Perspective

How could anyone be angry with a face like this?

Fi heading out to GMHA, photo courtesy of Mom

 

Time heals all wounds.  And puts all things in perspective.  This is not an end of days or cataclysmic event.  We had a W at one sanctioned event.  Could be worse.  Could be an E.  Or a TE.  Or even an RF.

 

What is it about the USEA and acronyms?  Reminds me of IBM.  I spent quite a bit of time at the beginning of my introduction to this sport just trying to figure out what any of those letters meant.  So long as I don't get a DR, I'm happy.  I'd be very embarrassed to get a DR when it was probably the princess's idea, anyway.  On cross country, it's not exactly an equal partnership.

 

 My mare is happy, sound, and working.  So she's got a hang up about jumping right now.  Big deal.  She's had one heck of an awesome season and closing it out early is far from a disaster.   The vet is out tomorrow to address the most likely issue and we'll spend the winter slowly rebuilding confidence.  The worst case scenario is that I own a very lovely and talented dressage/trail horse.  There are people that would give their right arm for that.

My dressage horse in action at GMHA, photo courtesy of Mom

 

This mare is going to get a bronze medal one day, you just wait and see.  She's a traffic stopper already.  Literally.  There was a little traffic snarl at GMHA when a truck passing by Fi stopped to check her out.  She was just power walking along with me in tow, neck stretched out and ears pricked.  She just oozes athletic ability and the eventers really appreciate that.   I always feel so proud to be associated with her.  Everyone's too busy admiring her to notice me wheezing along as I try to keep up.

 

When Fi was sick, all I wanted was for her to get better.  She's better now.  I had a lovely ride with her today, working on her balanced canter and reintroducing walking over poles.  I can't complain when I have a sound mare with a solid work ethic. Something went wrong and the blame doesn't belong on Fiona.  It has to lie with me as the controlling member in the relationship.  I will do what I can to fix it, but the princess is in no danger of going anywhere.  She's my girl and that will not change.

 

The trainer has been nothing but supportive and optimistic.  She is not ready to give up on the princess as an eventer, and therefore, neither am I.  She's got us on a program of ground poles and cross rails to gradually rebuild confidence and comfort.  In the meantime, I'm going to go help coach/groom/child wrangle at a local schooling show.  My trainer has fifteen students going to a local schooling show, and I (in a moment of delusion and possible masochism) offered to help out.  I will be spending my Sunday doing hair and tossing kids onto ponies.  Hopefully I will manage to get through the leadline division without falling on my face.  Yes, it has happened before.

 

I always hope that one day these riders will look back and remember the show as something they enjoyed and took pride in.  I want them to see it through rose coloured glasses.  Hopefully they won't notice that the instructors are frazzled, punch drunk, and planning to really drink as soon as the activity is over.  I prefer the glossed over, childhood view of events.  In those views, I'm someone cool and together.  They never seem to remember the manure on my shirt, the hay in my hair, or the bite mark from the bratty pony I'm trying to wrangle.  

I'm way cooler in the eyes of my students then in reality.