Remember that moment of startling clarity? That all-too-familiar time you learned it does matter which side of the cone you start on, or that hoof polish is nearly impossible to remove right before entering the show pen? Whether it was a dose of humility or a valuable learning experience, almost every competitor today remembers those modest first steps.
Look back and laugh with us as top competitors share what they wish they’d known in the beginning, and the timeless lessons that horse showing continues to teach us all.
Pressure Is a Privilege
When you’re young, pressure feels heavy. You want to do well, impress the judges, and make your trainer proud. But as you mature, you realize that pressure itself is a privilege. It means you’ve earned the right to have expectations placed on you.
AQHA exhibitor Laina Banks says she wishes she’d understood this earlier. “When you lose, that is when you win,” she recalls, sharing advice from AQHA Hall of Fame member Bob Avila. “The most challenging rides are the ones I later credit for my biggest wins. We learn the most when we make mistakes.”
Horse showing teaches you how to handle the heat. Whether it’s in the show pen or in life, feeling pressure means you care. It means you’ve worked hard enough to have something worth protecting, and that’s something to be proud of.
Keep Showing Up and Trust the Process
Success rarely comes overnight. It’s built from early mornings, late nights, and quiet hours in the saddle when nobody’s watching.
Amateur Kim Guenther learned this lesson the slow way. “Maybe someone told me this when I was a kid, but I never truly understood that this could take a while, and that’s okay,” she says. “Even if it takes 20 years to make it to Congress, the thrill will not be diminished by the time it took to get there. So take your time and enjoy the ride.”
Consistency builds champions. Horse showing doesn’t reward the fastest, it rewards the most persistent. You learn to trust the process, to keep putting one foot (and hoof) in front of the other, even when progress feels invisible.
Don’t Take the Losses Personally
Every exhibitor has left the arena replaying a missed lead or a bad stop in their head. It’s human nature to take it personally. But horse showing teaches humility…and patience.
Longtime competitor Carey Nowacek admits she learned that lesson the hard way. “When I started showing Quarter Horses, I didn’t understand the Novice classes. I went into every class trying to ‘point out,’ and I did, quickly. I wish I’d taken those years to grow and learn.”
Losses aren’t verdicts; they’re feedback. If you can learn to look at a low score or missed placing as information instead of failure, you’ll move forward faster, not just in the show pen, but in every part of life.
Success Is Fleeting – Soak It In
There’s nothing like hearing your number called first. The months of work, the early mornings, the long drives. It all becomes worth it in that single, shining moment. But horse showing also teaches that success doesn’t last forever. Ribbons fade. Horses retire. Seasons change.
That’s why Select Amateur Susie Johns treasures the present. “This is a hobby, and I’m blessed every day I can still ride,” she says. “If things don’t always go great, there’s always another horse show, and the sun will come up tomorrow. Just be grateful for each day given to you.”
Trainer Blake Weis puts it simply: “Great horses make great trainers, not the other way around. And it’s more important in the long run to have a group of great clients than a group of really nice horses with rotten owners.”
Both lessons boil down to gratitude. Appreciate the wins when they come, because they’re fleeting. And they’re built on teamwork, not luck.
Enjoy Every Ride
If there’s one message echoed across every generation of exhibitors, it’s this: appreciate every ride, because one day it will be your last time entering that arena.
AQHA competitor Ashley Hadlock knows how true that is. “First of all, it’s so dang addictive,” she laughs. “But the kind of addiction you don’t regret. You form an unbelievable relationship with each horse. Enjoy the ride and the ups and downs because the memories are priceless.”
Amateur Lacey Armstrong agrees. “One thing I wish I knew before I started showing was how easily I’d give up milestone events like prom, vacations, weddings, all for the barn. But if I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Every exhibitor eventually learns that it’s not about the ribbons or the photos, it’s about the people, the horses, and the moments in between.
Lessons from the Past
From the novice who didn’t know which side of the cone to start on to the seasoned pro waiting hours at the gate, every rider learns something along the way.
Amateur exhibitor Ali Hubbell credits her success to the person who pushed her the most: her mom. “I used to hate it when my mom criticized my rides or wouldn’t let me miss a night at the barn. Now, after multiple World and Congress Top Tens, I see how much she helped me. She’s my biggest supporter, and I couldn’t do this without her.”
Multiple AQHA World and Congress Champion Lauren Crivelli wishes she’d known the value of investing in quality from the start. “It costs the same to show a naughty one as it does to show a good one. Always be a good sport, win, lose, or draw. We’re all doing this for the love of horses.”
And Amateur Kristy McKechnie reminds us that no one succeeds alone. “Have the right people around you,” she says. “I’ve learned the value of good people who care about the horse as much as the show. Stay with those who genuinely care about you as a person and your success.”
A Lesson That Lasts
Horse showing is more than a sport, it’s a lifelong classroom. It teaches you how to work hard without guarantees, how to win with grace, and how to lose without bitterness. It reminds you to stay humble, value your people, and enjoy the ride.
So to every young exhibitor just starting: embrace the nerves, trust the process, learn from the setbacks, and never take a single ride for granted.
Because someday, when you look back, you’ll realize the lessons learned in the show pen weren’t just about horses, they were about who you became because of them.
