Jessica Bortner-Harris has been kind enough to give us insights into her journey moving up to advanced this season. As any journey in this sport, Jessica has encountered some highs and lows along the way. Today she writes about a harrowing turn of events at the Chattahoochee Hills horse trials last weekend and how she has reshaped her season as a result. For more info on Jessica check out her website here. If you have a story to share, send it to [email protected]
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Jessica and Bug
From Jessica:
I must start out by saying that I have never been to Chattahoochee Hills before. I have had it on my list every year, but something always gets in the way. This year, it was supposed to be my last outing before the big CCI*** at Bromont. The facility is GORGEOUS, the staff is amazing and very helpful, and the show is so well run.
The weekend was not one that I wish to remember, but it is one that I will never forget. Lately, Bug has really been feeling his fitness. I can always tell when he’s fit enough for a 3 day, because he starts spooking at random things, and he is quite strong in the dressage. He actually started to warm up quite well on Friday afternoon for the dressage. However, after a loose horse galloped hell bent for election past the warm up ring and another horse kept rearing every time we went by, Bug decided that being quiet was much too boring! He didn’t do anything “bad” in his test. He was just very, very tense and strong. I have a hard time keeping things together when there is so much horse. However, we got it done, and we ended up on a score of 43.7. Total bummer, as our dressage was getting much better. We had a bunch of 7’s, but we also had a bunch of 4’s. Oh well, can’t change it now, right? On to XC!
I walked the XC with Michael Pollard (kudos to him for winning the Advanced and to his lovely wife for the 15.2 she scored in the dressage!!). He gave me a lot of good things to think about on the course, and I felt like I was ready to tackle it. It was really quite different from what I had done so far, as it was much more open and gallop and flat for most of the course. The biggest changes were two different combinations that included large mounds in between the obstacles. However, after Michael’s guidance, I was sure I could get them done.
Saturday morning arrived like any other XC day. I was nervous, but I was always nervous. The Advanced was the first division out, and I was number 6. I headed down to start warming up. Everything felt great. Bug was galloping nicely and we had jumped a few jumps smoothly. I was still getting into the groove of seeing my distances, so I decided to pop over a small hanging log that they had in warmup. We jumped it well the first time, and I came around to pop over it once more before moving on. Usually, when I warm up for XC, I spend the first part really trying to get Bug in front of my leg, as he is so super careful, that he likes to add the chip stride in sometimes. I felt like I had him in front of my leg, and we were coming at the fence nicely. It was a good distance, then……*smack*……I was flying through the air….my air vest was going off….I hit the dirt on my right side. I panicked and turned around to see where my horse was. He was lying on his left side behind me with his head and feet facing me. I started to yell for him. He popped up with the reins tied around his legs and stood there staring at me. As soon as I saw he was ok, I realized that I had a horrible pain in my stomach and there were people everywhere. Faces. Everywhere. I think that is when my adrenaline shot through the roof and panic truly set in.
I remember telling them that I was pretty sure I was going to puke and that I was so super pissed. I kept asking about Bug, and everyone kept saying he was ok. The vets had him. Even after my vest came off, my stomach felt like I’d been punched. My Bugger stood there staring at me while they ripped off his tack. He wasn’t interested in anything but me until they finally got me up. Then, he was like, “Okay, Mom’s up! Put her back on. Wait, wait, why are you taking my tack off?? She’s fine! We need to go XC!” Unfortunately for him, I was completely out of it. They wanted me to ride back to the barns on the golf cart. I wanted to lead my best friend and partner back to the barn. They wanted me to sit down and shut up. I wanted to make sure Bug knew I wasn’t mad at him. They wanted me to answer questions. I wanted to kiss my pony and tell him that I loved him.
Finally, after allowing me to pat Bug and make sure he was ok, they convinced me to get in the golf cart. I watched as poor Joe Carr led Bug back up the road. Bug was shaking his head and trotting, like, “Why are we going back to the barn?!?!?! I haven’t run and jumped yet!” The safety officer dropped me at my stall and as soon as Bug got back, I took him to give him a bath and a Sore No More sponge down and some anti-inflammatories. As soon as I got him taken care of, it was like the shock waves started. I started shaking from head to toe. I couldn’t put together a full sentence. I called Bonnie to tell her that I was sure that I had flipped my horse, and I didn’t deserve to go to Bromont. A horse like Bug just doesn’t flip! She assured me that accidents happen. She said I needed to find someone who had actually seen the accident so I would know. I needed to know for my peace of mind. This was not something that meant we should start doubting our plans. First things first, make sure we were both ok.
