I am IMPRESSED it starts pouring rain in dressage and show jumping, and these guys don’t bat an eye, but just do their rounds. Did it rain at all for any part of the eventing?
Saddles have really changed over the years, in all disciplines.
I need to drop my stirrups more, practice my sitting trot, insist my horse learn to nicely take a half halt, gallop faster, sit patiently in show jumping, and all and all work a lot harder. :yes:
That im am a limp noodle-ey sack of potatoes riding a horse with a BIG BOUNCY JARRING trot compared to them.
That I need to get over my fears and just start riding again. I had a bad year of crazy horses that really dented my confidence. My last horse helped me back, but for some reason ever since that year I have just not felt the same as I used to while riding.
Watching the Olympic riders who are generally older than me ride through some of the stupid stuff without being phased reminds me that I’m a dork and I need to get over it.
It also gets me excited for what I want to do. I loved watching the XC, and I really loved watching the SJ this morning. I had a real “I wanna do that!” moment while watching the SJ. I need to start setting goals for myself so that by the time school is finished I can start focusing on doing some of this stuff!
It also reminds me that no matter how many hours I’ve spent in the saddle, I’m not nearly as accomplished or as far along as I would like to be. So I’ll have to change that 
And ditto to the .00000000000001% chance I could still be in the Olympics, haha!
Why you should be respectful of those that have allot of talent and drive to get to the Olympics I personally don’t believe it is handed to them. I am in Awe of the Saudi’s & Japanese Eventers and everyone else for that matter. It could be said that many of these people may have been given a very good horse however the rider is the person that needs to convince the horse that they should and can compete the event they are in. There is no easy wins with animals … and when it doesn’t pan out I look for the rider that pats the horse anyway and most do.
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I’ve learned that despite being obviously “fat”, talentless and undedicated I can still have fun dressing up and pretending that I participate in the same sport I am watching on TV.
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It is all my fault that my horse is not that well trained.
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My horse certainly prefers wandering about the fields looking at the birds and butterflies than being an amazing athlete.
That it is just “horse-back riding”.
People dealt with horses who had horse like moment 
And that is OKAY!
You live to fight/ride another day.
That my own ability to see correct is getting WAY better! I was right in line with the scoring and could tell what was brilliant and why
I really do want to be a judge some day…
That I will always relate better to animals than humans.
That ‘horsey moments’ even happen to the best.
That I need to stop apologizing to unreasonable people when my horse acts like what he is. Because if I wanted a machine, I’d buy a Ford Mustang, not a wild one.
(1) How much I love showjumping!
(2) That I enjoy showjumping more and find it less scary now that I do dressage :lol: (this is one is strange, I know :lol:!)
(3) Experience and age are assets in equestrian sports 
(4) That the riders and horses are getting better and better.
Hey – here’s the fly in the soup. I’m going the other way.
What it hammers home to me is, how difficult, costly, and mentally battering it is to get to the world championship/olympic level with a horse.
Anything can happen along the way. Anything can happen once you get there. Anything can happen while your in the middle of competing. Or about to compete. It’s just beyond comprehension why anyone who loves and cares about a horse that they have gone all the way with would want to subject themselves to such mental anguish. I’ve read it – in all the blogs after the withdraw, the stop, the rail, the time fault, being eliminated, falling off, etc. They are just devastated when something other than perfect happens, you feel so bad for them and want so much for them to get another chance.
Dressage tests are what, 6 minutes? Jump rounds 85 seconds? Cross country 10 minutes? Your whole life comes down to a few seconds, a rail, a slight miscalculation on speed, direction, or impulsion – so slight that in ordinary competition it would not even be a blip on the radar but exaggerated at the high levels so much…I just cannot see myself being able to deal with the pressure of the point or two off in the dressage test in eventing for this, or that…the single time fault in show jumping…
I admire those who seek that level – but I for one am glad I am not among them. It has made me appreciate the long, quiet times I get to ride by myself or the moments of joy on cross country or in a show jumping ring when you nail the turn. I am so glad I am NOT that good!
[QUOTE=Antaeus;6478308]
Ditto all of the above.
And also re-affirms for me just how magnificent horses are and how trusting, tolerant, and forgiving our equine companions are of us humans. :yes:[/QUOTE]
:yes::yes:
It has made me realize even more that this is absolutely, positively what I want to do with the rest of my life. And I also agree entirely that watching any discipline/phase makes you want to go out to the barn and ride the best you possibly can. My horse is always the best ever at the end of April/beginning of May. (That would be because that is directly after Rolex and I am incredibly inspired :lol:)
How much I love sporthorse breeding.
Watching these horses is like looking at fine art.
And to see so many that are first generation from top stallions (especially in dressage) in one place, ride after ride, is…well… as they say on reality tv, “amazing”.
[QUOTE=Trevelyan96;6482193]
That I need to stop apologizing to unreasonable people when my horse acts like what he is. Because if I wanted a machine, I’d buy a Ford Mustang, not a wild one.[/QUOTE]
Basically that’s what my farrier said this morning after I apologized for my mare’s uncharacteristic temper tantrum. She apparently needs a manners boot camp after the summer off.
He said that if he got mad at horses just for being horses he was in the wrong line of work.
That I can’t ride worth beans
That it is far easier to watch a ride and know instantly if it’s good or not, than it is to ride and know if it’s correct or not.
And that these people work far far harder than I ever will. They have really put their time in.
That I never, ever want to have to canter to a jump THAT big and wide! :eek: :lol:
[QUOTE=retreadeventer;6482519]
Hey – here’s the fly in the soup. I’m going the other way.
What it hammers home to me is, how difficult, costly, and mentally battering it is to get to the world championship/olympic level with a horse.
Anything can happen along the way. Anything can happen once you get there. Anything can happen while your in the middle of competing. Or about to compete. It’s just beyond comprehension why anyone who loves and cares about a horse that they have gone all the way with would want to subject themselves to such mental anguish. I’ve read it – in all the blogs after the withdraw, the stop, the rail, the time fault, being eliminated, falling off, etc. They are just devastated when something other than perfect happens, you feel so bad for them and want so much for them to get another chance.
Dressage tests are what, 6 minutes? Jump rounds 85 seconds? Cross country 10 minutes? Your whole life comes down to a few seconds, a rail, a slight miscalculation on speed, direction, or impulsion – so slight that in ordinary competition it would not even be a blip on the radar but exaggerated at the high levels so much…I just cannot see myself being able to deal with the pressure of the point or two off in the dressage test in eventing for this, or that…the single time fault in show jumping…
I admire those who seek that level – but I for one am glad I am not among them. It has made me appreciate the long, quiet times I get to ride by myself or the moments of joy on cross country or in a show jumping ring when you nail the turn. I am so glad I am NOT that good![/QUOTE]
Great post! I feel so badly for those who have to be so focused competitively that they lose the joy of just enjoying these awesome creatures for what they are with no pressure to accomplish anything more than a pleasant time together.
