides, what landmarks I need to line the jump up with………

There was no way I was jumping a big log into water with a bending line to HELLO a CORNER without walking the line or seeing where I should be jumping the corner,

no way

not happening

that would be CRRRRR AZY!

So.

I leave the start box and I let them know I’m going to throw in a few training fences.

Jump one was a log, yep, did the training jump.

Jump 2 a little ramp, yep, did the training jump.

Jump 3, a roll top, yep did the training jump.

And I just didn’t stop jumping jumps with black numbers.

Mind you, I had NOT walked the training course and honestly had no idea what it was. I was just cantering along looking for white on black labeled jumps!

When I came to the water it was decision time, and I decided to go for it. We did the training log to the training corner. Oh yeah…….

This was the first time I’ve moved up a division by SURPRISE!

The Fearless Leader is always admonishing me that I think too much and sometimes I need to just ride. I don’t know if he’ll be proud or horrified, I guess I’ll find out when someone forwards this to him!