Trying Something New: Jumping Into Three Day Eventing

<3 <3 <3 

As I was finishing my Master's Thesis this past spring, I started daydreaming about spending more time outside once I was done with that writing project. Not surprisingly, I was thinking about my horse, Jet, whom I have adored but not done much with since I purchased him a few years ago. I had the sense that it was time to find a horse activity that I wanted to pursue and that fit Jet's skill set.

I had attempted Jet around barrels and discovered he had little interest in chasing cans. Capable, but not excited about it. Same with roping, except he hated the rope so much I was worried he would run right out from underneath me. Between those two, that pretty much ruled out rodeo. And since Jet is tall and leggy, he doesn't really fit the bill for reining either. So...

Then, one day this spring, I was watching some YouTube footage of the 2012 London Olympics Equestrian competitions. When you work on a Master's thesis in your spare time, you start finding things to distract yourself, and watching old footage of Olympics was working.

I've always loved Three Day Eventing, ever since I was a little kid. There was something so cool about the way that Eventing is like a triathlon for the horse and rider: first, you have to show control and precision in Dressage; second, you show speed, agility, and bravery on the Cross Country course; and third, you show balance and control in the Show Jumping arena. So it was while I was watching that footage that I had something of an epiphany:

Jet and I should try Three Day Eventing.

After all, I'd ridden him under an English saddle before and he moved much more like an English horse than a Western one. The more I thought about it, the more it sounded like a good idea. My boy has long legs, a big stride, and jumps very efficiently over the little cross rails and ditches I had taken him over. And since I've had a long standing interest in Eventing, it just seemed like a natural idea.

So I started a long, strange cyber trip to try and find someone in Wyoming that I could ride with to learn eventing. I googled and searched and started emailing people. It took some doing, but eventually, someone emailed me back. That gave me a real lead, and soon I found myself in touch with a great lady that I have absolutely come to adore. She grew up Eventing, and has a wealth of knowledge to share with anyone who really wants to learn with their horse.

Jet and I went to our first lesson in April, and that was it: I WAS HOOKED. My new trainer's evaluation of Jet was the he was totally capable of learning to event, so that's what we set about doing.

Over the summer, we had lessons every other week, and rode almost every day in between. We've both improved a ton, and I have had the time of my life in the process.

Of course, it's also been a pretty huge challenge as well: I've fallen off more in the past five months than I think I have in the past fifteen years, and that is a humbling situation to find myself in.

And in fact, more than just learning how to jump and do dressage, I've been learning a lot about myself. I competed with my horses during most of my childhood and all through my adolescence, even into early adulthood. My mom and dad supported me through 4-H shows, rodeos, and hunter shows, and I never remembering feeling that nervous about them.

Jet and I over a vertical jump, about two feet tall.
Note the helmet and crash vest I'm wearing.

But there's something that I think we gain as we age: we fear failing more.

We become aware of the risk of trying something; the way that we might try and fail, embarrass ourselves and have to crawl away, nursing our pride. We often work in jobs that don't require us to take big risks. For instance, I'm a teacher and librarian. Books, reading, and writing are all things and skills that I am very comfortable with, so I don't have to risk much very often. I can coast and feel pretty comfortable with what I do and how I do it.

Deciding to try eventing was a relatively impulsive decision, and I gave little thought to the fact that I would probably fall off a lot, feel embarrassed, and try some things that I wouldn't be naturally very good at. Lessons quickly clarified the fact that I would need to swallow my pride and push through my fear of embarrassing myself in order to improve.

And it's been the best lesson, truly. Has it been scary? At moments, yes. The first time I trotted Jet into a Dressage arena in Utah this June, with a serious judge watching me, my heart was thumping so hard in my chest that I was sure everyone around me could hear it. And he was spooky and we got through the pattern, and I felt like I was on top of the world. Then, when we competed at Archer in Cheyenne in August, the improvement was stark:

It was the same with my show jumping round: in Utah in June, Jet was a nervous, hot mess. We got around the course, but not without a fair amount of nerves and discussion and theatrics (he was CONVINCED that the tigers painted onto the jump standards were going to KILL US). At Archer, he was a totally different horse: 

It's been such a good lesson for me, to remember that making myself better at something means taking risks, like facing the potentiality for embarrassment. 

And now that I'm expecting a baby, it's given me something else to chew on too: balancing who I am and what I love to do with my work and family. When I told my trainer that I was expecting (we found out just before the Archer Event, so yes, little olive competed with me at about 7 weeks old), she smiled and told me that Eventing is a great family sport, so invest in a jogging stroller for next summer. That response was so awesome; while I am 100% that this baby will change our lives, I am also sure we'll figure a way to add him or her to our life along with the horses. I can't say I know what it will look like, but I am looking forward to next summer, when Jet and I can hit the event trail again. 

I am sure there will be more growing pains, particularly with the added stress of becoming a mom, but jumping into Three Day Eventing has helped me get ready for it: because learning and growing, it turns out, always involves being willing to take some chances.