Recently at a horse show, I overheard a few people venting about how they
placed – or didn’t place – in their classes, and that they were going to hang
up their spurs and stop showing. I know that is how they felt in the heat of the
moment, and I don’t really think they will never show again, but that got me
thinking…When is it time to call it quits? When is enough, enough?
When it isn’t fun anymore
For most of us, showing is a hobby. We do it because we want to, and we enter
shows voluntarily of our own free will, and (hopefully) with a sound mind and
body. If showing isn’t fun or becomes a cause stress, either emotionally or
financially, then you may want to take a step back and reassess why you are
doing this in the first place. Winning is a lot better than getting gated, but
at the same time, there is a lot more to horse showing than the placing of the
classes. If you focus on the things that you really enjoy, the trophies become
the icing on the cake.
When you are not getting the results
that you want over time
We’ve all had times that we felt we had an amazing ride and got overlooked by
the judges. But how many times have we gotten under-looked and ended up winning
a class because nobody saw your horse buck in the corner? If you have one of
those days where you feel like taking your toys and going home, it’s OK to feel
that way, but don’t let one class or show cloud your entire career. Feeling
like you were ripped off is an emotional feeling, and the best way to
extinguish an emotional flame is with huge blast of cold, hard facts. If you
haven’t done it, get a copy of your show records and take a look at your
statistics. Because of our brain’s negativity bias, we tend to remember the
times that we didn’t do well, not the times that we had a great ride and were
rewarded for it. If you notice that you are consistently down in the placings,
then you may want to do some further investigation and come up with a game plan
for improvement.
Keep Your Own Record Book
After each class, take a minute or two and just jot down what you did well, and
what you can improve upon for next time, and give performance a score from 0
-10 based on how well you rode, not how you placed. Let’s face it, in deep
competition, like it or not, if you feel like you performed at a 7 or an 8 out
of 10, you probably shouldn’t win your class, and maybe the judging was not
that far off.
On the other hand, if the only reason you are showing is because
you like to win, and you consistently feel that you are riding at a 9 or a 10
in each class, and you are placing at the bottom of the class each time, then
you may need to drastically change what you are doing in order to consistently
place in the top 3 every time.
Kirsten Farris is a regular contributor to GoHorseShow.com and a Certified Sport Consultant, Certified Equestrian Fitness Trainer, and the Author of The Workbook for the Equestrian Athlete – A Guide to Showring Success. For more information contact her at:kirsten@equestrianathlete.com © 2012
