While sitting at a horse show watching the horses that seem to be on auto pilot and picking up countless blue ribbons, have you ever thought, “Anyone could win on that horse”?
I must confess, I am guilty of thinking that very thing.
I knew that it wasn’t as easy as just climbing in the saddle and “pushing the buttons” so to speak. But it wasn’t until I saw Harley D Zip buck in the World Show arena while being ridden by an AQHA Professional Horseman in a Team Wrangler competition that I seriously questioned my beliefs. If the horse that had won more world titles, incentive money and AQHA points bucked with a person that rides horses for a living, there is a lot more to winning a world championship title than buying a talented horse.
With the costs of owning and showing horses, no one rides into the show arena to lose. Some people might not have world title aspirations, but for those that do, what does it really take to bring home the hardware?
To find some secrets to success, I contacted Karen Evans Mundy, who hung up her All-Around crown to become a coach, and Kaleena Weakly, a three-time AQHA All-Around winner.
“I think the number one thing is you have to want it really bad,” says Mundy, who has eight AQHA All-Around Amateur World Show titles and a trophy room full of world show hardware. “A lot of people say, ‘I want it,’ but I’ve seen in my coaching that it takes true dedication. Actions speak louder than words.”
Setting a goal is a good first step in achieving that goal. What are you willing to do to make that goal a reality and how long are you willing to work?
“The main thing is you really have to have the want to and the dedication no matter what happens,” Mundy says. “You never take your eye off of the goal no matter what it takes to get there.”
“So much goes in to being champion,” says Weakly, who won the AQHA All-Around title in 2007 with A Timely Promotion and the 2011 and 2012 title with Hours Yours And Mine. “It takes endless work ethic, determination and patience – the kind that continues through the hard patches and let downs and doesn’t stop just because you did win a big prize. To me it’s a lot about character as well, because being a champion isn’t something that happens overnight, it can be something that takes 20 years.”
Mundy and Weakly speak from experience.
“Some people have success early on and some people it takes a lot longer, but the main thing is you have to have the goal, the dedication and the passion,” Mundy says. “People didn’t realize that it took me nearly 20 years to get where I wanted to be and the success that I wanted to have. It didn’t come instantly for me. It took 20 years, but I knew what I wanted and I wasn’t going to give up no matter what. Having that passion, dedication and determination to never give up, that’s the No. 1 key.”
Mundy, who lives in Cedar Hill, Tennessee, earned her first All-Around Amateur award at the 1992 World Show. Her eight titles were earned in partnership with five different horses with whom she also earned 19 World Champion titles, 22 Reserve World Champion titles and six AQHA High Point All-Around Amateur Awards.
Mundy set high goals for herself, and her motivational beliefs are sprinkled throughout her website in the form of quotes such as Gary Ryan Blair’s “Success in any endeavor does not happen by accident. Rather, it’s the result of deliberate decisions, conscious effort, and immense persistence…all directed at specific goals.”
“I also truly believe it takes a ‘champion mentality,’” says Weakly, who lives in Shelbyville, Illinois. “Talking about your goals, having positive aspirations and saying them out loud. If you put positive thoughts out, they will come back to you.”
In order to reach your goals, Mundy suggests asking for help and not being above criticism especially from yourself.
“Don’t be barn blind and say, ‘I don’t know why I’m not winning,’” Mundy advises. “You’re not doing something right. You’re not going to win all the time, but you’ve got to be very objective about your horse and your ability. I was always very hard on myself, and I think that is something that you have to do. You can’t just go, ‘Well that was pretty good, why didn’t I win?’ It’s not good enough.
“I knew I wanted to be a world champion and my main goal was to win the all-around at the world show,” she adds. “There were years that I didn’t achieve that. I remember talking to several trainers that were successful even though they may not have been my trainer. I would just ask them what else I needed to do and to give me some tips. I was constantly seeking professional help.”
Mundy knew that she was gathering nuggets of advice that she hoped to form into a gold-winning performance.
“It might just be somebody knew just what to say as to what else I should be doing to be able to achieve what I wanted to achieve. If you want to be the big winner at the big shows, you can’t settle. You can’t settle for ‘it was really good except.’ You have to get the except out of the picture. At the upper level you can’t make those mistakes and be the winner. You have to self critique yourself. Your trainer can tell you what you need to do better, but you have to be hard on yourself. If you want to be at the upper level, pretty good’s not good enough. You have to demand perfection and work toward perfection.”
Weakly also suggest having a team of support.
“It is also important to have a supportive team,” Weakly says. “I believe in teamwork, and they must believe in you and your goals as well! In my experience, you must surround yourself with the right people, build a great partnership with your horse, believe and be positive in yourself, along with hard work and determination. And your time will come!”
Tips for Success from the Champions
- You have to learn to correct the problems and the mistakes to become a stronger rider.
- Even if you love to ride, you still have to practice to be the best.
- You can spend $300,000 on a horse, but you’ve got to be able to ride it and you’ve got to be able to show it if you want to win.
- People that are truly passionate want to ride all the time and want to get better.
- A trainer can show you what to do and can help you, but they can’t do the work for you to be better.
- Work with trainers that are knowledgeable in the areas that you want to show in or do better in. If a trainer’s never been where you want to go how are they going to know how to get there?
- Nobody loves riding without stirrups or reins on a lounge line, but that’s the kind of stuff you have to do to get better.
- Ask yourself, “How bad do I want it?” How much effort are you willing to put into being a champion?
