When I first started riding horses it was because I loved doing it. I would take off for the woods and we would ride all day and come home before dark. I believed that my horse and I had a connection where he would do anything I asked of him. This however, was proven inadequate when we started competing in official shows. My horse and I placed last in every event. This was because I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing and because Dollar and Platters, my two horses, refused to participate nicely. They “pranced” when they were supposed to be standing still and it felt as if they hated being in the hot arena with the sun sweltering down on them. I gave up on competing until I turned 13. At this age many of my friends started participating in open shows in which they paid an entry fee and if they won the class they received prize money. Usually at least twice what they paid to enter.
When my friends started making a fair amount of money on the weekends it caught my attention. They were being paid to do something they loved, ride their horses. I decided that this was a way I could start saving money up for a car. By this time I realized how tough the competition would be because I went to a couple of shows with my friends to watch and see what all had to be done to win these classes. I was at a bad starting point. When I rode my horses it was strictly for us. We would go on trail rides and I would let him choose which paths to take and therefore letting him be in control of our situations.
I was aware of how hard it would be to achieve my goal and that it would take a lot of time and sweat on my part. At 13 years old I was still only around four feet tall and weighed no more than 80 pounds. My horses were both 16 to 17 hands and weighed relatively 2000 pounds. The only way to teach them anything was to wear them out. This seemed impossible without also doing the same to me.
Being it as that I had no previous experience with competitions and neither did my parents I began researching by reading magazines and books. I watched television programs on the television taught by Clinton Anderson. The most influential difference was spending time with my horses riding them and practicing with my friends.
In the beginning it was extremely difficult Platters and Dollar had no interest in listening to me or practicing the exercises I had planned to wear them out. The continuously tried to direct me to the trails we usually rode on instead of staying in the pasture riding in circles. Neither of my horses had much experience with the lunge line I put them on to make them tired before I tried to teach them something new. When a horse is lunged he is at the end of a long rope line and runs in a circle around you while you continue to keep his pace. They tried to run from me instead of around me.
I knew that we were improving when my horses began to lunge correctly and began to slow their pace when I was riding them. They began to react correctly to my signals that were verbal as well as physical about two or three months into training them. I invited friends over on occasion and we would watch each other ride and give our thoughts on how our horses looked and if we had improved any. Some of their parents were more experienced with horses than mine and told me that the work I had done was well worth it. Around six months after I began training one of my friend’s parents encouraged me that Dollar and Platters were both ready enough to participate in a competition. I however, did not want to risk the entry fee.
Instead I waited until our county fair was approaching. If I placed well in the versatility class then I would begin competing in open shows. Versatility is a class that combines all of the riding skills a rider and horse can compete in at an open show. There is an English class, followed by a tack change into western attire, a western class, a pattern, and finally a gaming event. At my local fair this is one of the biggest awards for a member of the horse and pony club. There were over 15 other competitors in my class, with many of their horses being professionally trained. At the end of the event I got second place. I was extremely proud of the work that my horse Platters and I had done. At the end of the week there was an open show in which we competed against trainers and we continuously placed first or second in almost every class we competed in. I had never felt more accomplished in my life. I was so proud of the work we had done and began competing more often saving the money up for a car. My parents were so impressed that they said that whatever I saved they would match to buy me a car. This resulted in me picking a car that is still mine today and running just fine. My peers were aware of the fact that I trained my horse myself and began asking me for tips. The people that impacted me the most were the other trainers that asked me to come help them train some of their horses and that they would split the profits with me. My parents would not allow me to do this so instead I helped train my peers’ horses for free. From this experience I learned that anything you set your mind to is achievable you do not have to have an outside influence to help you accomplish your goals.
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