I am an extremely competitive person in every other aspect, so while it was strange that I didn’t want to compete, I think it’s because it was a bit out of my comfort zone. I’m a very confident person, but I’ve only ridden for the enjoyment and the experience in the past. To me, it was more important to be able to ride any horse to the best of my, and said horses ability, and to make us look the best we could. I wasn’t really interested in titles or ribbons, and I’ve had some bad past experiences with girls from show barns, particularly how they act/ treat others (although I know not everyone is like that!) so that probably put me off as well.
I do agree that it will take a lot of time and experience, and I will 100% get frustrated if I can’t remember anything, but i’m very lucky to have such a supportive group around me when I do decide to show.
I’ve always kept my boy in a very good shape, but if i’m not riding him, or it’s not night time, he’s outside in the pastures being a horse. I didn’t even think about how traveling and showing as extensively as it seems i’ll need to be to qualify for these things would affect his pasture time. He has shown in the past so i’m sure he’s used to it, but I still want him to enjoy being a horse with his friends.
I’ll have to monitor how this would and will affect him, because even though this is something I really want to pursue, if he’s not happy, it’s not worth it.
Thank’s a bunch for the advice!
:love-struck: While I try to not mind the criticism, it makes me feel relatable(I think?) that you said this… thank you!
That is such an amazing idea!! I’m sure a few of my friends would also be game to try that, as they’re not able to show right now. That sounds like such a good learning experience, I will for sure bring that up with my trainers.
As much as we both hate dressage, my old flat teacher always drilled into me that flatwork was everything. While I LOVE the excitement of running around and jumping, I know it’s reckless to work an unbalanced horse, especially if I’m jumping. Even more so that he’s older now.
I love that you said ‘Drilling fences is not the route to successful, long term partnership’. I think that is the most important thing I need to be conscious of going into this. I would hate to ruin such a good relationship with him over some silly colored obstacles. It’s definitely not worth the piece of ribbon at the end either.
Thank you so much for the advice and words!
I’m very lucky that my property does have a few bigger hills in the back, so while I’ve always used them (as you said, it’s important for eventers, and being an ex-non-showing-eventer, hills have always been in our workouts) I’ll try to incorporate them in more!
Part of what always killed be about going and training at show barns was the fact that horses were kept in their stalls unless they were being ridden, despite these facilities having more than enough acreage for all their horses. Growing up, we’ve always kept our horses out from sun up till sun down, stalling at night. Unless they were being ridden, they were outside being a horse. Once I start going to these shows, i’ll make sure to keep this in mind.
I’m sorry that that had happened once you qualified, that sucks! At least you were able to make the most of it and have fun 
I will definitely take you up on that officer, since you seem to have all this knowledge, i’d love to pick your brain!
Thank you a ton
Facts. Whether all these responses help push me to achieve my goals, or make my realize that maybe this isn’t for me, I think it’s good to hear constructive criticism regardless of how it could make me feel. I’m not an emotional person in general, and I appreciate the fact that people are brute and honest, especially when they have more experience in this category than I do
A big part of me putting this post out there was because I didn’t know about the eligibility time period/ age divisions, and how a competitor is categorized in each division. I do agree that while it is nice to have goals and dreams, sometimes it’s better to get more serious about things at are obtainable. Given that it appears I’m getting closer to no longer being eligible, I wanted to see what everyone else was thinking about reaching such a high goal, and my expected outcome is very similar to what the majority of people have been saying. That’s why they call them dreams haha!
With all the advice i’ve received, I will start at lower shows and see how it goes from there. If it catches on, great! I will continue to try and pursue the bigger championships. If not, I know that we tried and gave it our all, and had fun while doing it.
Great advice, thank you for contributing!
We have plenty of smaller show series that have year end awards. My daughter has had a blast with her pony just going to schooling shows. She did several different show series some were only 3 or four shows and they gave out terrific prizes for year end. Most of all she learned a lot about showing and made a bunch of friends. Smaller goals can be just as rewarding.
I will do some research on the shows in my area, and see if there is anything around like that. That seems like a great idea, thank you! While I’d love to win some big spanking title, that’s not very likely. I’d really just like to accomplish something with my boy!
Every journey begins with a single step.
It’s fine to think about big, hairy, audacious dreams. BUT, in order to truly accomplish them, you need a realistic plan. Yours starts with a single show. It is extremely different from jumping courses at home. You may like it, you may not. The days are long, the courses can be tricky and scary, the bills are crazy (at an A show, you can plan on $2000/week just to do the children’s jumper), the preparation is intense, the time off from school/work is significant.
I’m not saying your dream is impossible. But it will stay a dream unless you sit down with a trainer and parents and come up with an actionable plan (complete with dates and costs).
