I was having a seriously bad day on the cross-country phase of a Horse Trials [Reverse]. My horse had come out of the start box on his hind legs and had subsequently acquired a number of stops at a variety of fences. I was furious. I was fuming. I was determined that we were getting over the next fence. I came around the corner and some fool, some idiot, was between me and the jump. I put my leg on my horse, hunkered down, and thought,
“Lady, get the HELL out of my way.”
I galloped straight at her for 2-3 strides before it dawned on me that she was waving a set of red flags.
Another stride. Red flags = stop.
Another stride. They meant ME.
I was on a Training level course after three or five stops, whatever the rules were at that time. Imagine the focus of a rider at Rolex with a chance at winning. When I’m doing crowd control at an event and want to underline the need for pedestrians to stay out of the galloping lane, I tell them:
It’s not that they can’t stop.
It’s not that they won’t stop.
They don’t even see you.
What is the most focused you’ve ever been in competition?
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