#EventerFailFriday: Not Failin’ If You’re Sailin

Horses and riders have been flying through the air since long before Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the first successful airplane. Sometimes they soar through the air together, their bodies merged as a single bird soaring on the wind …

#hustonwehaveliftoff – #eddiespaghetti getting serious airtime cross country schooling at Dreamcrest today. #yeehaw #holdon #needvelcro #crosscountrymachine #lovethisboy Thank you @oliviagionet for videoing. #eventersdoitbetter #equinecannonball

A post shared by Julie Clark (@clarkeventing) on Jul 29, 2018 at 7:58pm PDT

Miko (Almost Famous) and Catherine, schooling next levels in cross country @lacrinierenapierville #ScaryTrakhener #eventerproblems #eventerfailfriday #eventing #eventersofinstagram #eventersdoitbetter #eventerinthemaking #crosscountry #connemara #welsh #piny #ponyjumper

A post shared by Poneys du Nord (@poneysdunord) on Jul 30, 2018 at 10:35am PDT

This is the SAME jump. You could say River cleared it. #allergictowood #eventerproblems #eventer #eventing #horsetrials #greydinosaur #hummingbirdsriver #thoroughbred #ottb #amynelsoneventer #hummingbirdstables #areaiv #areaiveventing #noscopenohope #prelimeventer

A post shared by Amy Nelson Eventer Official (@amynelsoneventer) on Aug 5, 2018 at 4:22pm PDT

#throwbackthursday Just two short years ago, Speed was very enthusiastic over his first jumps. #eventerproblems #tbt

A post shared by Christy Zweig (@alwaysaugustfarm) on Aug 9, 2018 at 4:41am PDT

… and other times, they fly solo.

Learning from past sins! Let go of the reins! That one time I was feeling a bit too confident in my training and thought adding a "scary" jump at the end of a gymnastic was a good idea. Three step mounting blocks with three poles are obviously the devil! 👹 #failFriday #FBF #flashbackFriday #ouch #eventerfail #eventerproblems #whywedidntmakeitaseventers #themountingblockisnotajump #thatsnothowthisworks #thingsthatsuck #KANeventvest #mindyourmelon #letgoofthereins #alwayslearning #OTTB #hehasopinions #Thoroughbred #horses #equine #rider #caballo #pferd #theonetimemomdidntstoprecording #sitdownbehumble

A post shared by Tracy Porter (@tracycvt2001) on Jul 27, 2018 at 5:02pm PDT

Accurate representation of my week to date. (For the record, this a #throwback and I did stay on. Somehow). 📷: @roughcoatphotography . #throwbackthursday #tbt #eventersofinstagram #eventers #eventerproblems #equestrian #equestriansofinstagram #horse #horsesofinstagram #poniesofinstagram #poniesareevil #germanstickysprayrequired #devilpony

A post shared by Amanda (@eventingpirate) on Aug 2, 2018 at 3:35am PDT

poor chloe 😂😜😜 this didn't go as planned. Love that my students keep a good attitude and she got to have a laugh at it like a good sport

A post shared by alicia b swinton (@alicia.swinton.eventing) on Jul 30, 2018 at 2:04pm PDT

Epic save, followed by three fences with my stirrup flung off to the wilds of Montana before I unceremoniously dismounted. Stirrups? Who needs em? (Me). #queenofcairo #rebeccafarm #eventerproblems

A post shared by chmortensen (@chmortensen) on Aug 6, 2018 at 4:46pm PDT

Sometimes they don’t flap their wings quite hard enough.

I finally have a #failfriday that's truly worth sharing. Thank you @pixelponyphotography for documenting what is probably the most terrifying, embarrassing, and triumphant moment of my life. And thank you, Five, for being so athletic, quick on your feet, and determined to not let either of us fall. ***Five was not hurt in any way. He finished the course amazingly, was sound all day and the next, and jumped boldly the next day in stadium. This was a costly mistake made by me by misjudging the distance to the A element of the last ABC combination on the course and I just buried him too deep. Needless to say, I will not make this mistake again and Five deserves hero status, especially for being so tolerant and finishing the course with me 😶 #gofivego #sorryfivesorry #thankyoufivethankyou #learningopportunity #eventerfailfriday

A post shared by Makenna Gilhuber (@makenna.mg) on Jun 30, 2017 at 10:08am PDT

And other times, they never even make it off the ground.

That “oh shit” moment when horse and rider are having a blast galloping around cross country and don’t shift down a gear soon enough to make a tight turn to a “scary” flower box. We made it on the second try and took a nice easy trot to the next obstacle, then we were off again to dominate the rest of the course! Love my pony! #eventinghorse #eventerproblems #draftcross #shirethoroughbred

A post shared by Dani Huntley (@danirueter) on Jul 29, 2018 at 5:01pm PDT

Do you think the Wright Bros. had a 100% success rate when it came to flight? Nah. And we eventers might not either, but that won’t stop us from trying.

This one goes out to you, EN.

Fly high. Go Eventing.