Why the big E can be a good thing

My young stallion went to his first jumping competition today. We were eliminated, and I could not be happier! 

Yes, you read that right.

My plan for the day was to take him somewhere new, and avoid overwhelming him.

If he was coping well, I would get on and ride about with people and horses I didn’t know.

If he was really good, I thought I might jump a practise fence, and then go in the ring and trot around and let him have a look at all the new and different things.

I had no real intention of actually jumping a whole course (or anything really!)

I thought achieving my goal would be having brakes and steering and a couple of gears, not putting him in a situation that would cause him worry. I would have been happy to put him back in the float having gone nowhere near the warmup fences (jumping practise rings are scary!)

I’m so impressed with how well he handled himself, that when I went out into the ring and he didn’t give the judges box or jumps trailer a second glance, we cantered around and jumped about half a course. I did a circle between fence 3 and 4, just to rebalance and give him time, and I skipped fence 5 as we had a couple of disjointed strides after fence 4. I jumped fence 6 and therefore incurred elimination.

I could start, stop, and steer. He jumped everything he was pointed at. He stood quietly at the float. The big E next to his name on the scoresheet stands for Excellent!

Horses have a great memory. They can remember stressful situations, and would love to avoid them. Next time you take a youngster out, try and give him only good experiences. Lots of good experiences mean they gain confidence. They’re more predictable. Easier and more fun to ride.

If you think you’re ready for a competition, think long term. Make haste slowly! If you teach them that competitions are NOT stressful, eventually, they will win ribbons too (if that’s your thing)

Thank you so much for being here!
Until next time,
Merindah