Rider Recap: BALLS!!
From Austin Eventer, Heather!
The theme of the Austin Eventing cross country schooling weekend, at Pine Hill, was balls! I’m sure everyone has heard someone who is deemed to have done something courageous to be ballsy or having big balls or brass balls. Well last weekend, riders found their balls, grew larger balls, had multiple balls, developed brass balls, and loaned their balls to others in need!
I started the weekend having lost my balls! The loss was due to multiple falls (in prior months). My horse, Skipper, was not at fault, it was my riding. I knew specifically what my issues were and have been working diligently to correct them through exercise (on and off my horse), lessons, and some additional training for on my horse.
Lisa quickly went to work helping me to find my balls (re-build my confidence). We started by just testing out our adjustability at the canter and checking our position. We then took some simple Novice fences. With all going very well, she started pointing me to more difficult Training level jumps. I would whine a bit about doing it because I was nervous. She would give me some instruction and encourage me to do it. Skipper was super game, and I knew we could do it. So, I stuffed my fear aside and rode the fences in question. Inside my head, I was screaming at myself the important basics…. horse forward, legs on, heels down, eyes up! Low and behold we sailed effortlessly over the jumps! We repeated this process for the next two days, she would point me at a difficult obstacle, I would whine, give it some thought, then Skipper and I would do it! All the while, my Austin Eventer team mates were cheering me on, yelling fun cheers regarding balls!
You know how the Grinch’s heart grew 10x its normal size on Christmas? Well, my balls grew 10x their normal size last weekend!
