Your most humbling experience-DO TELL!

Ok. In my 43 years atop horses, I've had some doozies. But if I had to pick just one, it would be this one, because it happened during a clinic with an "I" judge. At USET Headquarters, Gladstone NJ. Yes, my friends, the fairytale Mecca of all US English-riding little girls and boys, and big ones too.

My first horse, a bloody gorgeous 17H Dutch WB gelding ex-jumper by Le Mexico and I accompanied mybtrainer to the 2 day clinic with a well-known and much beloved elder statesman-judge here in the NorthEast. I had ridden since I was 10, starting in H/J, moving to 3 Day and dressage in college. Quit for a while after college to start my business, then started back and found my boy.

Cecil was stunning, both conformation-wise and moving. I collected many inquiries about him from big name dressage riders and trainers until they found out his age- I bought him when he was 10 and lost him at age 14. He was very sensitive and difficult-his free walk overtracked by almost 2 ft. Measured, and one had to exercise care not to resemble a porn star when riding it, as it made your pelvis do things it didn't know it could

Back to Gladstone. I bring this gorgeous horse into the upper level of the main barn. Riders of all levels were there, and EVERYONE knew more than me. But of course, I didn't know that yet I thought that I was a prittty, prittty, priittty good rider. I'd done a little big eq, did some low jumpers, evented with success, did a few dressage shows, all on schoolhorses. I taught some. I was pretty good, I thought.

Oh no. First lesson, I started warming up in the indoor. My horse just got faster and faster and I did what I thought was DRESSAGE. Hmmph.

Clinician gradually stopped giving generalizations to the large audience an began to watch me with consternation. Try as he might, and try as I did, I couldn't grasp what he wanted.

So then it happened.He told me to drop the reins. And hold onto the pommel.

Then he ran beside me with his hands on the reins near the bit.

I have the whole thing on video. Round and round we went, him jiggling and jogging, me bouncing and mortified. Did I mention the standing-room-only gallery

So, lets hear them. Your most humbling experience. Doesn't have to be dressagey, just funny.

Love this thread idea! Not dressagey but a couple occasions come to mind.

The first I was pretty young, probably 7ish. I was working my mare and my mom had been harping on me about my toes pointing out. At that point the old arena fence was hog panels and as I was loping down the long side of the arena I got a bit close and hooked my toes in the fence. Quick dismount that was! Thankfully Bunny stopped as soon as she felt me going. Miss that old girl.

The second, I don't know if I've ever felt so stupid. I definitely learned to pay attention to details. My grandpa had some people coming to look at a reining mare he had for sale. He asked me to ride her for them. It was after dark when I pulled her out of the pasture. Got tacked up, get on her and she just didn't respond. At all. I let my teenage bravado get the best of me and got after her pretty good and I got a serious ride. Managed to ride her through it and when she stopped out of breath my grandpa tells me "Kid, you're on the wrong horse." I grabbed the wrong plain jane sorrel and he was too busy talking to notice before I climbed on, thanks grandpa. I was riding one of his broodmares that had been rode a handful of times before injury left her a pasture ornament a decade prior.

MHF, I had a very similar wreck when I was a kid! Cantering in the indoor and hooked my toes on a loose kickboard. It caused horsie to stumble and me to go flying.

They loaded me into a wheelbarrow and wheeled me out front where my nonhorsey mother picked me up and took me to the hospital.

Almost forgot about that one-probably my first major exercise in humility. Because being trundled in a poopy wheelbarrow has that effect on a girl

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The reining horse! Toooooo funny!

It is now The mare that he had for sale had too many buttons for those folks, had one other person look at her and she pitched him, had never once bucked in her life before that, the kicker was the guy testing her out was a preacher. My grandpa took that as a sign and kept her. That darn mare is still in my pasture, she'll be 26 shortly

Hmmmm I'm not a dressage rider, however I am very humble about my riding to begin with. I am so darn honest about how hopeless I 'think' I am, that I am actually wondering if I just lack a whole pile of confidence after being around lots of REALLY good riders and continually compare myself with them!

Recent moment of humbleness.....(we have a few teenage girls at the barn) I'm working on my lope, it's going really bad really fast, horse is switching leads on the front and back, four beat cantering.....it's just awful. So I'm loping, and I yell out down the arena to a young girl 'Am I on the correct lead in the back?' truly humbling, but I wasn't embarrassed to ask, because I knew I couldn't feel what was going on with my horse....I needed the eyes!!!!! I think the young girl was surprised that a grown up asked her for help!

Ps. Lope is awesome now!

Muppetgirl, you probably got the Cool Adult Award from the kids for that, and what a good lesson for them.

I love these!
Mandy, what a shocker for you!! Can't say I've ever grabbed the wrong horse haha ;)

When I was 17, I was riding a young thoroughbred in a clinic for the owner. It was outdoors, had been raining pretty hard, and the horse was fresh. There was me, harping on to the 'kids' about how I hadn't come off in aaaaaaages and was riding this horse because the owner thought I was good at riding forward and sticking bucks.

5 minutes in, horse spooked, bucked once, bucked twice, BUCKED and twisted. I sailed gracefully over his head and landed flat on my bum in a deep puddle. Had to complete the rest of my lesson with pants and underwear soggy and FULL of sand, with a group of kids snickering every time I rode past :S
That certainly brought me back to Earth!!!!!

Ah, yeah, young humblings are tougher on the ego, I guess because we lack the knowledge that sh*t happens - man plans, and God laughs:

I got more

I was 18, headed to my first away event with the college eventing team. Coming from hunterland, I took great pride in my show outfit. Keep in mind, it was 1978 or 79 - I had a navy blue velvet hunt cap, navy jacket with blue velvet trim on pockets, blue velvet homemade ratcatcher, light blue shirt, pearl white britches, and deep wine-colored ordovan field boots, which were very stylish in the h/j world and were my pride and joy. My outfit screamed "hunter princess " and I stood out in this new land of dressage and eventing.

We travel hours to the next state and arrive in time for dressage phase. This is when I realize I forgot my jacket. Left it back home in my car.

I ended up having to borrow a jacket. The best fit was a heavy black wool thing 4 inches too long.

Picture if you will Blue helmet. Biiig looong black coat. Blue shirt. Blue ratcatcher. White breeches. Red-brown boots. Brown gloves. On a buckskin horse.

I was so mortified riding into that arena. But it turned out that clothes were the least of my humiliations that weekend. Buck the buckskin hated dressage and bucked at first halt (judges remarks were "horse UPSET!") then jumped out of arena twice

The photographer set up at the first crosscountry fence got a lovely shot of me getting completely, massively left behind I received a memorable photo from that one At least I hadn't forgotten my XC outfit I finished clear but with huge time penalties because I was such a wuss XC.

We need pictures of that outfit Weezilla!

Here, I'll make you feel a bit better. Here's some of my more fashionable days. Nothing like the 80s for a good laugh.




Or how about safety gear...I was decades ahead of the inflatable vest and wasn't going to drown either! This was my pony that I sold myself at 7 years old...grandpa had people out to look at weanlings and the man asked if he knew of any good broke ponies. I piped in and told him "I do! I'll sell you mine!" He asked why I would sell her and I answered "Because then my grandpa will get me a quarter horse." and he did, a mare born on the King Ranch. (the bay mare in the first pic) I have the coolest grandpa ever, I got the horse bug honestly from him.