Suzanne shares an older blog we can relate to all to well. To hear more of what she has to say, visit her blog: Confessions of an AA Event Rider and Convicted Overthinker.
So, there is this noble thought that circles around us amateurs: we do the things we do because we love our ponies. And that we compete for the love of the sport and the ability to be with our friends and our horses. There are so many threads on various Bulletin Boards that validate these thoughts and, yet, poo poo the idea of lovin' polyester.
So, here's another little secret... IT IS, KIND OF, ABOUT THE RIBBONS!
I carry no false nobility. I love my horse and caring for her and grooming and cleaning stalls and paying astronomical amounts of money to keep her healthy and fit enough to live a very good life. She has 22 hours each day to rest and rejuvenate from her hour or so under saddle. To be sure that her body is feeling good, she has a masseuse, a chiropractor and an acupuncturist administering frequent care.
Eventing is like a good game of golf. I train and practice to get better and better. I want to win, not to beat you, but to validate the work that I've put in. And, at the end of the day, I judge for myself... Did I have a good ride? Did my dressage get better? Was my jumping clean and rhythmic? And did we rock and roll in our cross-country run? If I finished the day learning something, having fun, still loving my lil' diva and thinking that jumping rocks, then it was, in fact, a great day - A ribbon is an added bonus!
Working hard and wanting to win is not shameful. It has no less dignity than loving the sport, loving my horse and wanting to be the best horseman I can be.
I once won a ribbon (8th Place) for a day that involved a stiff, spooky dressage test, a perfectly wonderful stadium jumping course and a XC run that included 2 stops at a "scary" yellow bench (jump). It did not make me happy to have that piece of brown polyester and I was not proud... our (my) performance was shabby to say the least. The ribbon did not change that ride.
Yet, the USEA just "reminded" us that we may have qualified for a Medal. I was immediately excited and checked. Yep, they were right, Sugar and I qualified for a Silver Medal at Novice. Still excited, I await my prize.
Have you earned a bronze, silver or gold medal for your level? Check out the requirements here and claim your recognition!
And just like that, it's the final day of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and it's a full one in terms of the schedule. Before moving on to the final phase, competitors in both the CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L divisions will have to undergo the final horse inspection at High Hope Lane which will kick off with four-star competitors at 8 a.m. EST and be followed immediately by the five-star contingency.
When Will Coleman, the overnight leader in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S division at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, walked Derek di Grazia’s cross-country track, he knew time was going to play a major factor in how the results would shake out upon the completion of the second phase.
“I really love riding the horses,” said Michael Jung. “I do it every day— riding the horses, training the horses, going to many, many competitions. I am really into the sport and with horses. I know it can go wrong all the time. So I try to go out, do my best, take care of the horse; if it went wrong, OK. It can happen, now you just be prepared for the next day.”
The time was tough to make in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S this morning at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and cross-country course designer Derek di Grazia made it just as tough in the CCI5*-L as well with just one rider making the optimum time of 11 minutes and 20 seconds—and somehow managing to do it twice on both of his entries!