Recently, I had the realization that good things really are worth the wait.
So, why is the wait so hard to endure?!
It took me months to find Favian; really, it took me three and half years
if you want to get technical. Let me assure you, I was looking hard,
leaving no stone unturned. I experienced numerous let downs and dead
ends that left me thinking I might never find the right horse. Just when
it felt like I was never going to get my prize pony, the stars and dollar
signs seemed to align and finally I found Favian!
From the moment I had Favian I just wanted to hurry up and do
everything I had been waiting for, for years! I want to shout out a
HUGE thank you to Jann Byyny who talked some sense into me very
early one morning during a lesson when she helped me remain
patient and assured me that the talent is there- but it takes time to
a partnership develop. It's a partnership that is worth the wait to take
my time and make sure I develop right, with a strong foundation
and trust.
From the beginning Favian has been amazing, already exceeding many
of my expectations! After successful outings going training at Virginia
and Waredaca I was on the fence about whether or not he was ready
to go Prelim at Surefire two weeks ago. Of course, I want to hurry up
and have an FEI horse again, but I decided to wait until our last cross
county schooling the Wednesday before Surefire to make my decision
about moving up or not.
Luckily, I woke up and realized how stupid I was being! Was I going
to wait for something disastrous to happen to make my decision for
me?? We ran around the training that weekend and he was foot perfect!
PERFECT! The feeling of now knowing I have a horse ready to move
up is so much more fulfilling than running around a XC course at a
higher level wondering what to expect at the next combination.
Debating between the direct route or the option as you gallop down to
it is never a good feeling!
I appreciated going back to Surefire and schooling the Prelim and
knowing that I probably could have had a clean round. I hope that
when we move up at Loch Moy I find out it was worth the wait!!
Knock wood as I know you need luck just as much as anything else
in this sport, however, I'm feeling excited and prepared, not just
lucky.
So, why is the wait so hard to endure?!
It took me months to find Favian; really, it took me three and half years
if you want to get technical. Let me assure you, I was looking hard,
leaving no stone unturned. I experienced numerous let downs and dead
ends that left me thinking I might never find the right horse. Just when
it felt like I was never going to get my prize pony, the stars and dollar
signs seemed to align and finally I found Favian!
From the moment I had Favian I just wanted to hurry up and do
everything I had been waiting for, for years! I want to shout out a
HUGE thank you to Jann Byyny who talked some sense into me very
early one morning during a lesson when she helped me remain
patient and assured me that the talent is there- but it takes time to
a partnership develop. It's a partnership that is worth the wait to take
my time and make sure I develop right, with a strong foundation
and trust.
From the beginning Favian has been amazing, already exceeding many
of my expectations! After successful outings going training at Virginia
and Waredaca I was on the fence about whether or not he was ready
to go Prelim at Surefire two weeks ago. Of course, I want to hurry up
and have an FEI horse again, but I decided to wait until our last cross
county schooling the Wednesday before Surefire to make my decision
about moving up or not.
Luckily, I woke up and realized how stupid I was being! Was I going
to wait for something disastrous to happen to make my decision for
me?? We ran around the training that weekend and he was foot perfect!
PERFECT! The feeling of now knowing I have a horse ready to move
up is so much more fulfilling than running around a XC course at a
higher level wondering what to expect at the next combination.
Debating between the direct route or the option as you gallop down to
it is never a good feeling!
I appreciated going back to Surefire and schooling the Prelim and
knowing that I probably could have had a clean round. I hope that
when we move up at Loch Moy I find out it was worth the wait!!
Knock wood as I know you need luck just as much as anything else
in this sport, however, I'm feeling excited and prepared, not just
lucky.
For more information on XC schooling at Surefire click here: https://youtu.be/m-NCWEEJztg Another amazing horse in our barn, Dewey Square, reminds me to be patient with horses that are career changing into eventing. Dewey was such a successful and talented racehorse and he was used to doing everything everything his way- and doing it well! I appreciate how willing he has been to learn new things, most recently, how to bend right! He hadn't done that in 6 years and it never seemed to be a problem as a willing and winning horse on the track! XC schooling him has been incredibly rewarding. Going slowly and breaking things down into their most basic pieces is the way you seem to progress the fastest. XC schooling cannot be likened to a dress rehearsal; attempting to do the entire combination from start to finish several times does not necessarily teach your horse anything! You don't teach a horse FEI 2* Test B by just attempting it everyday! XC must be looked at the same way. Dewey seems to dig this mentally as he has taken to XC schooling so quickly, which is so exciting! He seems to enjoy the grass and hills after spending his early years on a flat dirt track! |
As I look forward to Loch Moy this weekend, I feel obligated to post a public service announcement. I want to take a moment to talk about one thing that is NOT worth the wait- entering an event! Mary Coldren helped inspire me to write about this. Do you know how Mary spent her 4th of July holiday?? Trying to sort out roughly 500 entries for MDHT II as fairly as possible. The Sunday before closing there were 125 entries total and only 2 days later there were now over 500 entries!! That's just not believable! She had to go through the entries and figure out literally to the minute who entered when in order to make a fair wait list. I assure you, this is not what she is getting paid to do! Just like the rest of us eventers, it's not for the money :) Just think about that the next time you wait until the last minute to enter an event! I will admit I am guilty of this myself sometimes, not sure what the future will hold for each horse, but imagine if just one person from each barn does that! We all know Mary is amazing at what she does but let's try to make an effort to let this start to be the exception rather than the rule! Thinking along the same lines, I feel strongly that each competitor should have to be involved with volunteering at a recognized competition. I remember when I was first taking all of the classes to get my judge's license. The one thing I questioned early on- why on earth does anyone want to organize an event?! What a massive and often thankless undertaking! I don't think riders are trying to be rude, I think they just don't really have a clue as to all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Try volunteering- just once, just for half a day even! You would be amazed at what you can learn. Scribe for a dressage judge or the show jumping judge, you will learn exponentially! My hope is that competitions make this as pleasant an experience as possible. I've definitely seem some people wanting to help and not organized or guided properly. It's a nightmare when they put a kid out at the SJ in gate- we need good volunteer coordinating decision that make it a positive experience for the volunteer as well! Thank you ALL at the MDHT II ahead of time for a fantastic weekend that was totally worth the wait ;) |
