Horse Trials Tomorrow

Buddy has his first horse trials tomorrow. I am worried about this. I don't know if I'm worried about this in the way a mother is worried about trusting her child to a horse with his own opinions, or if I'm worried about this excessively.

What I'd like is a remote-controlled horse. One with a button I could operate if somebody Gets Too Big For His Britches on cross-country. Lily's got her confidence back and an elevator bit. I'm the one who's acting like she's riding in the Kentucky Derby tomorrow.

Did I mention that Swaps, (pictured left -- see they're the same color, both are horses and both have four legs) Buddy's great-grandfather, won the Kentucky Derby? That's the side of Buddy I would like to leave at home. Sometimes that side comes out -- you never know when, though wide open spaces, speed and fun jumps do seem to be a catalyst. I want to take the Golden Retriever side of Buddy. The one you can climb under, pile your friends on his back, go play with. The friendly, calm. LAZY horse who makes really silly faces when you massage his favorite spots on his neck, his chest and his belly. Such silly faces you're almost embarrassed for him.

Lily's had Buddy for almost two years. He was a Western pleasure horse, but he took no pleasure in it. He thinks this jumping stuff is fun. If they progress through higher levels in eventing, he'll be thrilled. I'm sure he could get to the front of the staff in no time if he ever went fox hunting. That would be his favorite thing. (That's why he's not going.)  In the past two years, he's taught Lily a lot. I think tomorrow we get to find out how much we've taught him.

Buddy is two horses. A lazy horse who needs his rider to carry a crop to keep his trot energized. And a "yahoo cowboy" who thinks life is grand and to be lived with a couple of bucks and some speed. To somebody's credit, he's got the Best Brakes Ever. They are too good for English. You ask for "whoa" and he slams on the brakes. I frankly like these brakes very much, but they aren't elegant and will just about unseat you. But -- if he's having lots of fun, he forgets about his power brakes. He's never run away or bolted (though he has spooked). He will buck after jumps and lap the other horses in flat classes. There's just some lag time between when he's asked to stop being naughty and when he stops.

The course walk is this afternoon. That means Lily has to miss today's practice for the school's orchestra concert next week -- it's a part of her grade (I wrote an excuse). She plays the violin, more or less. It was that or P.E.  Another story for another day.

Jane's going to walk the course with us this afternoon. Jane's got nerve problems that cause pain in her legs, so I really appreciate her doing this. Lily's already very confident about tomorrow. I just need to stay out of her way. Jane's really good at managing both of us.

If Lily ever makes it to the Olympics (her dream, of course, and I hope she does make it), I hope I can watch without expiring from the stress. I wonder how many calories you burn watching your child, jumping every jump, riding ever step with her?

Lily is intending to win, of course. She might win something. She might not. I've talked to her at length about how we're going to judge the success of the day. It's not about ribbons. It's about accomplishing goals. Keeping him under control. No refusals. Doing her best. Finding out what she's got so she'll know what to work on for the next phase.

Isn't it funny, but somehow a ribbon counts more than real accomplishment?  She's on board with me on this, but everybody knows that what a 12-year-old wants is not abstract evaluation, but a ribbon.

Paul will be there, of course. He'll ask me how she's doing, since he's not a horse person (other than a horse-food buyer). I hope my answer is "Absolutely fantastic!"

That won't mean she's winning. It means something even better -- and it will mean that I'll begin to breathe normally at some point during the day.

Comments

[Molly]

The very best of luck to you both in accomplishing all of the goals.

[Beckz]

It must be hard for Mums to watch their children sometimes. I can't ever remember my Mum being particularly worried, but when she is nervous I know she makes me worse!