Well, here it goes. After an emotional weekend, I want to share with you my horse show experience. So, let me first start out by introducing my horse, Winter, an 11-year old half-andalusian who is quite silly and clever. Winter is my “heart horse.” If you don’t know what that is, just say it out loud a few times and you will probably get the concept. Like any horse, or animal for that matter, they can often be unpredictable and that’s okay because quite frankly, we humans can be too. Not every ride is a good ride and sometimes we take a few steps back before we can move forward again and I have been trying to learn that that’s okay.
Over the last few years I have been at school and have had to take time off not only from showing, but just simply riding. For the last year now I have been back in training and just recently started showing. Last month we did really well and I was super excited to get back in the ring last weekend. The week of the show Winter colicked for the first time ever. Honestly, I was shocked. He has always been the healthy horse – the horse that nobody has to worry about. He recovered nicely and we decided to take him to the show, only one day. He arrived at the show very relaxed and started to get a little tense in the warm up.
Here is how the test went down:
The Good
Photo by: Queca Franco
The Bad
The Ugly
Why am I sharing this with you? Because everyone struggles and it’s normal and it’s okay. It’s almost everyone’s dream to be the best of the best, the top level of all levels. Well in dressage, that is called Grand Prix. That is the ultimate dream. This is just a reminder that the journey isn’t going to always be pretty. You will have the good, you will have the bad and sometimes you will have the ugly. Is it fun? No. Is it disappointing and frustrating? Yes. Does it make me a better rider? Always. I may not have come out this weekend with a blue ribbon but I sure did come out with a lot of growth, insight and a whole lot of motivation. Here’s to hoping for a better test next time!
Has something like this ever happened to you? How did it make you feel? Comment below!
Featured image by: Queca Franco
I enjoyed reading about your weekend. It is so much easier to handle frustration and misfortune once we realize it is all part of ‘the journey’. Thank you for sharing, Sophia. Good luck on your journey.