Why Am I Here Again? A Heartfelt Amateur Blog

By Wendy Brown

This ridiculously expensive, time sucking hobby is NOT for the faint of heart.

It will take a toll on your skin and bones. It will damage your bank account and potentially take you away from family who may begin to wonder if you love your horse more than them.

It will test your self-confidence and induce an array of negative self-talk:

“Why am I here?”

“My horse and I aren’t good enough.”

“I could be doing _____ right now.”

“I’m going to go broke just to put diesel in my truck, buy the clothes, maintain the horse, etc.”

“I should just scratch this class. There is no way I’ll place.”

“The judge hates me.”

“I‘m never going to be able to squeeze my fat a$$ into my chaps if I keep snacking and drinking White Claws all day.”

“I should just go home…”

And these were just a few of my thoughts from yesterday.

THEN someone, typically another codependent equine obsessed friend, notices you may be having an internal meltdown and talks you off the ledge.

….you then realize you are behaving like an ungrateful Veruca Salt. You pull up your breeches and get back in the ring. When low and behold ONE judge, that likely needs glasses, gives you a ribbon and you’re back to eating Mac N Cheese and mailing off your World Show entries.

Cheers to my horse friends. May we live to show another day and remember, it’s truly about our LOVE FOR THE HORSE and “our” PEOPLE is why we keep coming back.

If you need a pep talk, come find me so I can pay it forward. (some photos from Day 3 of the Show of the Year #1/2)

BTW…the Maserati and I may have earned a 1st, and a few other notable placings, out of 26 in the Amateur Walk-Trot Trail.