Admit it: you’ve seen the scenario unfold before your very eyes. A star exhibitor executes an unexpectedly substandard performance during a high stakes situation. As he exits the ring with his horse, the awkward silence follows him out.

I have no regrets,” said Payton Manning when he announced his retirement from the NFL this year, not long after the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 and the sports world was abuzz with speculation. Did he pick the right time? How did he know when it was time to retire? Is he really done? Did he go out at the top of his game?

Eleven year-old Blythe Goguen went to her first horse show when she was just three weeks old, and horses have played an important role in her life ever since. She has the unique experience of having one foot in two distinct but equally competitive horse worlds.