One of the great and inspiring things about the horse world is that there are so many different kinds of disciplines and sports to ride. The opportunities seem endless, the world your oyster, and I think many would agree you should definitely try your hand (and your horse's hoof) in at least a few different sports to see what you like and, better yet, demonstrate some talent in. However, at some point, most would agree to pick one or a few that you can focus your time, energy, and money on. There are only 24 hours in a day and only one You, no matter what your circumstances regarding income or access to resources may be.
The "logical" progression would be to compete in shows in your chose discipline(s), progressing up through the levels and going as high as you and/or your horse(s) can move up. Perhaps at some point the plan is to seek sponsorship, join a team, become associated with big names, compete internationally, or perhaps go pro and start your own business. After all, who wouldn't want to be paid to do what they love? Isn't that the dream?
The thing is that not all riders are cut out to compete at high levels, and not all trainers are good at business, and not all people continue to love the sport(s) they chose 10 or 20 years ago. We grow, and so do our goals, and that is okay.
It's easy to feel pressured by fellow riders and peers to "not give up" when the love is lost, to keep competing well beyond the point where you started hating it, keep teaching because your students do well yet your bills are sky high, or keep training to bring in income even though you endure pain on a daily basis. What happened to riding ponies because it was just .... enjoyable?
My latest blog article detailed my excursions into fox hunting and how it morphed from simply being able to check something off my bucket list to one of the most fun days in my life. It reminded me of why I got into horses in the first place: fun, laughter, comradery, that feeling of flying and being one with the horse, a dash of adrenaline, and of course the post-hunt wine certainly helped too. It affected me to the point where I realized I hadn't stopped smiling for days and days, and the realization finally dawned on me that what I HAD been doing up to that point was NOT making me smile.
At the start of the year, I had carefully drawn up a list of the various shows and clinics I wanted to attend (or at least aspired to attend) in a big spreadsheet. I thought I was being a good student by setting goals. I thought I was doing what I needed to do to progress. I thought that the more events I could get under my belt the better my riding would be and the less anxiety I would have and maybe, just maybe, I would LIKE showing. But the more I thought about showing, the more anxiety and dread would well up within me, and the more I thought about fox hunting, the more joy would radiate. I've had more comments than I can count on my hunt photos regarding my huge smile, that I'm glowing, and how obviously happy I look. I guess a picture really does say a thousand words.
Photographs purchased from Birgit Berghofer Equine Images
And then I thought, really, who am I trying to impress by showing? My friends? My coach? Some judges I've yet to meet? My horse? Myself? It turns out nobody cares if I show; I asked. The people who truly matter in my life (my REAL friends, my coach, my horse, myself) only care that Ginny and I are happy, healthy, having fun, and riding correctly/well.
All this to say that it's become more than glaringly obvious what direction my riding should take at this point (correction, ALL points) in my life:
Pursue the passion; ignore the noise.
Easier said than done; right? Passion is expensive lol. But so is noise, so my self-administered homework for the next few months is to see what resources I can redirect to make the pursuit of happiness more attainable. It's written down now, so step 1 of manifestation is done. Yay!
As for those reading and identifying with any of this, I encourage you to do a Life Audit as well. Are you happy? Are you smiling for days at a time? What truly matters, and what can be pared down? Who amongst your supports can you lean on to help you figure things out? I venture to say that they would be happy to be leaned on; chances are they want you happy too.
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