Vinnie at the THF Jumper Show.
Two weeks ago I completed my second Preliminary event at the September GMHA Horse Trials on Theatre Royal, owned by Gayle Davis. “Vinnie” has been a treat, to say the least. What an incredible horse. I am having such an amazing time getting to know this horse, and our relationship has evolved over the course of four months. I am starting to ask more of Vinnie now that I know him much better, and he is so unbelievably consistent; it makes me feel like a million bucks every time I ride him.
Vinnie is an event horse through and through. Quite simply put, he sees a jump and goes and jumps it. Isn’t that what we long for in an event horse? Don’t we desire a horse who goes and jumps the jump, no back peddling, no spooking, no bolting, no kicking out …but just a horse that goes and jumps the jumps? Perhaps tons of event riders experience this willingness and easiness, though I have had limited experience with this particular type of horse.
Back to GMHA. I walked my cross-country course three or four times total before I went out of the start box Sunday morning. I was definitely excited, but slightly anxious about the size of the jumps on course. My big move up to this level at the August Huntington Horse Trials was perfect, though the course didn’t quite compare to the questions and size of the course at GMHA. Luckily, I have tremendous confidence in this horse, and I trust him and know he can do just about anything. He takes me to the jumps on cross country and seems completely cool about any and all questions we have tackled together.
Vinnie!
Sunday morning arrived. Very chilly temperatures and rain the night before made for some slippery conditions. I tacked up and walked Vinnie from where the trailers were parked all the way over to cross-country warm up. I felt ready, though pretty damn nervous at the same time. I am totally green at this level but knew once I jumped my first warm up fence I would feel much better. I recall walking past Denny and other familiar faces in warm up, and I’m pretty sure my face had turned into a pasty shade of green and white. “How do you feel?” asked Denny. “I think I might puke … but other than that, I’m fine.” Everyone started laughing and told me I’d be great!
“You have two minutes, OK, Lila?” My heart was pounding. I was sure you could see it through my long sleeve shirt, my vest and my air vest. Vinnie was cool as a cucumber, patiently but understandably waiting his turn. Soon after I started my watch and got the official count down from 10. As soon as the starter said, “GO … GOOD LUCK,” I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t see anything beyond each jump in front of us. The only thing I could hear and feel was Vinnie and me.
He soared over the first fence, and I felt super confident. The second fence I was most concerned about, which was a giant table, I ended up getting Vinnie a little deep to, but he jumped it like it was two feet. After the second jump, I knew we were good to go. My fear and my concerns had instantaneously disappeared and had been replaced by an overwhelming sense of security and confidence. I didn’t think we had it in the bag because we had about 18 more jumps ahead of us, but I knew we could do this! We ended up jumping around clean with a bunch of time, but it was an incredible feeling.
Fast forward a couple weeks and I’m taking my teeny tiny and adorable pony “Chai” to her first event at Hitching Post Farm. I entered senior grasshopper. I hadn’t competed at that level in several years. Quite honestly, I had a blast. Was I concerned or nervous? Not in the least. Was it a challenging outing? Absolutely not. However, I wanted to test my pony and see what she was like in a show atmosphere. I wanted to see how she would handle dressage, which was down a steep hill away from all the other horses. I also wanted to see if she would go jump the jumps — and she did!
Chai waiting to go cross country yesterday at HPF. Good 5-year-old pony!
It’s becoming excruciatingly clear what makes an event horse. I have been through tons of horses and very few have had what it takes. They have to be quiet and sane enough to handle the various pressures this sport puts them under. Yet they HAVE to want to go to the jumps. They HAVE to have an automatic forward button. They have to be bold, and they have to be willing. The list goes on and on, but without these qualities, I cannot imagine going out of the start box.
