The Power of Positivity is a Facebook page that is dedicated to helping motivate people every day. Their joyful posts give us a daily reminder of how we should try to seize every day.
Their video, “10 Rules to Live By”, inspired us to incorporate these tips to fit the horse show lifestyle.
Below are Ten Rules to Live By in the Show Arena that will help you get the most out of life, in and out of the arena.
1) Give Thanks
As a collective group of horse lovers and enthusiasts, we are lucky enough to spend a great deal of time around horses. Whether you are a trainer who is paid to ride and train, a competitor who spends their weekends away at horse shows or an owner who spends all of their free time in the barn, it is important to keep in mind that not everyone is lucky enough to have these animals in their lives.
People all over the world love and dream of owning a horse but never get the opportunity. However, we are a special group of people who often may take our time with these majestic animals for granted. All too quickly things may change and take our beloved horses away from us. Therefore, making every moment that we are in their presence count is very important.
2) Silence is Beauty
Often in the horse world, we will come across many strong personalities from top industry professionals to those who just live and breathe horses. When people are so passionate about a common interest, ideas often clash and can leave endless possibilities for open disagreements.
Though we all put our heart and souls into this one event, it is no wonder that we can get a little riled up when someone says something that we don’t agree with. However, that is the beautiful thing in the situation. We do not always have to agree with one another.
From various techniques and beliefs, to clashing methods and theories, it is okay to not agree with everyone we meet. Sometimes silence and avoiding retaliation can be the better result in the long run.
3) Actions Speak Louder than Words
With social media being so popular, it is not uncommon to see people talking up a big game. Though this is common in many arenas even among horses, it is always good to keep in mind that actions speak louder than words.
Sure, anyone can say what they are going to do. However, what they end up doing can sometimes be another story. When you love something and take the time to dedicate and commit to it, following through and putting your money where your mouth is can help to further your game in the long run.
Everyone can have passion, but it is only those who go out and work for their dreams and push through even when the going gets tough that will come out on top.
4) Learn from the Past
In an ever-evolving world, it is no secret that things change. New programs and ideas will develop, sometimes those will be contradictory of the past. Though it can seem difficult to keep up on the rapidly changing horse world from rules in the handbook to how we communicate with our horses, we can all learn from our past experiences.
Your vet, trainer and farrier will not always be on the same page. You can also experience one thing at home and then your horse will act totally different once arriving at the horse show. When things begin to change and aren’t always what they seem, remember that we are always learning and improving. Horses will teach us a new lesson every day if we just open our ears and listen.
5) Never Give Up
An industry that costs so much money, takes up so much time and can cause so much heartbreak is easy to quit. No one enjoys experiencing the hardships that come along with owning horses.
When the going gets tough, the easiest solution is usually to give up. While cutting your losses may seem like the right thing to do at the given time, it is important to remind yourself why you began doing it in the first place.
We will all face trials and tribulations that involve our horses and sometimes it does get hard to carry on. However, if you push through the hard parts, you will experience much greater rewards in the long run when everything comes together and pays off.
6) Don’t Let Others Steal Your Peace
Competition is huge in the horse world. Everyone wants to be on top of their game and on the top of the judge’s card. When we take part in a sport where we are paying for an opinion, the judges are always different and will not always agree on any given day.
This being said, different people will come out on top day after day. Though it can be very discouraging to have a great ride and not be awarded for your efforts, just keep in mind that every dog has its day.
Looking back to where you started and seeing all the progress that has been made to get to this point is far more rewarding than a ribbon. Merely watching our competitors succeed can rob us of happiness when there is so much that we should be proud of ourselves for.
7) Be Patient
Horses are not robots and they are not machines. Horses are animals that have their good days and bad, just like people. When a new baby hits the ground, it will take time and patience for it to mature into a great show horse.
Teaching a horse a new event or even trying to learn some new skills yourself can be a long journey. Staying patient is key in the horse world if you ever want to achieve success. All great things take time.
There can often be a learning curve when we try to master a new subject and staying dedicated and practicing over and over again can only help to better us. Though it is one of the toughest skills to master, staying patient is very important on your journey to success.
8) Integrity is Everything
Horses give us the ability to work on ourselves and become better people. We learn how to care for something, love something and how to put everything else on hold when it comes to our animals.
One of the biggest lessons that we can learn from our horses is how to have integrity. Being honest and having good character is something that benefits us in and out of the ring. Fairness and trustworthiness are also large parts of having integrity.
In the horse world, no one can always hold your hand and keep an eye to making sure you are doing what is right. However, if someone has integrity, they will work harder, perform better and reap the benefits that come along in the end.
9) It’s Okay to be Scared
We all try new things at one point or another in our lives and we would be lying if weren’t all scared or nervous at the start. This being said, don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.
Showing at big shows in front of hundreds of people is no small feat. Those of us who have been showing for years will still get nervous at times, even though we may try to hide it. Being scared at times is just part of human nature. Though we may worry about the final outcome, being afraid is just a part of life. If we let our fear get the best of us, we could miss out on many learning opportunities.
10) Enjoy the Ride
It is easy to get caught up along the way in our fast paced world. In the horse business, we go from show to show every weekend and often don’t take the time to reflect on our past. We spend much of our time preparing for what is to come and focusing on the future.
Remembering to pause along the way and enjoy the ride is important as it could be over sooner than we think.
Living in the moment is really what it is all about. When we love something as much as this sport, taking the time to sit back and smell the roses can help put things back into perspective and keep us from getting caught up in our own heads.
Summary
These Ten Rules to Live By in the Show Arena can be used in any scenario from horseback riding to the outside world. Staying thankful, learning from our mistakes, being patient and never giving up are all things that we should remind ourselves daily. In order to be as prepared as possible, these are all good rules to keep in mind so we can get the most out of our experience.
