Forever an amatuer

[DinkDunk]

Honestly, I can’t really relate. I’m an amateur, too…just continually hanging out around TL and 1st.

This sport is no different than any other sport - there are very few riders that are super talented and make it to the top. The rest of us just keep trying to do our best.

I sometimes wonder why equestrians think they should be able to ride at the top levels just because they work hard. There are so many obstacles on the way to that level that its nearly impossible. Money is only one of those obstacles. Talent, coaching, the perfect horse, location, etc, etc, etc are in your way, too.

I know a woman who has everything to make it to the top…the talent, perfect horses, trainer, facility, money. She has ridden at the top (as an amateur) and you know what? She’s tired of it all! I keep hearing about how she would like to get out of the business. It just makes me happy that I still really enjoy my low-level horse - we trail ride, do dressage, jump sometimes. Whatever. Riding is fun. Going to the barn and hanging out with everyone else riding at a low level is fun. :yes:

Enjoy having a horse and enjoy having your own place. Most people can’t even have that.

[JRG]

The phrase “it takes a villiage” is pretty on target I feel.

To go further up the levels it takes more of everything. So it is only natural to feel down, To hit plateaus, and to question.

You have to want it really bad. You have to be able to make a lot of sacrifices…a lot.

There is a reason most amatuers don’t reach higher levels, not just money. The commitment involved is huge.

Get yourself to a place that you can work on moving up, if that is what you really want. It is ok not to want that too, but you can’t beat yourself up for not doing more.

I am also an ammy. I take weekly lessons, (sometimes more if I am having an issue), I trailer to my coach’s coach once a month, I ride 6 days a week all the time! (snow blizzards exempt). I work a day job, and I don’t have any children and at the end of all that I go home to a husband.

It is only February and I am already putting up my show schedual so my husband knows what I will and won’t be able to attend throughout the summer.
Having support is essential.

I heard a quote some time ago, “if it were easy, everyone would be doing it”.

[Horseymama]

I understand what you feel, frustration is normal. Here’s my 2 cent advice:

1. Amateur is NOT a bad word. Just because you are an amateur, does not mean you are not serious. I actually dislike that word. It doesn’t give all the hard-working people out there that are dedicated to their sports and their horses (but maybe they have another day job) credit for their devotion.

2. Don’t get stuck on the money thing. If you had 10 million dollars, there would be someone out there with 20 million. If you had 20 million, there would be someone out there with 50 million. No matter how much money you have, in the horse world there will always be someone with more who could outspend you and buy a nicer horse/barn/trainer/trailer. Just because they are rich doesn’t mean they have a happy marriage, or a good home life! The hard work that you have to put in because you don’t have access to fancy facilities or trainers or whatever may actually teach you a little extra about your horse or something about horsemanship that ends up giving you an edge later on.

3. Forget about what other people are doing and what you think they have/don’t have. Just worry about yourself. Dressage seems to be so much about the journey, the little light bulbs that go off day to day. Enjoy the moment. You never know when you are going to die, each day is a blessing. You really don’t know what others are going through and their personal struggles, and don’t waste your energy guessing. Just think about you and your goals and how you are going to get there.

4. Keep a training journal. I love writing down each day what I was thinking and going through with my horses. My frustrations, my ideas, what I was feeling and doing with them. When I am frustrated or stuck I go back and read it and it really helps!

[Melyni]

I’m pushed for time

or I would write more.
But in a nutshell, yes money helps, but it isn’t enough on it’s own.

You might want to put your self for a time in a barn or with a trainer who routinely moves horses and riders up the levels.

Riding in the company of those who are much better than you can help you to realize what you need to do to move up and on.

And remember the 10,000hrs of practice before you master a skill. That isn’t a joke it’s a real effect.

Don’t give up, keep a journal so you can see how far you have come and try to enjoy the practices, cos you be doing a lot of them!

Good Luck, hang on in there, you will make it.

Coming from someone who has clawed her way up the levels from a bad 1st level 3 yrs ago to making my debut at FEI this spring (if it ever comes).

Yours
MW

[RedHorses]

Maybe you missed an opportunity. You sound bummed that all your hard work and progress wasn’t recognized by your coach in your lesson. But don’t we take lessons to learn, build on our skills, and improve our horses training? Maybe your coach saw the improvement and took it as a given, and focused on the areas that still need more work.

I remember preparing for a clinic a few years ago, trying to get my horse perfect in the few rides leading up to the clinic. :o Of course that never works, and I suddenly realized that I was going to the clinic to learn and if I hid all our flaws before then I was wasting a huge chance to get some help dealing with those issues. :winkgrin: A lesson isn’t time for showing off, it’s for progressing. It’s for picking up on those hiccups we’ve forgotten in order to have that foundation for moving forward.

