Dreams & Jinxes

Chapter 1

Breathe in. Breathe out. Ten minute test. 32 moves. Accuracy is the key. What was, that's right, how hard can it be? Breathe in breathe out, simple procedure, again how hard can it be. Bloody hard.

" Imogen White, on Waterway Jinx. This years national young eventing champion, welcome her to the ring!"

Breathe, ha, funny never going to happen, thank you so much announcer love you too! I hear the crowd scream welcoming me as the youngest Eventer on the circuit. Many love my cute little story of how I made it to the top. Funny, hey. Never. Some people need a life.

Bringing jinx to halt at the end of the ring. I move my position, bettering my leg position straightening my back looking forward. I give the signal to jinx, asking him to canter.

He responded. Moving into a collected canter right on signal, his neck slowly aching and his hindquarters taking the grunt of the movement. I sink deep into saddle and as we canter down the centre line, I sigh. This is where we are suppose to be.

Every move came to me, this what it was always like in our dressage tests. Jinx and I working together showing what a bond could truly do.

However, at the 3 loop serpentine with a flying change and a counter canter,I felt it. The hitch. His hind quarters stiffen before the next stride. It was a movement that many wouldn't have even noticed, but it was enough to bring the worry back.

All through practice I had notice this hitch, every time I had Riley watch to make sure that I wasn't imagining. However he said he saw nothing, that stress was clouding my vision. That hurt, a lot.

I was always worrying about Jinx, something that I can't stop from doing. So after Bowen treatment and I found he had a sore hind quarter, I freaked. He was my world and I couldn't lose him. I straight away, thought of withdrawing, but with people counting on me, people there telling me that I had to compete.

It's amazing what a bit of pressure does.

So feeling the hitch made me want to pull up ad retire right then and there. But I couldn't. I was expected to go clear in cross country and have a clear round at show jumping. So much pressure, I have been good under pressure, but this is horses. You can never predict the out come.

So I continued and through out the rest of the test I felt nothing. Coming up the centre line , I breathed a sign of relief. We were okay.

However, my world went upside down, I felt the ground coming up towards me. I hit hard.

Looked up to see my stubben dressage saddle coming towards me. Nothing clicked, I didn't register what happen. all I remember was the feeling before the crunch.

You can never predict what horses could do. It is always a lost cause.