Q. I have shown for one season, been riding for two years. My first show of the year is coming up. Not only is it my first time in normal classes (last year I was in walk/trot, learning what was expected), but it’s an Arabian show – much higher scale than before. So there is going to be twice the nervousness, but my trainer will tell me all about it!
I know about not getting too competitive, but it is my nature. I don’t get mean about it or really show it on the outside; I keep it in. I don’t compete with my friends; we have already discussed that. I do have a rival, though. We don’t like each other to begin with, so we always try to beat each other. Like I said, I don’t show how competitive I am. We both just know how the other feels and we just ignore one another, but boy do we love to beat each other! I’ll try as hard as I can, and anything less than perfect will never be good enough. I am a perfectionist – another one of my “natural qualities”, but it does have good points.
I do love to compete and win, but I did decide that I either was going to get back to the fun of riding or I wouldn’t show. Needless to say, I’m going to be showing next year for fun … mostly (you still can’t top the feeling of a blue ribbon being pinned on your mount!). Riding has become more than a sport for me; I love it again. I hope I can keep it that way!
A. It can be a little challenging to keep your focus on the enjoyment of the animals and the sport when you’re too concerned with winning the blue. Apparently, you’ve already figured that out. But there really isn’t any reason why one should exclude the other. I believe you can have the best of both worlds – love the horse … love the show. It can work that way if you don’t get overly competitive.
I’m very attuned to what can happen when showing becomes an obsession with young riders. I’ve seen a number of promising, previously horse-loving, young show riders become so involved in their competitive goals that they become very resentful anytime they don’t win. These riders eventually ended up selling their horses and quitting riding altogether (*not* when they were my students). And I’m sure every one of them would have said such a thing would never happen to them. These girls all adored their horses and loved to ride at one time (when they *were* my students). It broke my heart to see what happened to their equestrian passions when they got involved with an instructor who emphasized competing to win at any cost. Their horses suffered. They suffered.
I can tell you that when I was showing, I took little pride or pleasure in the blues I won when my horse gave me a very mediocre ride. It wasn’t enough to know my ride had been better than the others in the ring. My focus was always in performing up to my ability and showing the best my horse had to offer. When that happened, I was happy, regardless of the color of the ribbon I ended up with (if, in fact, I ended up with a ribbon at all). When my horse or I was lacking in performance, any ribbon won meant little to me. That’s how I kept my priorities straight.
If you intend to show seriously, however, you must have a certain amount of competitiveness. The breed shows are considerably more competitive than the showing experiences you’ve had so far. You’re going to be in the ring with folks who make their living off their horses and the reputations they earn in the show ring. It’s a whole other world, and the stakes are much higher. You can’t and shouldn’t attempt to compete with their motives for being in the ring.
Your perfectionism will be your greatest asset and your most dangerous potential downfall in preparing for the competitive show ring; I know … I am Queen of the Perfectionists. Perfectionism will keep you striving for that perfect canter transition, that perfect rein back, that perfect post without stirrups … and that is what will keep you in the ribbons. However, perfectionism taken to extremes will leave you dissatisfied to some degree with virtually every ride you ever experience. You may end up dismounting at the end of every ride thinking about what you should have done better rather than everything you enjoyed about being in the saddle in the first place. That’s the real danger of perfectionism.
And so we’re back to what I’ve already written about competition. It’s fine to enjoy showing and trying always to do your best, but you’ll be sorry if you do it at the expense of what really keeps you in the saddle … your love of horses. When you enter the show ring, do your best and have fun regardless of the outcome. And remember, even if you and/or your horse completely blow a class (which happens to everyone at some time, I might add), the experience you gain will be of great use to you in your future rides. Don’t allow competition to become your primary focus unless competing is truly more important to you than the animals that carry you into the ring. Just keep your priorities straight.