Seizing Opportunities
Competing on the East Coast was a dream come true for me. The competition, courses, and lessons created an intense atmosphere and it was the most rigorous and enlightening experience I have ever endured. As a competitor, there are times where you just need to drill in and focus on your goals and the indoors was definitely one of these. We also need to remember to seize the opportunities when we can let loose and enjoy good times with our fellow equestrians and not have any pressure of focusing on specific results. Finding opportunities to balance these two types of experiences is somewhat rare, but when they occur, I find both improvement and progression in my riding career because of the group support and camaraderie.
Personal Goal Planning
The Capital Challenge and Pennsylvania National were both eye openers for me. As I traveled around the East Coast with my parents and my trainer, the majority of the time was spent discussing and focusing solely on me; specifically my present and future riding goals. I found this process extremely stressful, especially because I am currently applying to colleges. There are a lot of changes that are about to occur in my life...let’s just say I basically have my entire 20's planned out.
A Team Sport
This past weekend I had another fantastic opportunity to compete with my trainer, Julie Young, and her barn, Silver Bay Stables along with Jenifer Paris’ barn, Cheval Farm, at the Rancho Murrieta Halloween Horse Show in Northern California. A ‘herd” of clients joined together to form a dream team. We coordinated and participated in the fun special classes including the "barn set" up decorating contest and the Saturday night "group costume" class. Having fun was the main priority and this goal was definitely accomplished!! I was reminded that an important reason I compete in this sport is because of the remarkable bonds created with our horses and other equestrians. Riding is often described as an individual sport, but we must not forget the importance and benefits of being a team player and how we can help each other!
GALLERY
