I would soar over jump after jump, my heart full and my sense of adventure bursting. It didn’t matter whether I was in a field, in an arena, it didn’t matter whether it was a chunky XC fence or a coloured pole. Sometimes they weren’t even proper jumps, just barrels and logs and whatever we could find to safely leap over (sometimes on foot when the ponies were tired).
But at some point in the mists of time, the shield of confidence was smashed and my love for flying was replaced with fear. What if I fall off, what if the horse refuses, what if I don’t actually know what I’m doing . . .
It’s taken me twelve years to properly summon the courage to jump again. And today I did, today I flew over coloured poles and I felt about 12 years old again. For full disclosure, they were only 60cm off the ground, but this matters not to me. I flew and my heart burst with happiness once more. As many of you will know, it isn’t just the sensation of rising through the air (and, let’s face it, my gorgeous 15.1hh ISH nearly hopped over a lot of these jumps), it’s the feeling of bonding so comfortingly and heartwarmingly with the creature who makes your heart melt, and who gives you their trust so willingly.
Now in my head are all the competitions I want to enter, all the arena hires I want to take my unicorn to. My dream is to win a rosette - I don’t care what colour - it would be my first frilly in a very long time but just completing a course will do for me at the moment.
And along with my four-legged-friend, PADDOX is the ultimate equestrian companion. With 14,000 events currently listed, there’s something for those who dream small as well as those whose dreams are a little more ambitious . . .
With a variety of arena hire opportunities alongside unaffiliated and affiliated competitions, PADDOX really does have something for everyone.
PADDOX is the UK's only comprehensive equestrian event listing website. If you want to find an event for you and your pony we probably have one in our database.
Here is just a sample of our UK-wide listings - or why not Search for an event near you