Triple Competitive - Touch the Sky, Book 1

Chapter 1

"You have to ride that horse over it like you mean it. If you want to make it over that oxer, you need to be in tune with your animal. You need to be determined to nail it and prove to your horse that both of you can do it. Assert yourself to the situation and get over it. You can do it, I've seen you perfect jumps that high and it's not that far. You can do it, but you need to think like you can do it. Touch the sky, alright? Do the same as you were, only use your 'battle mode.' Make it your sole mission to defeat the enemy, and right now, the enemy is your mind telling you you can't and that fence. No excuses, get back out there and do it."

Tessa nodded and let her horse back up slowly away from her trainer as she took in his words.

Touch the sky. You can touch the sky.

She wheeled her horse around determinedly and kicked the beautiful dark brown animal into a canter. He flicked his tail off to the side and sprang forward, hooves pounding on the groomed footing. He rounded himself, collecting at her aids, and cantered around to the far side by letter C in the large indoor arena. As the gelding's shoulder passed the letter C, Tessa turned him ninety degrees and aimed at the ascending oxer, its highest bar at four feet. He snorted but complied and straightened himself up with the obstacle.

She began counting their strides, 1...2...3...4. She gave him a small half-halt to slow him down a bit and collect him more.

Touch the sky. You got this. Just get over it.

She narrowed her focus on the jump and felt her horse channel his energy towards it.

1...

She needed to jump on the third stride but felt herself start to chicken out. But they were too close to it to turn out. They would have to crash into it. She felt herself start to panic more, then felt the powerful stride of her horse close up.

Oh no. We're crashing.

She tightened up her legs and started to drop her stirrups when she felt her horse rise up underneath her. She shoved her booted feet back into her stirrups and rose up with him. Her horse pricked his ears forward and tucked his legs up neatly to clear the top rail. She went with him, having nothing else to do. She landed on the other side of the fence neatly, but her nerves were rattled.

She sighed and slowed them down to a steady trot, then a walk as they approached her trainer. She hadn't believed she could "touch the sky" and she hadn't ridden over it confidently. Instead, it was her horse that had gotten them over and had taken over her job that she should have been doing, for her. She was slightly ashamed of herself, knowing her trainer wasn't going to stop drilling her about it. She halted before her trainer, standing with her arms crossed.

"Ok. What happened there?"

Tessa sighed. "I panicked, thought we were going to plow through it, then Blue took over and jumped."

Her trainer shook her head. "Should that have happened?"

"No."

"Exactly. Yes, Blue is a talented young horse, but he's too young and untrained to be swooping in like that to save the day. He's smart enough to do it occasionally, but let's save that kind of experience until he's eight. And hopefully, you won't need that kind of assistance from him, you'll be used to him by then. Well, no one got hurt. Try that again."

Tessa nodded and turned her horse around, nudging him back up into the canter.

They went on the same track up to the jump, and Tessa prepared to go over it, feeling nervous. Blue fed into that and swished his tail viciously, his powerful stride slackening a bit. Tessa kicked him forward again, then remembered a breathing trick her trainer had taught her long ago when they had first started working together. 

Breathe in, hold it, then slowly exhale with every stride. Then repeat.

Tessa did that for the first time in forever. To her surprise, it worked and she began to feel herself calm. She turned at C and aimed for the oxer. 

Stay calm. Stay steady. Touch the sky.

She looked determinedly at the imposing fence. She was going to make it over this time. She had been working on it all day, nothing was going to stop her. She half-halted her horse and counted the strides just before the fence.

1...2...

She fixed her eyes on a spot ahead and rose with Blue, her face a complete look of resoluteness. She felt it transfer into Blue and he shook his neck with a soft snort. They rode into stride three and she cued him to jump. He rocked back and bounced up, arching over the fence. Tessa moving up into two-point position with him, her look of confidence not leaving her face, even if it was mostly faked. 

As they touched the ground, she moved back into the saddle. She let him continue to canter for a few strides, before slowing him to a trot. It took a few moments for it to sink in, then it hit her. She had cleared that jump. She had finally done it.

She slowed to a walk and headed towards her trainer.

She smiled, a little smugly as she halted before her. "I did it."

Her trainer nodded. "Yes, you did. Good job on that, you certainly touched the sky. You'll be coming along before you know it with that horse." She looked at her watch. "Your lesson's up and you could continue to work on your own, but I think it would be best to end here on a good note."

Tessa nodded. "Sure."

"Great. I'll clean up the jump, you go cool him down and take him out."

Tessa nodded again. "Sure, thanks Ashely."

"No problem."

Ashely walked towards the jump and Tessa nudged Blue into a walk. Yes, she could touch the sky. She felt the adrenaline from the jump still coursing through her. Maybe things could work out with her horse, only bought five months ago and she would end up touching the sky for real.

However, a shadow damped her victory. She needed to get as much preparation in as she went to the school. There, she knew mistakes like not wanting to make a jump wouldn't be tolerated. She had some stuff she needed to work on.