Aaaack, trotting! I was so terrified of it for such long time, but learning to post made it much easier, as demanding as it was in the beginning. Sounds like you handled Jake really well, especially since he was a new horse for you. I haven't had a horse spook on me yet, but I suspect it will be my first time falling off too when it happens.

I got to go riding outside once last year, in a group with five or six other students, and as much as I was afraid of every moving thing that wasn't one of us, it was a nice experience. Kinda like riding in general, imho: scary and yet so exhilarating.