Jumping and losing the plot

[Fire sign]

Chapter 1

Following the unexpected and very welcome mowing of our exercise field I decided that what we needed was a proper jump . Obviously we did have jumps... The usual motley selection of half broken wobbly home made type affair that had been rotting in the hedge all winter and some shortish faded and broken plastic poles . They weren't inviting.

I knew I had seen some for sale somewhere ... Sitting outside among the wheelbarrows and skips at a tack shop 20 miles away

I checked out the bank account and I checked out the Internet

And went off to the tack shop to buy a "training jump "

There were three on display and they were very inviting indeed

Proper painted show jumps with big wooden wings and heavy poles

They even had fillers !

I hadn't even thought about buying these but they were so well made and would make my new jump so much more flexible

Only £50 more

It was a no brainer

In the end we bought the biggest and most impressive jump in the shop . A fine green and yellow show jump with two matching poles and free standing fillers and 3 sets of red jump cups ... And two extra black and white poles .. for even more flexibility ... They didn't deliver but no worries ! I had my trusty new trailer ! We just loaded it all in there and drove it all home in a state of great excitement .

I would set this up on the gallops and do some sensible schooling with Flame. We would soon be jumping calmly and safely over this wide inviting jump with proper wings and everything was going to be marvellous !

A good days work and John offered to tow the trailer home for the first time and even parked it for me , double bonus !!

We set the new jump up in the field and it looked fabulous

I could hardly wait to see what Flame would think of it .... This was going to be the best summer ever !

 

[Fire sign]

Time to try the new jump

Got up bright and early and flung open the curtains to find drizzly rain coming out of the sky

Damm !

What on earth was the matter with the weather in this country ?

I hoped this would not cramp my style when testing out my new jump !

Rushed down the yard ASAP and carefully arranged a series of trotting poles leading to a tiny cross pole ... Gosh how careful I am now I thought ... In the old days I would just have set this up to 2ft 6 and jumped the whole thing fillers and all from a fast canter ! But that was pre accident ... I was now a bit of a Nervous Nellie to be honest .. I even felt a little flicker of fear as I warmed up around the gallops and cursed the rain that was now making the ground wetter and slippier than was ideal ...

I tried to be firm with myself !

This was so silly

Flame had jumped hundreds of grids, and hundreds of big wide show jumps with style and accuracy and ease before my accident and her recent arthritis

This was an absolute doddle for her and I was being ridiculous

I turned her toward the new grid and tried to stay calm, look up and proceed down it

Flames head shot up

This was exciting !

What was that, a cross pole?!

She towed me into the jump far too fast , got her legs in a tangle , took off too early clouted a pole and nearly fell flat on her face !!!!

To my horror I lost both my stirrups and saw the ground lurching up to meet me but just managed to scramble back into the saddle !! Good grief! I had nearly fallen off over the tiniest jump in the world!! And the last thing I could afford to do was to fall off on my dodgy collar bone!

I was an idiot!

Flame was very offended

She snorted and shied and bounced about

All trust was gone

I leaped off and took away all the dangerous trotting poles ...

With a sick feeling in my stomach I got back on ... We had to go over this jump now

What if she stopped now that she had lost all faith in me ?!!!!

Abandoning all attempts at proper sitting up type show jumping we approached the cross pole with a grim determination I did not feel ..

I was riding very defensively .. Sort of crouched forward but sitting back .. Not a pretty sight I am sure

She was tossing her head indignantly

Am sure I also gave the poor creature a small confidence boosting pony club kick on take off

Thankfully she went over

We did it a second time rather too fast

I think we probably took a stride out ..

I decided that would have to do

The shiny new filler was left untried

I was full of shame ......

Never mind ..... We would be fine next time ..

 

[Fire sign]

I felt a bit crushed that evening ....

I cursed my bad decision to bother with stupid trotting poles ... I should have known that Flame would find jumping again far too exciting to concentrate on where she was putting her feet

My new jump didn't feel quite such a cause for celebration any more and I didn't tell John I had nearly fallen off in case we started having one of those " Do you think you should be jumping at all at your age " type conversations . As a proper horsy person I knew I had to get back on and jump that jump over and over again until it was no longer an issue ... but I didn't feel like it any more!!

The next day it rained again ... Oh no ! This was not helpful ......

But I had to just get on with it

Went out to the exercise area to see how the ground was looking .... But what was this ? Someone had moved my canter pole and surely ... Had they also put my cross pole UP ?! Had some confident young rider been popping over my new jump with absolutely no problem ?! I was crushed by a huge and completely unexpected wave of dismay... How would I remember where my placing pole had been?How would Flame know where to take off ? Should I put the cross pole down again or was I being a total wimp ? I certainly was !!!

I was obviously having some sort of a panic attack and I was being ridiculous but I couldn't help myself ....

I put the jump down

We jumped it in both directions and Flame bounded off across the grass at speed with enthusiasm . We spent some time trying to instil discipline by halting a few yards after the jump but it was a bit of a tug of war

I wanted to try out my filler but ...

The filler suddenly seemed a VERY SCARY THING.

We decided to leave this for another day . There was no need to do everything at once , there was loads of time , blah blah ... But who was I kidding ?

I who had jumped a metre at BS was **** scared of a two foot filler ...

For gods sake !!!!

