Today is a bad day to die

Ever have something so happen where you are so close to death and somehow, some way you find a way to save yourself from it. And then you wish you had it on film...

After Herman's magnificent display at the horse trials it was decided that his weakest phase was show jumping. So my trusty stead Herman (whose back it well above my head) and I were schooling some jumps the other day. The gals at the barn all chipped in and painted jumps for the better part of a week. OK I did all that I could on the weekends but at any hoodle.... We have a panel jump (Read unforgiving / unbreakable) with the likeness of Dori and Nemo on it.

I decided that of all the jumps we had this was by far the 'scariest'. As I approach the jump Herman decides he wants to canter, no problem forward is good. He jammed on the breaks and reeled left at the very last second. It is always to the left darn it!

I would say the 90% of my body is now going over the right hand side of my horse. Literally there was an arm and 3/4s of a leg on the left side of the horse. I looked down and my head is over the jump. If I had fallen, my neck was going to hit the jump and probably snap. Best case was that I was going to land on my back and bend it the wrong way. Or Herman was going to real back and jump the fence - in which case I would be under him when he landed. Either way - bad outcome and a short flight in a helicopter.

Some how I got both reins in my right hand and kept pulling left so that the jump scenario was not going to happen. All of my weight was in my right leg and I was pushing that stirrup with all that I had against the centrifugal force. With my free left hand I grabbed his neck and pulled. With in three seconds I was back in the saddle circling to come to the jump again. I got a standing ovation from the peanut gallery and over the fence we went.

Funny thing is I wasn't scared. I went right back to the jump and kept at it until it was second nature. It was just a good save...