I still lesson with that clinician as much as I can afford every time he’s in the area. The progress we’ve made is huge despite some serious time off due to injury. And I don’t go in trying to show off our progress - he sees it, and then he pushes us forward knowing that I want us to get better than we are. :yes:

[JackSprats_Mom]

LOL it sucks to go to a lesson knowing you’ve improved and not getting any credit and that sounds like its your main complaint here.

Maybe change trainers, if you’re not feeling inspired she may not be the right one for you.

Even if you only take lessons once a month I would expect your trainer to notice and comment on improvement (you may be a little fish in a big pond but you’re still $$ for her).

Just to let you know I had the same knock down effect at a schooling show last month. I’ve worked hard all year to get my horse solid first schooling 2nd well and thought I had nailed it…it all went to pot at the show (not nerves just alot of other issues like no warm up arena) and I’m not even going to post my scores. Made me think maybe I hadn’t gotten anywhere.

However, steps are small but they all add up. Just keep remembering where you were a year ago.

[nhwr]

To be competitive takes a certain amount (more than middle class) of money. There is just no way around that. You have made a choice. You decided to choose teaching as a profession. You have a generous scheduale and an income that is guaranteed at a certain level. The flip side is that this limits your ability to earn. Teachers are not usually competitive risk takers. I would think that it might be difficult to reconcile these attitudes.

Pardon me for being blunt, OP, but reading your posts I don’t think you get it. It is not about the trailer you haul in with, the horse you pull out of it or the saddle you ride in.

It is about what you make happen with those things.

[Hampton_Bay]

I can identify with the frustration of always feeling “stuck”. Money is very tight right now for us, so that is a ton of it. I have to budget even taking one lesson a month, especially since there are so few opportunities within an easy drive, and I can’t drive either. Our trailer is in decent repair (needs a new ramp), but its quite ugly, as is the truck that pulls it. Both are in desperate need of a good coat of paint, which will be done as soon as I have access to the compressor to operate the paint sprayer.

My other road block is my horse. She can do the work and is sound, but she’s very very very difficult to ride. We feed off each other because we both tend to get tense. But I adore her, and she’s taught me to laugh off the really bad days. And I have an easier young horse in the making, and a more difficult but quite talented 2-yo.

I think the main thing here is to enjoy the horses. All of mine are off-breeds, but they all bring something to the table. And every time I walk out my back door, their little noses are there waiting for pets and loving.

But man I miss the days when taking a lesson was a given and not a luxury only to be had a couple times a year!

ETA: You also have to remember that there are quite a few young AA’s whose parents helped get them started by purchasing them horses when they were young. I was very lucky that my parents helped me some, but I only got my own horse when I bought her myself after college. I did group lessons as a kid. So some of these adults who are out there making their way now can do that because their parents either put them into training with a world-class trainer or bought them a very nice horse or both. I have found myself being jealous of someone I know who earned her silver medal as a YR on a fancy schoolmaster, but I keep having to remind myself that I would probably be in the same shoes had I been given those opportunities.

[WBLover]

I can TOTALLY relate…it’s not the amateur word that bugs me at all. It’s the " forever a Training level rider" part that scares me! There are lots of really good amateurs out there that are competing at higher levels and doing really well, and I’d be THRILLED to be one of them.

But, here are my counts against me:

1. 41 years old and getting older/fatter/creakier by the minute.
2. Only ever trained up to 1st level on my own, and only ridden a few of the higher level movements here and there.
3. Work full time + family = time constraints.
4. Have a family + large mortgage + large car payments = can’t afford to put a ton of $$ into training and lessons.
5. Don’t have an indoor to ride in all year round (keep my horse at home).
6. Don’t have an outdoor so footing is an issue for a LARGE chunk of the year during late fall/winter/spring.
7. Have a green horse.

The one thing I do have going for me is a good, talented horse that could do really well, with the right training–but unless all the stars are aligned with everything else, it’s not going to do me a dang bit of good. And I wouldn’t trade my family for any of this stuff, so I’ve got to be okay with my lack of progress in that respect.

Ok, whining over.

[Ysabel]

I bartended my way through university so please forgive the following analogy. :winkgrin:

I see top success in the dressage world as the perfect cocktail with the ingredients being:

1. Money
2. Talent
3. Determination
4. Hard Work

If you have all of those ingredients you can go very far. But if you only have a few of those ingredients you can still make a damn good cocktail.

I know a girl that claimed her fathers Morgan gelding that he used for driving and trained him from Training level up to Intermediate I (sadly he died of colic before they could advance to Grand Prix).

