Riding cross country in a horse trials event is serious business. Even at the lower grades. The obstacles are solid with a capital S, the ground can be slippery, and the horse has a thousand things to spook at, starting with the jumps judges. Every rider about to go out on cross country gets some level of nerves, and rightfully so. A history of events prove that sheer luck might play an important part in a successful completion of this exciting phase.
So, when the starter counts down each competitor, his final words are "3, 2, 1, Go! Good luck!"
At this point, I always thought that there exists a certain understanding between horse and
rider. A partnership based on mutual trust, developed over months and years of training
together. You (the horse) take care of me, and I (the rider) will take care of you. I have
seen countless situations where this is so true, where the horse loses balance and a
steadying rein from the rider helps the horse to recover before the next jump. Situations
where the rider loses balance on the first obstacle in a combination, and the horse completes
the combination perfectly despite flapping reins and a lack of direction from the rider.
I long for that sort of partnership, that sort of understanding, that sort of trust with my
horse. But recently, I have decided that between myself and Dingo it's not necessarily so.
When that starter says "Good Luck", Dingo grows little devil ears, he rubs his little hooves
together, his spirit does a little mini rear of defiance, and the pony whispers "Yeah Mummy ...
Good luck, ha ha ha!" as he gallops wildly off towards the first jump with no regard for the
feeling on the reins.
Well, for years I have lived in my little world of believing in trust and understanding,
while Dingo was rubbing his little hooves together and zooming off on every occasion. But,
recently, I've finally wisened up. I've realised that our partnership has to be based more
on mutual boisterousness, than mutual love. A kind of respect for each others physical
strength and mental power.
So now, our starting line conversation goes something like this:
Starter: "3, 2, 1, Go! Good luck!"
Dingo: "Yeah Mummy ... Good luck, ha ha ha!"
Me: "Yeah Dingo ... Good luck." (Followed by a solid check on the reins.)
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