It Really Isn't About Winning.
by Cheryl Connell-Marsh
After over 30 years of showing, this message came true to me more clearly than ever before. After over 7 years of not showing, I decided to enter my late-bloomer 8 year old, "Sully," in a musical freestyle at my barn show. I chose music that spoke to my spiritual side and seemed to calm my worried "Gentle Giant." As I began my work on my freestyle, I discovered that with a common goal, Sully and I could perform movements we had never done before. With the flow and beat of the music, we discovered confidence and balance we had never achieved together.
As the weeks went on and on, our practices improved as Sully began to know the music as well as I did and anticipate my cues before I even asked. When I began to practice with a flowing cape that billowed over his haunches, a flick of his ear was his only reaction - not the worried and frightened reaction I expected.
On the day of the show, he was worried about the changes in his normal grooming routine; but, thanks to a fabulous groom and a group of reassuring students, he was ready to perform. When I mounted him in the outdoor arena, he literally turned to stone as he gazed at the sea of cars parked along his outdoor arena. Rather than battle his fears, I decided to just wait outside the indoor arena - with no warm-up. As we entered the indoor arena, there was a solid wall of people that stood at the "C" end of the arena - the end he dreaded the most. And yet, this gentle and worried horse walked by them all. After we strolled around the arena, looking out the doors as he loves to do, we halted at "X" and waited for our music to begin.
As the music began, it was just the two of us, riding to the music we both knew so well. As I felt him tense in nervous fear, I spoke to him with my body and voice. As he relaxed and flowed with the music, I rewarded him both with praise and softness. As we finished with our final salute, I knew the joy of accomplishing my first goal with this horse. We worked together through fear and tension and we found a harmony that we had never achieved before.
And here is the important point. We've ridden better leg yields together. We've had more balanced, flowing gaits before. But we have never ridden in front of 50 people before. We discovered together today that we can trust each other - even when it's really hard.
So you see, it's really not about the blue ribbon we won; it's not about the scores of 9s and the 10; it's about accomplishing a goal that we set together. It's about practicing daily so that we both felt prepared. It's about bringing out the best in one another. The blue ribbon we won today will fade with time, but the memory and the foundation of what we created together never will!
After over 30 years of showing, this message came true to me more clearly than ever before. After over 7 years of not showing, I decided to enter my late-bloomer 8 year old, "Sully," in a musical freestyle at my barn show. I chose music that spoke to my spiritual side and seemed to calm my worried "Gentle Giant." As I began my work on my freestyle, I discovered that with a common goal, Sully and I could perform movements we had never done before. With the flow and beat of the music, we discovered confidence and balance we had never achieved together.
As the weeks went on and on, our practices improved as Sully began to know the music as well as I did and anticipate my cues before I even asked. When I began to practice with a flowing cape that billowed over his haunches, a flick of his ear was his only reaction - not the worried and frightened reaction I expected.
On the day of the show, he was worried about the changes in his normal grooming routine; but, thanks to a fabulous groom and a group of reassuring students, he was ready to perform. When I mounted him in the outdoor arena, he literally turned to stone as he gazed at the sea of cars parked along his outdoor arena. Rather than battle his fears, I decided to just wait outside the indoor arena - with no warm-up. As we entered the indoor arena, there was a solid wall of people that stood at the "C" end of the arena - the end he dreaded the most. And yet, this gentle and worried horse walked by them all. After we strolled around the arena, looking out the doors as he loves to do, we halted at "X" and waited for our music to begin.
As the music began, it was just the two of us, riding to the music we both knew so well. As I felt him tense in nervous fear, I spoke to him with my body and voice. As he relaxed and flowed with the music, I rewarded him both with praise and softness. As we finished with our final salute, I knew the joy of accomplishing my first goal with this horse. We worked together through fear and tension and we found a harmony that we had never achieved before.
And here is the important point. We've ridden better leg yields together. We've had more balanced, flowing gaits before. But we have never ridden in front of 50 people before. We discovered together today that we can trust each other - even when it's really hard.
So you see, it's really not about the blue ribbon we won; it's not about the scores of 9s and the 10; it's about accomplishing a goal that we set together. It's about practicing daily so that we both felt prepared. It's about bringing out the best in one another. The blue ribbon we won today will fade with time, but the memory and the foundation of what we created together never will!
Labels: confidence, dressage, harmony, musical freestyle, nottingham, winning
posted by NEC at
3:08 PM
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