The Girl Who Exploded

Alternate title: A Very Expensive Weekend

So I still need to finish up my Rolex recaps but I need some blogger advice so I'm bumping those posts.

This weekend I had a XC clinic with Jessica Phoenix and it was an amazing clinic. I learned so much and had some really great rides. Unfortunately I also shit the bed pretty hard at the corner. Corners cause some serious anxiety in my world (enough that I have always taken the option).

Racing at the scary corner and not committing to both the line and canter is a recipe for disaster even when mounted on a saintly XC machine. See supporting evidence below:

The 6-year-old boy was sad to have missed seeing "the girl explode"

For those who don't watch videos

It's a bit hard to see in the video but I landed face first. The brim of my helmet went straight into the ground and my forehead took the brunt of my fall. Thankfully I am fine, minus a green tinge to my forehead today (2 days post fall).

We did manage to conquer it both directions!

So not only do I need a new canister for my vest (annoying but manageable) I also need to replace my beloved purple CO. Which completely breaks my heart because it was the 100 year anniversary version so I can't get it again. Plus it was in it's last year of service so it doesn't qualify for the replacement policy. So all of a sudden Sunday became a very expensive day.

I lovelovelove this helmet.
So much that even though it hurt my head for the first year I refused to consider something else

And then because the universe has a really sick sense of humor, my day got even more expensive. My red dog tried to eat a bloody porcupine, resulting in a Sunday evening trip to the emergency clinic.

They are in her tongue, gums, roof of her mouth and throat as well

She's fine now, feeling sorry for herself, but fine

Hopefully the vet rides because most of my budget for custom tall boots is now in her hands :(

I'm stopping by a local tack store today to try on Samshields because they are so very pretty but at this point I really need to get a new helmet before our first event on June 3. I have my every day schooling Tipperary so I can still ride but it's way too fugly to show in.

Anyone know of somewhere that has a decent sale or discount that carries Charles Owen AYR8's or the ProII Skull Cap in round sizes? Or Samshields? Or how to go about selling superfluous internal organs on the black market?

One Goal Achieved, Another Failed

So I have set a goal for myself to ride sidesaddle at least a couple times a week from now until the July long weekend when I am off the Bar U for an intense 3 day sidesaddle clinic.  I want to make sure that I am in good enough shape to do it.  And sidesaddle uses muscles I didn't even know I had!

Today the sidesaddle made the trek out to the barn, where it will live for the foreseeable future and the mare and I warmed up for our lesson in it.  She was fabulous considering this was her third time in it.  We had lovely WTC with leg yield both ways!

Next up was our jumping lesson.  Just the day before I was commenting that I wanted to go a whole month without falling off.  Apparently I jinxed myself because I came off during the lesson (Friday would have been the month mark).

The lesson actually went really well.  The course had lots of tight corners to encourage me to use inside leg to outside rein and a super tight lower leg.  It was only myself and Hannah (who's horse it significantly greener than mine) so we started out with 2'3" fences.  Eventually Erin moved them up for me because she feels the mare needs some bigger fences to get her attention.  We were doing about 3' and there was even an oxer! 

On what was supposed to be our last go it kinda fell apart.  It was going well until the 2 stride where she got a little flat and pulled a rail (she hates touching fences).  It's a little blurry but we came aroun the corner to the oxer and I think I chased her to it and then she just didnt' get enough to get over it.  We crashed through it in spectacular fashion.  Rails and standards flying everywhere.  I just tossed forward onto her neck and accidetally grabbed her with my spurs.  The mare bolted towards the arena fence (apparently everyone thought she was going to jump it) and at the last minute ducked to the left.  That duck was the end of me.  I came off and broke my fall with my face :(  Thankfully I mostly rolled under the fence, only clipping my arm on the rail and grazing my helmet off the post.  But I did have a bloody nose and a wicked sore face.  

Her tail bag whacked me in the back of the head over this jump once

I got myself mostly cleaned up, hopped back on and did the whole course again.  We had one run-out coming into the 2 stride but it was completely my fault.  I was shaken up and basically looking for a way out and she obliged me.  We represented and the rest of the course went very well, including a giant effort over the oxer.  It was a good lesson despite the bobble which resulted in my first ever bloody nose.  Only sad thing was The Boy (hence why I have actual proof I ride my horse) was there and I think I terrified him.