A Tale of Two Arenas

EC Blog by: Etta Lauchland

This year was my first year attending the AQHA Level 1 Championships, and, I have to admit, I was incredibly nervous! I’m not like most riders, in the sense that I compete in both pleasure and ranch based events on the same horse. At Vegas, I didn’t see another horse walk from the ranch pen into any type of pleasure pen. This caused me to be incredibly worried that I wouldn’t fit in with either crowd; but, then I realized that to be successful, I had to put my nerves aside, center myself, and stop worrying about what others thought of me.

I ended up placing 8th in L1 Youth Ranch Riding, 6th in Rookie Youth Trail 14-18, and Top 15 in L1 Youth Trail 14- 18! Placing so well and having so much fun really boosted my confidence in both me as a rider and my horse’s ability to deliver in all events.

Whether I’m competing at a local show or out of state, I usually receive a mixed bag of opinions. The most common reaction is curiosity! I have people come up to me in the ranch warm-up and say, “Wait, weren’t you just in Horsemanship?” or “Isn’t that the same horse from Trail?” Those questions are also followed by comments like, “That’s incredible he can do that all in one day,” and, “I wish my horse could do both.” Through all the positivity, there’s inevitably going to be some negativity. I’ve been told in the Horsemanship line to, “Stay on the ranch with the cows,” and to, “Go back to where you came from. You aren’t good enough for this.” The most common one is, “She didn’t deserve to win. She’s not a true ranch rider like the other girls.”

These are the comments that ran through my head at the AQHYA World Show this year. But, I always have to remind myself that the only opinions that matter are those of my trainer and the judges. Showing in two completely different events can be incredibly challenging, but also more rewarding than I could ever imagine. I have learned how to improve as a rider since moving between two events so quickly requires an equally fast riding style adjustment.

What many people don’t know about Woody and I is that we started together in the pleasure pen! I only started doing Ranch Riding about two or three years ago. It’s incredible that we have come so far, so fast, and I owe it all to him for putting up with me when I couldn’t get my events straight in my head!

Do you have something to say about a topic in the horse industry? Email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.