Facebook-Worthy Accomplishments…
EC Blog by: Allyson Hicks
In my opinion, pattern horses are super cool, and a well-executed pattern is one of the finest things to watch at a horse show. I have always loved seeing a perfect lead change; the cadence of the strides almost has a rhyme and rhythm. When I watch the good horses go, it’s like music to my ears. When you’re at a big show and watching a big class, it’s a finely tuned orchestra.
When I bought my new horse, I was really excited to do pattern work with him. I would often have a song stuck in my head while practicing, and, on our good days, his lead changes would be in tune to the music, at least most of the time…
At my first show with my new horse, I got pretty lucky and won Horsemanship under both judges on both days! I was pretty nervous walking into the arena that day, but, as soon as I jogged off, the inner music began. I was able to follow its lead, and my horse was a willing and talented partner. When the pattern portion of the class ended and everyone gathered for rail work, he wasn’t quite on his best behavior. Still, it was good enough to take home the blue and leave enough room for me to have something to work on for the future.
At a big show, a few weeks ago, I was really counting on him to deliver in another Horsemanship class. But, he obviously wasn’t “hearing the music,” or maybe he was following the beat of a different drum. He executed a perfect lead change; too bad it wasn’t in the pattern. I was able to do a quick lead change back to correct it, but not quick enough, and we got a big penalty for that extra maneuver. It was big enough to take us out of the top five for the day.
It’s pretty tough to go from first place, under both judges one day, to last place the next, especially when I’m reading on social media about everyone else’s success. It seems as if these days, Facebook news feeds are filled with happy pictures and cheerful posts about World Show qualifying, titles accomplished, ribbons earned, and trophies won. Oddly enough, nobody ever posts about the time they added an extra lead change in a pattern or missed their diagonal… Still, we all know those types of “learning experiences” have happened to everyone at some point.
Now, I’m supposed to say that the tough times build character, but I really don’t need more character. Really, I don’t! Still, these types of mishaps only make me want to get back into the arena and show again, hopefully really soon. I’d rather be back in the show pen with all of you than sitting at my house, in front of my computer, writing about my first year showing my new all-around horse.
So, throw a leg over your horse for me, and don’t fret if you add an extra lead change now and then, or even if you make up your own pattern. Life is only lived once, and you can’t make a mistake if you aren’t actually DOING something.
Until next time,
Allyson Hicks & No Fun Being Good