She was not rich, but did have enough money to afford regular lessons, board at an indoor and to show at all of the local shows. When she was in her late teens and early twenties she would spend her summers as a working student. She had loads of natural talent and was very hard working.

I also know a hard working person with “some” natural talent and lots of money and determination that have gone all the way to international competition.

For the most part where there is a will there is a way. I know a young girl who is a very hard worker and talented rider who had NO money who worked as a working student for an Olympic dressage rider for 10 years!!! But last year she started riding some of her bosses horses in the international ring and now is starting too acquire her own sponsors.

You just have to decide what is life is most important to you. What are you willing to sacrifice to become an FEI rider. Of course those blessed with lots of money don’t have to make as many sacrifices but then no one ever said life was fair and we all have to work with what we got.

You also have to be honest with yourself as well - I don’t think any amount of money and hard work would make me an Olympic level dressage rider because I have very little natural talent and I have no competitive spirit. I have to work very hard to make any progress in my riding - I am just not a natural athlete. Does that mean I give up riding - of course not - I fully intend to ride a Grand Prix test someday at least once - but I may be 80 years old by then - I just plan to enjoy the journey. You don’t have to be a great singer to enjoy singing.

[LookinSouth]

@ridingagain;4684904

Would love to have a nice calm horse to show, event, trail, maybe foxhunt…just can’t afford it.

. Suggestions, anyone?

Try to find a horse that meets this criteria to 1/2 lease on farm? There are horses that meet this criteria for 1/2 lease in my area. I would assume they are available in your area as well if you look hard enough.

[Stacie]

I didn’t read all the posts but I went to a USDF clinic where Jane Savoie was the clinician and she said that when she started she did almost all of it on her own and she had virtually no money when she started.
So apparently, it can be done.
Maybe you can pair up with another dressage rider and you can be each other’s eyes on the ground.

[redhorse5]

Save your money and really spend some time with a good trainer. You might want to try a couple of other trainers in your area. Maybe you just aren’t clicking with the one you are riding with.

There are some really great talented riders out there. I’m not one of them. I just tried really hard and spent my money on lessons with great trainers instead of showing.

Ask your trainer if they would give you a discount on a weeks worth of lessons. I found that until I rode daily with my trainer, I just couldn’t make any real progress. When I rode daily with my trainer he caught my mistakes and corrected them. It’s really hard to make a lot of progress if you are practicing something incorrectly for a month.

Like I said I’m just an AA. I think you have to look objectively at your ability and ask yourself how much of your resources you can spend on getting better.

[Molly_Micvee]

I really like what Horseymama had to say as well as everyone else, but your post has stood out for me as making a lot of sense. Thank You for your comments.

         Ive also noticed in some posts comments that resounded in thoughts pertaining to: it sounds like you this,  or it sounds like you that..... etc.  I'm not saying that the way I have been feeling is really a reality. I honestly think that much of what went on in my last lesson was happening in my mind.  This being due to patterns of thinking I have adopted through out the years or the most part of my life. I have a really good instructor, someone that has taken me a long time to find who I value very much. I was more or less putting myself out as a voise that hopefully would be related too, for some reason I knew it would and I wanted to bring the subject up to not only help myself but other riders too, so in many respects what Ive had to say really isnt all that important.  It's trivial.   

I often find myself getting stuck in an additude more then getting stuck as a first level rider. I’m glad that so many of you were able to share with me similar frustrations. I don’t feel so alone now. It’s been terribly wrong of me to feel so alone and in many areas of this subject: I stand corrected. And as far as I can see, isnt this what it’s all about. Getting past the additude, which as far as Im concerned is what blocks so many of us from opening ourselves up to learning. I recall there was a poster who said that I didnt get it. I think I do, by the mere fact that Ive been willing to look at the negative thoughts that I carry around with myself and to not pretend that they arent there. I know when I get on my mare what’s in my head at the time is going to directly be tranfered down in that horse, what ever it is.

         Some times when you feel the most defeated is the time when you are closest to succeeding. Some times mentally  I have fallen off my horse and sometimes it feels like I can't get up! :D   I want to thank you all for reminding me that not only can I get back up,  but I can and will get back "on" as well, as many times as it takes and the person who is really in charge of deciding where I've been, what I'm doing and where I'm going is me, and no one else. Granted I listen to my instructor and respect what she has to say. What I'm talking about is my self esteem and over all self image. One day I got on my horse and she magically turned into a mule and then another day I got on my horse and she turned into a elk. Is it the animal doing this,  or is it me?  It's me.  Thank God she has never turned into a cow,  but as we all know, we have our days.

