Intervention: We think you have a problem

Ammy-adult event rider/blogger Holly Ratcliff admits that she “would much rather jump one of the red concrete balls in the Target parking lot” than an upright show jump vertical.

From Holly’s blog, Shoes, shoes, shoes… and horses: “Even though it is skinny, round, and red, I just think the Target ball has a more inviting shape. I am really struggling to feel balanced down to verticals of late. Maybe I’m just out of practice, or maybe it’s a perspective issue. It will get better with time this spring… Now, to test my theoretical bravery against the Target ball. Do you dare me?”

Holly, we’re just gonna go ahead and say that schooling skinnies in the Target parking lot is a really, really bad idea. Consider, as an alternative strategy, starting with a really low vertical–perhaps even just perfecting your balance and timing to a pole on the ground–and gradually building it it higher as your confidence increases.

Photos by Holly Ratcliff

Intervention is a new Horse Nation series in which we identify horsepeople whose compulsive behaviors have brought them to a point of personal crisis, threatening to estrange them from their friends and loved ones. If there is a horseperson in your life you would like to nominate for a spot on Intervention, or if you have self-identified that you need an intervention yourself, please email [email protected].