Well, at the last minute I decided to enter a combined test. I really hadnt been doing much since the hunt season (ended feb) and most of the fixtures for the last few hunts had been mostly galloping and low fences (2’6 tops) due to footing.
So, I schooled the few stadium fences we have, worked some gymnastics and changing leads over fences. Hadn’t schooled novice (2.11) in a while. did a few fences, memorized dressage test (did get 1 dressage lesson in before show, but no jumping lessons since october last year)
Had a decent dressage test and had to go change tack for jumping…
I was stabled next to my jump coach (who I haven’t had a lesson from since last september) and she agreed to warm me up (i said that she didn’t have to claim me as a student if I embarassed her LOL)…
tacked up my horse, he knew we were jumping and trotted a b-line on the buckle to the stadium warm-up! we schooled 6 fences and my coach was looking at me with a huge suprised look. she just tweeked my shoulders at landing, but was really pleased and said “go do your course”…
I have issues with stadium, I can do cross country fine, but i choke on stadium almost everytime. this time…we rocked! we had a double clear round and were even getting the correct leads over fences. my horse was so responsive and easy! My coach, who is usually pretty stoic, was jumping up and down by the end. people who knew how much I suck at stadium were all approaching her and asking what she did to change my style.
She said “nothing, that’s the result of fox hunting”! She came up to me and said that we made the course look like a beginner novice course and she was thrilled. So was I. I usually get so nervous, but was relaxed…even when my horse made the 1 stride into a bounce…she was thrilled to see me with the horse, not choking and so relaxed!
we ended up placing second! I was thrilled.
we’ve been on the verge of moving up to training level, my coach said it’s time to do it besides schooling. that day we went out and schooled xc…and my horse and i were jumping the training ones like we’d done it for years.
I feel like now I look at a course, xc or stadium, and think FUN and not YIkes!
thank you fox hunting. I cannot wait to get my eventing hat on for the summer!!
