I'm so good at changing my mind

When last we heard from our intrepid heroine she was going to sell Banana or switch to straight dressage. She had not figured on the influence of Out-Of-Town-Trainer (who will henceforth be known as OOTT.)

OOTT was up last weekend, as she has been several times since July and I pushed my whiny friends to do something about our lack of decent eventing trainer. Friday was flat day, not at all scary. We continue to improve.

Saturday we jumped. I was freaked out. Because, you know, it's hard not to be when you've had a recent run in with gravity. She started with ground poles and we built up, as my confidence, and Naners' confidence returned. Mare was definitely worried and scared at first, but she worked out of it. The consensus of the problem: she's still really, really green. And, due to what h/j lady was telling me, I probably wasn't there for her when she needed me so we crashed. My problem is I compare her to Penny Pony, who learned to jump so quickly and was very, very good at it from day one. Naners is going to take a little more time.

With that realization I decided I'm going to give Naners more time, because it seems unfair to give up on her just yet. We're going to chill out and jump little things for the rest of the fall.

Or so I thought.

Yesterday we trailered down to school the XC course in Albuquerque and OOTT met us there. She started us over the first pre-comp jump, then told me to jump the first BN jump!

This is actually the 2nd BN jump

Now, about that course. It tends to be on the not-maxed out side. So, that BN jump was not 2'7". Still though, BN! And we jumped several of the small BN fences. Naners didn't have a problem, but I did. I was fine, until she refused a pre-comp log. Then the fear set in. I went onwards, but I was so not having fun. Little logs are now like kryptonite to me.

Not the log that got me scared. That one was even smaller.

We jumped up and down banks, both small and this bigger sized one that I think is on the Novice course

I love my braid in this pic. and I seem to have good position and slid my reins!

We did a ramp, that looked gigantic (this is where my fear was really getting to me.

So much so that we refused this thing and I was dead scared of it, to the point I said if I found it on the trail we'd go around it or walk all the way back how we came to avoid it.

Which is of course quite silly. But for whatever reason this log seemed prelim sized.

And then, the last jump of the day

And a double rainbow in the desert on the way home