The next day I went to Somerford and jumped the sum total of two tiny tiny logs

I told myself this was to be sociable with my non jumping friend but actually I was Mrs Scaredy Knickers!!

 

[Fire sign]

It rained all week.

The ground got wetter and wetter

I cursed fate

I tossed and turned at night and wondered if I was losing my bottle ..

Had I bought an expensive brand new show jump that I was now too afraid to go over?!!!!!! The possibility of this was dreadful and mortifying

Then the jumping dreams started ... these were very vivid and featured looming cross poles and chestnut horses (mine isn't chestnut)

I put down my bedtime book about the eventing career of Princess Anne because it was making me feel slightly sick

I trawled Horse and Hound forum for threads entitled "Nerves" instead

And I really began to understand how all those other people moaning on about their fears really must have felt

I went back to the yard

I looked at my lovely painted filler

It would be too too awful if one of the young riders jumped it before me

I put the filler up under my new jump, facing towards home and got on my horse

I banished all thoughts of myself tippling off, tried to sit still and not pony club kick and headed for the jump

Flame cleared it easily and without any fuss

I realised that it was now actually much easier for her to jump as it was more solid and a much more inviting shape

I knew I had been an idiot

But I still wasn't cured

I went hacking the next day

Then I gave the horse a day off

And then I had a really sleepless night because I knew I HAD to jump the next day

I was fast developing a phobia

I told no one

This morning I set up my jump with my filler and another jump with a single bar and a ground line with the black and white poles .

I warmed Flame up carefully , a little shoulder in and leg yielding in the yard .. Some trotting and cantering on the track to loosen her up and going up and down the paces to make sure I had brakes and control ... I was just putting off the inevitable ..

The rain drizzled down mercilessly

The state of the ground flitted across my mind but was irrelevant now

The task was non negotiable

At least 5 jumping efforts but ideally more

She flew over the black and white pole

She flew over the jump with the filler

She jumped them both ways

She got wildly excited and ran backwards

She cantered sideways

She took a few strides out

I made her do it again properly

Thankful for my big jumping blocks I sat still in the saddle and we were as one

A bouncing, leaping, performance but still together as we hurtle over 80 cm

We can work on style later !

I trust I will sleep tonight ... but fear this not the end of the story!!

 

[Red-1]

Congratulations!!!!

A story many will identify with!

 

[dixie]

Brilliant and sweet dreams.
I must confess to putting a course up my self, get on the horse,, warm up and then get off to out them down !

 

[Fire sign]

Brilliant and sweet dreams.
I must confess to putting a course up my self, get on the horse,, warm up and then get off to out them down !

Hah hah ! Yes I have also done that before !!

 

[Doormouse]

Brilliant and sweet dreams.
I must confess to putting a course up my self, get on the horse,, warm up and then get off to out them down !

The trick there is to be like me and unable to get on again without the aid of a mountng block or handily placed gate. Does wonders for the stoicism!

 

[McFluff]

Well done - that is some strong determination you've got. Good luck for the rest of your journey.

 

[Fire sign]

Well done - that is some strong determination you've got. Good luck for the rest of your journey.

THANK YOU !! What a nice thing to say !

 

[Remi'sMum]

Grit and determination - well done!

I completely relate this. My Brave pants have departed entirely after a series of nasty falls due to extremely sharp unpredictable stops. Said horse has sadly since been retired due to physical issues and I'm searching for new Mr or Mrs Right. And when I do, I will be embarking on Mission Rediscover Brave Pants.... I had a jumping lesson on a riding school pony the other week and managed a 65cm upright without having a total nervous breakdown - so maybe there is hope!

Very well done again!!

 

[Fire sign]

Grit and determination - well done!

I completely relate this. My Brave pants have departed entirely after a series of nasty falls due to extremely sharp unpredictable stops. Said horse has sadly since been retired due to physical issues and I'm searching for new Mr or Mrs Right. And when I do, I will be embarking on Mission Rediscover Brave Pants.... I had a jumping lesson on a riding school pony the other week and managed a 65cm upright without having a total nervous breakdown - so maybe there is hope!

Very well done again!!

.

Thanks again ! Rediscovering the BravePants is the hardest thing !!!!!! Think it's the old "the less you do the less you can do " scenario . Well done you for going to a Riding School .... I nearly did this at one stage and went to watch a few lessons but then became ridiculously fussy about the quality of the teaching , the size of the arena , the manner of the instructor and the tally of customers falling off !!! This gave me plenty of excuse to do nothing !!!!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

.

Rediscovering the BravePants is the hardest thing !!!!!! Think it's the old "the less you do the less you can do " scenario .

Absolutely this ^

Well done, excellent write up - long may you carry on popping jumps

 

[cavalo branco]

I enjoyed your story so much! Haven't we all been there?! I felt I had to jump this week after not leaving the ground for months...cue trotting poles for the first day, the next adding a cross pole and finally two, yes two cross poles at the dizzy height of about 70cms! Very funny and well written. Good luck with your new jump!

 

[Fire sign]

I enjoyed your story so much! Haven't we all been there?! I felt I had to jump this week after not leaving the ground for months...cue trotting poles for the first day, the next adding a cross pole and finally two, yes two cross poles at the dizzy height of about 70cms! Very funny and well written. Good luck with your new jump!

. Thanks so much !!! And well done for getting down your grid without falling over or off !!!