               Thanks all.                Sincerely, Molly Micvee

I think Dressage is such a beautiful sport. It’s an Art form.

[Dressage_Art]

[QUOTE=Molly Micvee;4684660]
Who are these people who are competing at 4th level, going off to different regional events? Is it just an illusion where they are in comparison to where we 1st and 2nd levelers are, meaning can we be closer to that in a heart beat if we only knew the magic pass word? Is that word money? Is that word intimidation? Is that word narcissistic bullying? Is that word: the great american know who? not know how?[/QUOTE]

Going off to different regional events - takes mega money, fancy schoolmasters and help from a capable trainer.

Showing at 4th level is quite different from that and not about $. It can be done, I trained and showed two horses at 4th level by myself, with little help from clinicians, but my clinician is a world class masters who trained 100+ GP horses. And I’m an artist and support my dressage habit myself from my art.

You need to trust yourself and find a common language with your horse. You need to feel the answer from your horse when you ask. + You need to have a trainer who can teach YOU!

That said, we all have our limitations. some people easily train many horses to GP and bored at PSG

[JRG]

I am with Dressage Art on this, it can be done.

I feel the goals are important. Going to regional events does take more money but you can do your research and feel what is going to be best for you. Doing one every month might break the bank but doing a couple in a season may work.

Also, along the lines of goals…do you want to win or do the scores count? I feel you will have an easier time with a better moving horse…but it still won’t be easy. A middle of the road type horse you have to alter the plan a little. I myself know that I can not “give points away” by not being precise. Oval circles, not at the letters, or simply loosing pace will make all the difference in the world.

Which comes back to having that capable person on the ground watching and giving guidance. If you have a choice this is where I would spend my money.

New and fancy rigs, only takes you to the venue. When you are in the ring…clean, neat and correct, no one knows how you showed up to the party…they just know you showed up.

[meupatdoes]

[QUOTE=nhwr;4692751]
It is not about the trailer you haul in with, the horse you pull out of it or the saddle you ride in.

It is about what you make happen with those things.[/QUOTE]

This I completely agree with.

I also agree with JRG that the commitment involved is huge.

I think that commitment is the single most important factor to success on the back of a horse. I believe it is at least three times as important as money, and five times as important as talent.

Think of it this way:
There are amateurs who lament that there are no good coaches in their area.
Then there are amateurs who notice that there are no good coaches in their area, and MOVE.

There are amateurs and then there are amateurs.

There are amateurs who won’t take a travel intensive job because they need to be near their horses enough to keep the crew in well-tuned form.
There are amateurs who keep their non-horse expenses very low, and live well below the standard they could given their income, to afford the sport.
There are amateurs who get up at 4:30am to ride before work.
There are amateurs who ride six days a week no matter what the weather is.

There are amateurs who have the patience and dogged determination to make these kinds of sacrifices for YEARS or even DECADES before riding FEI at a big show. Then life kicks them in the teeth with a horse suddenly getting a career ending injury just as it is confirming I2 and they don’t throw in the towel. They start over.

There are other amateurs who make different choices. Perhaps they choose to raise children, or they like the job with the huge travel commitments, or they choose to remain in a more expensive area of the country. Those are perfectly valid choices, but they seriously detract from the most important ingredient to success on the back of the horse -the commitment to get in the saddle every day, with a good attitude, in an adequate facility, where there is also a trainer who can bring a horse and rider pair to excellence.

[Boomer]

[QUOTE=meupatdoes;4695293]

Think of it this way:
There are amateurs who lament that there are no good coaches in their area.
Then there are amateurs who notice that there are no good coaches in their area, and MOVE.

There are amateurs and then there are amateurs.

There are amateurs who won’t take a travel intensive job because they need to be near their horses enough to keep the crew in well-tuned form.
There are amateurs who keep their non-horse expenses very low, and live well below the standard they could given their income, to afford the sport.
There are amateurs who get up at 4:30am to ride before work.
There are amateurs who ride six days a week no matter what the weather is.

There are amateurs who have the patience and dogged determination to make these kinds of sacrifices for YEARS or even DECADES before riding FEI at a big show. Then life kicks them in the teeth with a horse suddenly getting a career ending injury just as it is confirming I2 and they don’t throw in the towel. They start over.

There are other amateurs who make different choices. Perhaps they choose to raise children, or they like the job with the huge travel commitments, or they choose to remain in a more expensive area of the country. Those are perfectly valid choices, but they seriously detract from the most important ingredient to success on the back of the horse -the commitment to get in the saddle every day, with a good attitude, in an adequate facility, where there is also a trainer who can bring a horse and rider pair to excellence.[/QUOTE]

Yes. I’m an AA. I took a job in a dressage un-friendly area when I got laid off as I had horses and didn’t want to sell them and hope a better job showed. I don’t climb the corporate ladder as this takes time away from my horses - but it also limits my income.

