BIG spook, not a BIG deal anymore

[denise42]

I was riding last night and as some of ya know I am fairly new at the canter. It was just my mare and myself in the indoor. All was going great and I decided to work on the canter and off we went. When all of a sudden , I hear the loud KaBoom, right next to us on the outside wall. Shotzie shoots off the wall and into a gallop . I am madly tring to get the reins into one hand so I can grab onto the saddle horn and feel secure, it took a second or 2 for me to realise I was secure.. I didn't need to hang on :D
I know my mental reaction related to the fact that this is how I broke my back last year, but it seems that something in me is finaly getting over it and allowing the skills I have been working on since to take over. My seat never moved I didn't flopp back or forward I was just WITH her. I did however feel a little jumpy after that.
So what was the big KaBoom, the stabel owner was filling the hay wagon and knocked down a stack of bails so he could get to them easier. :p & yes he knew we were in there. :rolleyes:

[Caro]

I dream of the day that I feel one with the horse I'm riding in this way, but I occassionally feel it happen, and it's so fab. How nice that you've achieved it when your horse was so startled. Brill for you!

It never ceases to amaze me that people who should know better make spooky noises when they know it could cause problems. It's bad enough when a car backfires unexpectedly, but when it's somebody who should know better...At a show last w/e, the mike boomed into scratchy action just as a rider was about to take a jump. It threw both her and her horse (and a fair few of the spectators as well). She just managed to stay on, but I felt very sorry for her.