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Guest Blog post # 54: "Deer in the Headlights" by the famous Bad Eventer!
Deer in the Headlights
Have you ever wondered how it is that you know how to do something.........
Have you ever wondered how it is that you know how to do something.........
Maybe it's something you've known how to do for YEARS.............
and in certain circumstances.............
no matter how well prepared you are.............
you revert to Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum?
This is what happens to Bad Eventer when faced with Prelim sized stadium jumps.
For some reason all of my knowledge, skill and ability dribbles out my ears.
I decided that my last day before leaving for Rolex would be a "Rolex worthy" jump school.
I set up a few cool questions.
A wall 4 strides to a steeply angled vertical then 3 strides to a skinny........
that seemed sufficiently Rolex-ish..............
Also a 4 stride line with 2 fairly large square oxers................
Something about square oxers always makes my knees get a little wobbly...........
I was thinking about how I always come back from Rolex completely psyched up to jump bigger and braver.........
so I thought I'd see if a little of the Big & Brave could rub off BEFORE the trip!
I picked up the canter and rounded the turn to the first square oxer...........
and I became
frozen in place..........................
I saw nothing and I did nothing.
My fabulous WonderSteed gave a bit of a scramble and jumped it anyway.
It's a 4 stride.
I built & measured it myself.
I knew it was a FOUR........
And I also KNEW that I had just jumped in like a wet napkin...........
Did I sit up and put my leg on??
.................no.................
Did I take a tug and add impulsion to make it a 5?
.................no.................
In true Bad Eventer style, I turned into a mannequin..............................
And here's what happened.........................
How is it that you can do something SO MUCH, and take so many lessons, and know SO WELL what you should have done..........and then STILL NOT DO IT.............
All I thought as I was gaining altitude was "I cannot get hurt the day before I leave for Rolex!!!!!!!!"
Yep.................still Bad Eventer
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Bad Eventer will be at Rolex wearing my Bad Eventer shirt or jacket!
Come say Hi if you'd like!!
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