I keep my horses at home and haul 3 hours one-way to ride with a trainer. At home, my gelding lives outside 24/7 spring-summer-fall to keep costs down. All my vacation time is spent with my horse.

My “extra” money goes to shows, equipment and so on. I was able to afford to send my gelding to the trainer this winter due to getting a small inheritence. I could’ve used that money for a lot of things more “practical” in other people’s view. But I spent it for training.

My homebred gelding is nice enough to be able to go at least 3rd or 4th, my trainer believes; I’m trying to do what I can to get there. I can’t afford another horse that’s already trained.

I’m low-middle income, so horses require me to give up vacations and other leisure items. But I love my horse and riding, so it is worth it.

[Silver_Image_Farm]

[QUOTE=Horseymama;4687913]
I understand what you feel, frustration is normal. Here’s my 2 cent advice:

1. Amateur is NOT a bad word. Just because you are an amateur, does not mean you are not serious. I actually dislike that word. It doesn’t give all the hard-working people out there that are dedicated to their sports and their horses (but maybe they have another day job) credit for their devotion.

2. Don’t get stuck on the money thing. If you had 10 million dollars, there would be someone out there with 20 million. If you had 20 million, there would be someone out there with 50 million. No matter how much money you have, in the horse world there will always be someone with more who could outspend you and buy a nicer horse/barn/trainer/trailer. Just because they are rich doesn’t mean they have a happy marriage, or a good home life! The hard work that you have to put in because you don’t have access to fancy facilities or trainers or whatever may actually teach you a little extra about your horse or something about horsemanship that ends up giving you an edge later on.

3. Forget about what other people are doing and what you think they have/don’t have. Just worry about yourself. Dressage seems to be so much about the journey, the little light bulbs that go off day to day. Enjoy the moment. You never know when you are going to die, each day is a blessing. You really don’t know what others are going through and their personal struggles, and don’t waste your energy guessing. Just think about you and your goals and how you are going to get there.

4. Keep a training journal. I love writing down each day what I was thinking and going through with my horses. My frustrations, my ideas, what I was feeling and doing with them. When I am frustrated or stuck I go back and read it and it really helps![/QUOTE]

THIS IS AN EXCELLANT post, imho and one that bears repeating!!!

EVERYBODY (yes even the BEST of the BEST) struggles with all the SAME issues we as ammies struggle with…

Realisitically I think many of us ammies ARE VERY SERIOUS and do work HARD to achieve our goals…but frankly I like to say that I ain’t tryin to “go to the Olympics”…nor do I need to ride the kinda horse that can do that…HOWEVER that doesn’t mean I’m NOT serious or NOT competitive…

While I don’t think “braggin” is a socially acceptable thing…I also don’t think there is anything wrong with being damn proud of what you DO accomplish…and fwiw, I wish more folks were able to be more “supportive” of that…

As the quoted poster pointed out there will always be somebody out there with more money, more training, better opportunities, better horses, blah blah blah…

As I like to remind my horses…if it was EASY…everybody would/could do it…balancing your goals with your motivation and working hard is imo an ongoing work in progress for each and every one of us…

P.S. Anyone who tells you they achieved xyz level/award or whatever and it was “EASY” is a LIAR!!!:lol:
Personally I wish we could all do better at being “good sports” and congratulating folks on their accomplishments…

[dwblover]

I know you are frustrated, it happens to everyone at some time or another in any sport. Everyone feels stuck sometimes. But I think from your posts that your biggest problem is that you are looking to other peoples’ opinions to validate you. It doesn’t matter that your trainer could care less about your Passier GG. You GOT one and should be overjoyed, no one else has to be impressed, it’s yours. And perhaps the only person that notices the rust on top of your trailer is you. A lot of times we look to others and pretend they are holding us down, when in fact it’s our own negative feelings that are doing the job.

In my world of horses, it’s just me and my gelding, no one else. We are just dancing and no one else is there, you have to get your negative thoughts out of your mind. And you also have to evaluate the suitability of your horse for the job. If she is very tough to handle then perhaps a different horse would be a lot easier to progress on. And yes, you can find a potential upper level dressage horse at the track (I did!), but you MUST know what you are looking for or bring someone who does. Money helps so much, but so do inspiration and motivation. And guess what? They are free! Go enjoy your ride today because you are healthy enough and lucky enough to get to ride a horse!!!