A balancing act

I took an unfortunate tumble on Sunday. It was yet another show jumping day at our yard – there's either dressage or show jumping almost every weekend – but I wasn't taking part. Though, I wanted to use the back school before the competition started. 

We were casually trotting around the back school, on our own, and did a few transitions, etc. The back school had been set up as the warm up arena, so it had two low jumps in it. I thought I'd take the cross poles with Rainbow – as that's easy enough! Wrong! We cantered towards it and Rainbow wants to please, so she takes a mighty bouncy leap over the minuscule jump, I am not prepared, or well balanced it seems, so before I know it I am in mid-fall across the air on Rainbow's left side. I reach the ground. Rainbow stops and looks at me like "why are you on the floor?" I bounce right back up and go to her. We stand around for a few moments to decide if we are OK and then I decide to jump back on. 

The ever-compliant rider in me, and what's been hammered down my throat forever in riding is that always end on a good note. I wasn't particularly shaken by the fall, though, I had slightly bumped my head onto the ground, so I was thinking if I have a concussion. Anyway, decided to at least take the jump once more, this time prepared for the leap and end on a good note. Up we went towards the jump and Rainbow takes yet another leap. This time I hang on, just. Basically hugging Rainbow's neck with my face planted into her mane. Stylish. Luckily no one saw.

Last night we had Claire's lesson again and we were doing a bit of flatwork and then jumping too. It's amazing how the presence of an instructor makes you do things better. I think it must be the running commentary of instructions that are being shouted at me: "Go into jumping position!", "Keep weight to your heels!",  "Grab the neck strap. Now!", "Well done!"

Rainbow was jumping well and I didn't fall off. And when she took the cross poles in a slightly leapier way than the other jumps, I wasn't thrown off balance but let her do her thing underneath me. Alison, who was sharing my lesson, said that I looked good jumping but she reckoned that the reason Rainbow jumped the cross poles in a bouncier way was a timing issue – she looked like we got too close to it and then she had to bounce harder to go over the poles. Something I need to work on.

Claire also said that jump regularly, but perhaps it's better to have an instructor with me when I do it, so neither of us lose confidence, ensuring we jump the best we can. 

Righty ho, without further ado, I must dash as it's Dressage day and I have to go and try transform my muddy cob to a Grand Prix style dressage horse!