Why Do I Ride?
Before I get into exactly why I ride, I feel like I should tell you how I became interested in horses. When I was little, I came home from school and asked my mom if I could participate in competitive cheer, like all the other girls. My mom said that she would “look into it,” but really she had no intention of doing that because she did not want me in competitive cheer, nor did she have any interest in being a cheer mom. As a Pre-K student, I would always check out horse and animal books from the library and one day my friend, Eloise, told me she rode horses. I was very curious about what it was like to ride a horse, so I couldn’t wait to get home from school to ask my mom if I could ride horses. My mom immediately scheduled lessons for me. I guess she was quick to schedule lessons because she figured she would rather be at a barn than a cheer competition. So, at the age of six I began riding saddle seat. Instantly, I fell head over heels in love with horses and everything about them. Although back then, I most likely just thought horseback riding was fun and enjoyable, and had no idea exactly why I loved riding so much.
Now, after three years of eventing, I have realized that the important things are not the ribbons, your place in a show, or the amount of prizes you gain, but the experiences and the friends you make along the way. Eventing is a hard sport, to say the least, but I am in love with it! There is nothing like the adrenaline rush that eventing brings, even for a roller coaster lover like myself. Cross-Country offers a strange blend of fear combined with an insane amount of fun. Quite frankly, every time I leave the start box I feel nervous yet excited all at the same time. I love to jump…period! The pressure of knocking down rails, remembering your course, and setting up your horse correctly to every fence is intense but the feeling of having a clear round and flying over oxers and verticals is immeasurable. Dressage was not something I would have ever said I loved but that is certainly not the case now. Dressage brings out my perfectionism and over-analytical qualities which may be a good or bad thing. But.... when everything falls into place and the stars align, dressage is very rewarding and enjoyable. There is something about dancing around the dressage ring with a horse responding to all your aids, making your movements look effortless, that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything.
So, why exactly do I ride? I ride because there is nothing like feeling the connection between you and your horse on a cross-country field, in a show jump arena, in a dressage ring, or even while grooming in the barn. To me riding is so much more than, “just sitting up there,” as some people may like to say. In any discipline of riding you learn to mature, have respect, and to be on the same page as another animal who, at times, has their own plans. Riding has taught me perseverance, to think in the moment, to be confident, and to keep getting up no matter how many times I fall because I have put too much effort into this sport to just quit. Riding has shown me the meaning of true friends and what it is like to have friends that support you no matter who wins or loses. I have learned to ride not for the blue ribbons but for the experience, the knowledge, and for bettering myself and my horse in every ride. You may fall, get thrown, have injuries, drop rails, forget a test, have time penalties, run-outs, and your horse will out of nowhere decide that they do not like a fence, but none of that matters, because at the end of the day you will come out a better rider.