The EMT and the ER doctor checked me out. After making me perform all of the tests they make the intoxicated perform, they determined that I did not have any head injuries or internal bleeding. I was just going to feel like I got hit by a train. They weren’t kidding! I proceeded to feel worse and worse as the day went on. The wonderful people at Chatt kept checking in on me and offering me any service they could offer. They really were amazing, and I am very thankful for them, as I was at the show by myself.
Later that day, I set out on my mission to find someone who had seen the accident. I remembered that Leslie Law and Jon Holling were in the warmup at the same time as I was. I had seen Leslie at his stalls earlier that day, so I knew where to look. Unfortunately, he had not seen anything, and he directed me to where Jon was stabled. Again, a fail, as Jon was out riding one of his multitude of horses. All of that walking left me feeling pretty worn out and sore, so I decided to hike to the concession stand for some grub. I had not really eaten much that morning, and it was catching up with me.
After ordering my food, I recognized a familiar face at a table. I had seen him at many shows, and he always seemed super friendly. I kindly asked him if I could share his table, as there wasn’t much room to sit. He smiled and invited me to join him. I then realized, I remembered this man was at the warmup this morning! I asked him if he had seen my accident, as I was having a hard time figuring out what exactly had happened, and no one else had seen it. This wonderfully kind man was Rick Wallace. (Sorry, Rick, if I get any of your quotes wrong. I didn’t have my reporter recorder on me.) This is basically what Rick told me, “You were at a great pace, and you were on a great stride. It was like his feet stuck in the ground when he went to take off. The footing was a bit deeper there, and it was like his studs stuck in the ground. He had already pushed off, and his right front leg didn’t get out of the way. He tried to almost bunny hop, but his right shoulder hit the jump. You guys were in full rotational fall. Your horse saw where you had fallen, and you could see on his face that he knew exactly where you were and exactly where he was. He somehow torqued himself in midair so he wouldn’t hit you. He should have landed on you. I have never seen anything like it. That horse is an amazing athlete. Your horse sure does love you, Girl.” At that moment, I felt a million emotions. Relief, that I hadn’t “made” my horse flip. Awe, at my most brilliant and amazing horse. Complete joy, that God has blessed me with this amazing partner of mine. Of course, I started tearing up. Every time I replay the story in my head, the tears form. Not only is this horse my best friend, my ultimate partner, my amazing athlete….he is my life saver. I know that I would have been very badly hurt if he had fallen on me. Because of him, we both walked away just a bit sore and ready to fight another day.
This sport is ever so humbling, but in ways that really open your eyes. No matter how athletic your horse is, accidents happen. It doesn’t have to be anyone’s fault. Yes, sometimes it is, but sometimes, things just happen. This accident that was so devastating to me at first, has really opened my eyes to how much this horse means to me. He owes me nothing. I owe him everything.
We are going to reroute to run the Advanced/Intermediate at the VAHT this weekend. Though this was no fault of ours, it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I don’t want it to be the last thing we remember before Bromont. Today, I feel like a Mack truck ran over me, and then backed over me again just for good measure. I took Bug out for a trot, and he felt great! I, on the other hand, felt like all of my internal organs held up by rubber bands tied to my ribcage. Every muscle in my upper body was bouncing and screaming. Ibuprofen and Sore No More will be my best friends this week!
We will check back in after the VAHT before we head off to Bromont! Also, in a shameless plug, we are still selling the MOST AMAZING t-shirts designed by Jordan Lambert. We are selling them to raise money for our big trip to Bromont. The cost is $30, which includes shipping. You can pay for them by PayPal on my website, or you can send me a check or money order to my address, which is also on my website. Bug and I greatly appreciate all of our supporters and fans! We love you!
This is the back of the shirt. The front will have my Rocky Start Stables Logo on the chest.
