Hey guys!
For the first time in a couple of years, I found myself doing cross country yesterday. I have to say, I did not think I would be doing cross country any time soon prior to the arena experience for the simple reason that as far as I was aware, there was no cross country field or anything similar at my riding school. When I was informed of the arena cross country opportunity, I jumped (pun not intended) at the chance.
When I got to the stables I was feeling pretty apprehensive! The last time (or one of the last times) I had done cross country, I was riding a rather... let's say mischievous cob who liked to stop in front of the fences. I wasn't accustomed to this nappy mare well enough to know what she felt like jumping, and I have to say either my skills were sorely lacking or she had developed quite the knack for feeling as though she was about to take off before stopping right in front of the fence. I left that particular lesson with a grazed cheek and a cut on my chin, and my confidence had taken a bit of a beating too. So when I rolled up yesterday with absolutely no idea of what to expect, can I really be blamed for feeling a little nervy? When I found out that I would be riding a fairly young horse, I wasn't really sure how to feel. At least I knew the horse quite well this time! So I put on a bit of a brave face, mounted up and waited for the activity to begin.
The warm up went quite smoothly, with the horse, Ozzie, listening to me for the most part after a little bit of napping due to him needing the second toilet break within five or ten minutes. One particular canter had me feeling so comfortable in the three point position I felt I could do it for hours, and once we had all had a canter around the school it was time to start the jumping. I'd never used arena cross country jumps before, but I was quite impressed with them. They weren't quite as daunting as the xc fences I'd faced before, possibly because they were smaller than some of the things I've faced in the past - and don't get me wrong, definitely not complaining! I'm really grateful that they at least seemed smaller as I felt safer and, perhaps more importantly, I felt more confident. I think anyone that has jumped, be it normal poles, fancy show jumps or scary xc fences, will tell you that the rider's mentality has no small impact on whether the horse goes or not. As I felt my nerves fade away, I began to really enjoy the clinic. Ozzie was an absolute star, which also helped matters. I think it helps when you trust your instructor, and know a couple of other people in the group. It made it feel so much more relaxed.
I faced a series of fences, but the scariest fence for me was the corner. I'd never jumped something like that before, and I didn't know whether Ozzie would like it. But my anxiety was for nothing, as he was perfect over it, and then didn't put a hoof wrong over a water tray that he hadn't seen before. I was so happy that the rest of the course just seemed like a breeze, even the fence where we ended up jumping the flower pot more than the fence itself due to some dodgy lining up on my part and a pony reluctant to go into the corner! I honestly feel so much more confident, and wouldn't mind taking on a few small fences in a field. Although, I think before that I need to improve my fitness - three point and two point position were also firsts for a long while, and I can definitely feel it today!
Until the next time :)
