PART 3 - MY JOURNEY WITH MJ
The Moment I Fell in Love
MJ hadn’t done much jumping before I got her. But it didn’t take long to realise one thing.
She absolutely loved it. Even in the early days, when she didn’t fully understand what was being asked…she would always try. Grids could be messy. Poles could go flying.
But stopping? That just wasn’t in her.
Moving Faster Than Planned
Because I still saw her as a “project,” I moved her on quicker than I ever would now.
At the time, it felt justified. She was coping. She was enjoying it. And she seemed to thrive on the work.
First Competition
Just 6 weeks after bringing her home, we went to our first competition.
We entered two combined training classes (Only becasue Mum's horse was lame & had to withdraw). The dressage…was, quite honestly, a disaster. Not surprisingly, she was tense, overwhelmed, and it showed. But the jumping told a completely different story.
Clear rounds. Confident. Willing. We came home with a handful of rosettes.
The Phone Call
That evening, I rang Martin Arnott. And I said something I hadn’t expected to say so soon.
“I’d like to buy her.”
Why It Mattered
It wasn’t about how she performed. It wasn’t about the rosettes. It was about something much harder to explain. The way she tried so hard for me, whilst also looking to me for reassurance. The connection. The feeling that, in a very short space of time…
something real had formed between us. And once that happens…there’s no going back to “just a project.”
What I Know Now
Looking back, that moment was never really about buying a horse. It was about allowing myself to feel something again. To trust again. To open myself up to the possibility of loss…
in order to experience something meaningful.
What Came Next
Things moved quickly after that. Our first event came just weeks later (yes really!)
And while it looked like everything was going right on the surface…this was also the point where our journey began to show its true nature.
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