"Excited" Is An Understatement

When I got Dino, my grand plan for him was to get him fit and back in work, and then start aiming him towards the jumper ring. I thought jumpers would be a great fit for him, since he had already flunked out of the hunters, and my college coach, Cory, had given us a lot of encouragement in that area:

"Well, if that was timed, you would have won."
"That line was a FIVE. You got THREE. Remember, you're on the PONY."
"WHY IS THE PONY TAKING OUT STRIDES?!"

Really, the jumpers is our destiny.

Then he was diagnosed with Cushings. Then I realized his stifle was wonky. Then he went mysteriously lame. Then he was diagnosed with PSSM. Then he got abscesses. Then I cried and lamented that I would probably never ride my pony again and my dreams of jumper-stardom were crushed mercilessly.

Then I changed his diet. Then I put him on good meds. Then I put him back to work, starting very very slowly. Then he got stronger, and fitter, and healthier, and we started stepping up the flatwork. Then we started jumping again. Crossrails. The jumps got bigger, and suddenly we were schooling regularly at 3' and playing around with 2nd Level dressage movements.

And now... we're ready to take our One-Woman-One-Pony-Awesomeness to the show ring.

I am SO. EXCITED.

This Sunday my lovely, wonderful barn owner is letting us hitch a ride with her to a local show where we will compete in the jumpers for the first time as a team. I decided to opt for the 2' division, because while we completely and totally capable of the 2'9" division, I really have no idea how Dino is going to behave, (probably fine) and if my brain decides to stop working because of nerves, I want to be able to get out of any potential messes more easily our first time out. I also don't have a coach to yell at me if I do something dumb, so I figure I'll set us up for success at this first show. If all goes well, I imagine we'll probably step it up at our next outing.

In the meantime, I'm obsessively making lists of everything I need to pack, clean, and remember for Sunday morning, and I feel like a little kid trying to sleep on Christmas Eve. I am SO ready to kick some butt!