I Love a Good Hunter Course

Kelly is an awesome trainer but she's also super tough. She runs a lot of technical exercises that often leave me feeling like a total failure at life.
I know my adult ammies feel me- just getting over a jump is a huge accomplishment let alone executing some bizarrely tight turn or bending line. My Friday morning lesson started off with that sh&t for brains feeling. Small quarter line vertical. Halt in a straight line. Do a 180 degree turn on the haunch. Pick up the canter. Jump. And repeat. Heading home turn right on the haunch and pick up the left lead. Heading away turn left on the haunch pick up right lead canter. Simple right? So why did Kelly spend so much time yelling "your OTHER LEFT **dummy**?"

I thought this was supposed to be Hunter day?

Oh it was. Over a cool 3' course. The three of us in the lesson gathered in the middle while Kelly detailed the course. The (now higher) quarter line vertical, outside 5, diagonal oxer, outside 7. My usual MO is to go last in the order, letting the tension build until I'm moments from passing out or peeing in my pants. Ummm- I've been traveling. Not jumping big jumps. Remember?
Friday, though, Kelly gave me a big grin (secretly knowing I was hating life), and I decided to go and have a swing at it.
You know what? It was freaking awesome. For real. I had that great distance to the first fence which usually means everything is going to work out just fine. A little quiet into two fences easily managed with some slight shoulders back. Everything flowed really nicely.
The best part? After I pulled up Kelly said- "that was incredible. The best I've ever seen you ride." I can live on that high for awhile.
To top it off Paul showed up as a surprise on his way to work. He claims he saw the awesome ride but there were two Emily riders and two bay horses and I don't think he could tell which was which.
It sorta reminded me of the year when my Mom put my barnmate and her horse jumping a 3'6" fence in our Christmas letter. It's hard to tell gray horses apart!
Anyway- like a total nerd I dragged him out to the ring and made him take a picture of me next to the "huge" jump.