It Was a [D R E A M]]

They say what goes up, must come down, but don't let me [ f a l l ]

(This is going to be a long story. Judges, please read, others, you don't have to.)

I've been riding since I was eight. I've taken lessons at two different barns, and contemplated quitting multiple times. Literally right before, the lesson I learned to canter in, I told my mom, "I don't want to ride. It's really boring." Then, i realized riding was fun. I stayed. I never did any big shows, never wanted to, really. One of my barn friends left the original barn, and she convinced me to leave, too. I was 12. Because of my original barn, I wanted to go higher and faster than I should have been going. After about 4 months at this new barn, I was jumping 2'6", the same height I was doing at the original barn. I had a very unstable seat, which caused a fall. It definately wasn't a horrible fall, I didn't break anything, just had a bruised shoulder. In this fall, Wonder refused a 2'6" oxer, the second in a double combination. Because of the refusal, I slipped halfway off, and around his neck. Wonder, being the honest horse he is, wanted to jump the jump anyway. He went over, and this unseated me more. I fell directly in front of Wonder's front hooves. This ruined all confidence I had. About a week after the fall, I was sobbing because I was so nervous about being around a horse. I rode Wonder on the flat, for a year and a half. Then, in the summer of 2009, I decided I wanted to try and jump. Just to see if I could. And I did. A lesson on the basics of jumping. Then another jumping lesson, and another. My eq was horrible, but my confidence was getting better. We were improving, but not fast enough for me. I decided I wanted to go to a different barn. I wanted to show. I wanted to be good. But I didn't leave. I couldn't leave. Another instructor would push me too far out of my comfort zone. I couldn't handle that. This past summer, I jumped again. I'm improving even more now. Jumping jumps that scare me. Trusting Wonder to get me over said jumps. I'm still nervous about certain things, because of the fall, I'm not a fan of oxers or lines. But I can do it. And I'll keep improving. And I'll keep going. Wonder hasn't had a refusal since I started jumping again. I believe we have a strong enough bond that he doesn't want to hurt me.
This song made me realize exactly why I was so scared. I didn't trust Wonder enough. I believed he would allow me to fall. After I fell, though, I started to spend more time with Wonder. I trust him now. He follows me, he comes to me in the field. I will lay down next to him while he's grazing. And I would ride him bareback, if he didn't buck when I got on. ;)


BTW, that second jump in the triple combination? I broke down in tears going over a lower version of that in the summer of 2009. Just the difference in confidence levels still amazes me.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• madaboutponies

[PonyRider4ever]

this is amazing..good for you not giving up or getting rid of Wonder....you ride him so well

[Madaboutponies]

@PonyRider4ever Thank you so much! You and Gizmo are great together too :)