I get asked all the time at shows if I grew up with horses. The answer is more than a simple yes or no. Yes, I got my first pony when I was 9. Yes, we got another horse a couple of years later. And yes - I got the best horse ever when I was just a couple of year older than that. But I didn't grow up with horses the way a lot of people who see me now think that I did. For as important as showing is to our day to day horse lives today, my childhood horses never left the property; not for a trail ride and never for a horse show. Not even the county fair.
My first pony was your typical demon pony. While I was able to ride him for a few times before he figured out I was the greenest of green novices, once he had my number he had my number. After that point, he would crow hop or buck me off and I seldom got back on that pony. I do remember my dad getting on said paint pony and riding his naughty butt around, but even that wasn't enough to make me want to ride him again.
Meanwhile we got a pretty Arab mare who promptly foaled an adorable Arab foal that we didn't have nearly enough knowledge to deal with. But things really got serious when we sold the demon pony and bought Ole. Ole was a purebred, registered Arabian and I'm sure he had some fancy, Arabian sounding name. But he was Ole to me. He was a saint. Ole and I logged a LOT of miles a little bit of everywhere that I could get by horseback. We went down the road, up the road and all over our 50 acre and the adjoining family farm of hundreds more acres. I knew nothing of leads, or posting or horsemanship. We just rode and rode and rode; and we jumped every log in our way. We didn't mess around with saddles. Truth be told I wasn't that great at putting it on by myself and I didn't want to wait for help. Looking at this picture, I'm horrified first by my fashion choices and then by the bit in the poor horse's mouth second. Who knows where that scary long shanked sucker came from, but I can guarantee that cringy nylon bridle came from Fleet Farm.
It's shocking to see that I even bothered with a bridle because most of the time I would simply hop on with the help of a fallen log and a piece of twine string tied to his nylon halter if I had a piece of twine string. If I didn't I would simply reach down to pull his halter one direction or reach between his ears, grabbed the top of the halter and pulled back to stop. I had no idea that was unique or special, didn't everyone ride that way?
We knew next to nothing (other than what my dad remembered from growing up with work horses on the farm and he was tiny then). I read every horse book on the planet, but my horses never saw a farrier once in their lives with us, the lived in that pasture you see behind me with logs, equipment, a scrap iron pile and cattle. We had barbed wire fencing and they maybe got a tube of dewormer once a year and NEVER a vaccination. But my horses were never thin and they never had scary looking feet. Maybe we were just lucky? Or maybe I rode the feet right off them because I guarantee I rode twice a day nearly every day.
We went over creeks, up hills, down the gravel road. You name it - we did it. But I never once had a lesson or attended a horse show until Libby came along. When Libby was five I followed a friend to the local horse show circuit and before I knew it, we were showing. Talk about a dream come true. I know for a fact that we looked like the Clampett's come to town. We had the cheapest cardboard type saddles, the crappiest "show clothes" and knew virtually nothing. This was in 2006. I was 30 years old. I was 30 years old when I did my first class at a horse show. I fell off. Yep. It was bareback and I fell off. But I didn't give up. We had a vicious learning curve to hop on - it was more of a learning slide that we slid down in excitement mixed with a strong helping of sheer terror. I can't thank every single person who stopped us to offer us used show clothes or advice or tack along the way. No, you didn't offend me - I knew nothing and was trying to be a giant sponge.
I showed with Libby pretty steady for a couple years, literally 3 seasons I believe, and then Sophie was old enough to ride a pony of her own. I quickly figured out that I couldn't show and get two girls in the ring for their classes. I relished the job of horse show mom and became the mom with the camera. I took great pride in that role and I still am so proud of my girls showing today. It wasn't until 2015 that I got back in the saddle and started showing again. Here we are, 2020 and it is my 3rd season with China. Honestly it was so much easier when China was younger and there were zero expectations. I could play the "she's just a baby" card. But now - now I feel like we have something to prove and that's the kiss of death when you're showing horses.
There are all kinds of things that I don't know about teaching a horse to lope and showing one handed but thankfully I have a husband who has supported me taking the time and allowing me to spend the money to learn a little for me. No more soaking up whatever knowledge I can from the sidelines of the girls' lessons. I've been able to get some help on me the last two seasons and boy did I need help. I can't thank my good friend Aimee and Dan for all the help with China. I need it!
I feel a little left behind when fellow competitors talk about how horse showing has changed since they were a kid or their instructor always told me ..... It's hard to interject my story about how this one time, I was loping bareback on a muddy field road and Ole's legs went out from under him.... I get funny looks. Oops, but that's my frame of reference. I've learned everything I can from everyone I can for the last few years but I lack one key component to winning the next class. Confidence. Someone once said, confidence comes from winning classes. Nope. Lies. Confidence does not come from winning. Not for me anyway. Confidence comes from feeling like I'm doing the right thing with my horse to set her up to be the best she can be and have the best ride she can give me. I don't care about a $3 - 10 opinion. No one knows my horse like I know my horse. What she tells me is more important that any judge's card. (Sorry to all my friends who are judges - love you guys! I cherish your thoughts, but China's count more - sorry, not sorry.)
So yes - I grew up with horses. No I haven't been showing long and yep - I relish all the advice anyone can give me. When it comes to the fountain of knowledge that is horse expertise, I am the thinnest of trickles. I am more than willing to share the little bit of what I know with others starting out. Paying it forward - that's what showing horses SHOULD be about.
Comments