Just A Couple of Badasses Over Here

The other day I set up a combination with the goal of putting at least one of the fences at 2’6.” While I don’t really blink an eye at what Trainer B sets for me, setting it myself is a whole different ball game for some reason.

We warmed up, and I raised the fences until I thought they were both 2’6″ THEN I raised the red one to make what I thought would be 2’9″. And then couldn’t look directly at it because um, huge much? So I scrambled back on my horse and sent him through a couple times. And it was…easy.

I mean. As long as I didn’t look directly at it.

After putting P out to pasture for the night, I was walking back past the arena and another boarder was in there. She rode over and asked if I had jumped the outside line- why yes, yes I did. It rides in a forward 2 or a collected 3, if you’d like to try it, my dear. And she goes, “Wow, those are huge.” So I said, “Nah, they’re just about 2’6. I think the red one might be 2’9”. And she replies, “That red one is at least 3 feet.” Naaaaah, you crazy.

So then out came the tape measure anndddd…..hm. The purple is actually 2’6″. but the red?

So a touch over 3′. But basically the same as 2’6″, amirite?

No media because I was alone, so what did I do? Went back out to the barn with Husband in tow and did it again. Because apparently now I’m brave….or something like that.

Somehow I think Pilgrim is ok with 2’6″.

But obviously had trouble with 3’+.

J/K. P is a rockstar.

It’s funny because not so long ago I’d look at some 2’3″ fences and shudder. So setting something to 3’+ and then going, “ok, that’s doable,” is pretty huge for me. Maybe I WON’T be a weenie forever.

Of course, when I told Trainer B about my faux pas, he immediately went, “Hell yeah, Novice!” Slow your roll, man. It was one fence.

Today is the last ::insert crying face here:: lesson with Trainer B before he heads to FL for the winter (even though winter here this year apparently means sixty degrees). He’ll be back once in January and once in February, then back for good in March after Carolina International, so this winter will be a good time to get back to regular training with Trainer J. Funny story, last week he told me he was coming back the weekend after Christmas to teach a one or 2 day clinic and I screamed, “NO, YOU CAN’T,” which I’m pretty sure terrified him to the core. But I’m going on vacation that week and would miss it. So he changed it to the following weekend. Whew. Close call there, Trainer B.

It will be nice to see Trainer J more regularly, though, since I’ve lessoned with her only a handful of times since starting with Trainer B in May. But in my defense, jumping was such a disaster that we needed the regular instruction and now that (fingers crossed) many of the kinks seem to have been worked out, it’s time to bring the dressage back into the list of priorities. Don’t tell Trainer J I said that.

To end, I’m sharing this picture again. Because we’re totally badass here. Even if I thought it was 2’6″.