Can you be happy with your ride even if you don’t place?
People will say ‘You win some, you lose some’ and that is a true enough statement.
A more interesting thought is; I might win…with a ride that I felt could have been better. Or I might have a great ride…and still not win.
Early on in my show career the outcome of the class, the placings determined by the judge, told me how well I had done.
Now when I show, the judge tells me how I placed in the class. I determine how well I did.
This may seem like an easy statement to make but it was not an easy concept to internalize.
There were times that it hurt to have my work, my horse, my performance, judged and found lacking…especially if I thought it was a great ride.
There were other times where I had the winning ride…but I was left unsatisfied. The horse and I both knew that there were issues even if they were not apparent to anyone else.
I still win some and I still lose some…and there are still times that being judged hurts. Asking to be judged leaves me vulnerable but it also helps me grow. And sometimes that growth is knowing how to be satisfied with a ride that didn’t win.
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Well said !!
So, so true! It helps me to be able to review the judges scorecard, sometimes I am so busy trying to remember the pattern, I don’t realize some of my mistakes:) Of course, a video by a friend is sometimes very humbling:)
awesome post. excellence, as always, stacy.