Horses of the outside world. Trailer noise. Something I hadn’t ever thought about. Time & Miles: We Don’t Deserve Horses.
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Continuing to post about my latest outing. [The Ride, AHJA Kick Off Show 2026]
The nerves were terrible. The time before the show was stressful. I was a hot mess. Some of the lessons generated worse nerves than a show.
I wanted it so very, very badly. Still do.
I’ve been yapping about jumping for years. I bought two horses with the intention of jumping both of them. What if I couldn’t do it anymore?
I had arranged an almost perfect re-introductory situation. A local show, low classes, and a wonderful horse. What is if wasn’t enough? If I couldn’t do it with Goldy, what chance did I have with any other horse?
Coach Deana was very helpful. She told me the same thing she told her littles. If you go in the ring and get overfaced, then don’t do it.
I could do that. The only action I had to perform was to enter the ring. Everything after was optional. I could take it one fence at a time. Trot at a low fence on a nice horse. Then look for the next one. If it was too much, stop. I could do that. Expensive ROI, but I could do it.
Two other things helped beforehand.
One. The week before the show, my illustrious groom pointed out that we already had the data we were looking for. We wanted to find out if jumping was still on the agenda. It is. The show was extra at that point.
As a side note, he also pointed out that my riding had become so much more relaxed than it had been just a few weeks earlier. The change was hard to feel from the inside.
Two. The day before the show, we went over to school. That’s when I found out that they had set the jumps low, probably because it was the first show of the year. It was a height Goldy & I had been doing regularly. I got this.
On the morning of the show, I wasn’t sure what would happen in the ring. Would we go too slow and lurch over the jumps? Would we be nice and steady? Would Goldy get in touch with his inner Grand Prix horse and zoom off? If he did zoom off, would I rise to the occasion or fold like a cheap tent? As it was, we came up with a fourth option of my being enthusiastic but ineffective, at least to start. One never knows, do one?
So now what?
I do not plan to campaign with Goldy at .65m this year. Once was proof of concept. Lessons, yes. Shows are more time and money that I care to put into beginner jumping classes. Unless I am on my own horse. Which leads to …
ISO New Horse. Wish us luck.
Also, full disclosure, there was a sense of letdown afterwards. All that work for that? All that stress and tension in order to jump around a course of fences that I could jump over with my own two feet? It reminds me of rehabbing my broken wrist. Lots and lots of work to get back to where I used to be.
OTOH, it took me days to recover. I was far more tired than I had anticipated. It was a big deal on some level, whether I want it to be or not.
Yes, my head is an echo chamber of anxiety and overthinking. This is not news.
One more post, once the pro photos are ready.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 