Riding the Rollercoaster: Stages of an Equestrian’s Life
By Rebecca Barber
Horses have an uncanny way of keeping us humble. One moment we believe that we are invincible and a day later we may feel as though a toddler could ride better than we can. Each and every horse we get on has something unique to teach us, and it’s through these experiences that we realize just how much we have left to learn when it comes to advancing in our sport.
First Ride: “I’m so so so excited! But wait, what if this huge animal runs away with me? Ok, this isn’t too bad. Look, I can stop and turn! I’m officially hooked! When can I ride again?”
Newbie: “I’m starting to get the hang of this. Give me another month or two and I will have it down. Now I just need to catch up to Susie. She gets all the fun horses. I’d better buy some tall boots, I’m going to be dominating in the show ring soon.”
Intermediate: “Ugh, I’m never going to be able to ________! I don’t know how everyone else makes it look so easy. Seriously, I’m a horrible rider. Why do I even try?”
Advanced: “Practice, practice, practice, practice. Just have to keep trying. Yesterday’s ride wasn’t great, but we made some progress. Excited to see what tomorrow holds.”
Expert: “I just have to ride the horse that I have today. What works today, might not work tomorrow, and tomorrow’s issue might be completely different than the one we had today. It’s a process. Just have to keep chipping away at it…”
Developing as a rider is a wild rollercoaster ride. There will be incredible highs; remember the first time you cantered? Or the time you nailed the difficult angled line on cross-country? But unfortunately there will also be frustrating lows and times when you just want to give up.
To survive in this sport I’ve found it incredibly important not to concentrate on the extremes. You have to take it day by day and remember to enjoy the little things. As one of my good friends always says, “The better you get at riding and the more experience that you gain, the more you realize how little you actually know and how far you still have to come.”