Little and Large Achievements

[*Sez*]

Does anyone ever think that their achievements with their horse are belittled by others? Typically, I don't really give a fig what anyone says about my lad, but it just got me thinking about the context in which we take our achievements.

It was commented on recently, by someone I would say was an aquaintance, that at age ten, Sal is now heading "over the hill" and we have achieved nothing in the years that I've owned him. She went as far as to say that she would be "ashamed" to never achieve anything with a horse even at a local level. I'll admit that it did bother me a little for all of a nano-second because I did buy Sal with the intention of getting out and about, starting dressage and doing a bit of local show jumping, and we haven't managed any of that. However, I was a little surprised (not a lot, as this particular lady is a self-confessed believer that ex-racers are "good for nothing"), as I feel that we've achieved a lot, and right now we're just taking a short haitus before resuming work. My current achievement is that I have a happy, healthy horse and that we're both relaxed and content.

Personally, I feel that the recovering of my confidence in him last year after a very nasty accident was a massive achievement, and the fact that I believed in my horse, stood by him, investigated the causes of his "dangerous" behaviour and finally overcame them was another huge achievement. We may not be winning competitions, we may not have progressed with his jumping skills and I may not have a wall of rosettes, certificates and trophies, but I certainly don't feel like the last 31 months has been without its achievements.

I thought it would be inspiring to read other people's equine achievements, whether it was a good score at your latest dressage test or competition, or that you had your first lesson without falling off, and anything and everything in between.

 

[flopsypop]

I feel like I acheive something everyday with Sharna because so many people had written her off and said all I'll be able to do with her is hack (if I'm brave enough!).

It's been so lovely to prove them wrong and at our first proper dressage we came 4th out of 33 so that was a major acheivement to me. I nearly cried I was that happy!!

 

[shoniedaspony]

Im absolutely thrilled that i took my horse to his first ever sponsored ride, and he was immaculately behaved. And he was totally written off a few years ago.. Literally brought tears to my eyes as he didnt jog, was mega chilled, and jumped everything i pointed him at.

Unfortunately he tripped after one of the jumps and i fell off and broke my collarbone , but then he was ridden back to the lorry park along a road, by one of the marshalls who he had never met before, and he was perfectly behaved too.

So overall, not the best day out, but i was so proud of him and how sensible he was!

 

[Abserd]

I see the fact that i'm actually doing the one thing that i love the most, even if it scares me sometimes, as the biggest achievement in my life. Particularly as the lowest point in my life led me to finally taking the plunge and getting lessons. None of my other qualifications or experience in other fields mean as much as when i can go to the stables, muck out, know how to tack up and do basic schooling, or go out with another friend and hack out, on different horses. Every little achievement is huge to me

 

[Trewsers]

Sadly there are many horse people who seem to think that shows / showing / dressage comps / xc comps are the be all and end all and that anything less is just not worth discussing!!!! Each to their own and I admire anybody who gets out there and does a bit, but its not for everybody and I feel that we all achieve many things with our horses, just by being around them and handling them every day.

 

[Sophie..*]

Yep got told that dougie would never be good at dressage or jumpig etc, but it makes me feel proud where we ar now hes tried his little heart out for me

 

[redredred]

i have been riding a new RS horse for 2 weeks now and when she came she would buck if you asked her to canter, didn't bend at all and was very slow. last week we got canter from the first time i asked her and 2 circles of bend which i was very proud of! absolutley insignificant to anyone else but it gave me a large grin!

 

[eventerbabe]

i got told quite recently that horses were pointless unless you competed them i bit my tongue and made my excuses as if i'd responded i'd have bitten the womans head off horses are my hobby. I don't have them to win prize money or rosettes or to make a living from them. They are first and foremost pets and i get far more satisfaction from teaching a horse like kezzie to pick his feet up on verbal commands than i do going out competing, which 90% of the time i find stressful, expensive and end up being snubbed by the toffee nosed local RC riders who think they are oh-so much better than everyone else my most recent achievement is training toby to stand still by a mounting block. he's Mr Fidget but we've cracked it and i was delighted!

 

[Joyscarer]

My fondest memory with Joy is when she groomed me for the first time. I cried because she was never a cuddly horse, never demonstrative and used to being got ready quickly at a riding school with little one to one time so this was a majoy breakthrough.

Ridden achievement has been getting Joy to be a reasonably sensible hack. I had to start from strach with that as although she had been ridden out on farmland occasionally solo she hadn't been on roads.

 

[go max!]

This is just my opinion, but if you only judge yourself by how well you do in competitions, and by how many rosettes you have, then you are relying on other people to say how well you have done. Measure yourself by your own standards, and don't bother whether that is the same as anyone else's.

When my youngster was 1, I took him to a local show. He loaded perfectly, travelled 20 minutes to the show, stood by the trailer, while we got ready, did one class - came third out of three, then loaded perfectly again and came home. Some people we knew laughed that he had only done one class and come last - I knew he was the best horse there - he had behaved perfecftly all day, had lovely manners, and had loaded and unloaded without a hitch. What more could you ask for? It didn't matter to me that a judge didnt think he was as good as the other two yearlings, or even that he mistook my Haflinger for a Section D.

You know when you have done well - that first hack, the schooling session when he does everything you ask. THere was one session where I taught my friend's mare to stand still while she mounted. Took me over an hour, everyone thought I was mad, but ever after that she would stand rock still while her rider mounted. That was worth more than any red rosette.

Competitions can be good fun - I 've competed in a heck of a lot during my time riding and driving, but dont judge your success (or lack of!) by them.

 

[*Sez*]

This is just my opinion, but if you only judge yourself by how well you do in competitions, and by how many rosettes you have, then you are relying on other people to say how well you have done. Measure yourself by your own standards, and don't bother whether that is the same as anyone else's.

This is the reason that dressage is my aspiring competition of choice - I think of it as competing against myself to improve my score, rather than against other people.

 

[sharpsky]

i dont let anyone belittle my achievements - i wouldnt refer to it as an achievement if i wasnt proud and i dont need someone else to tell me when ive done well

saying that i love competing and compete to do well

 

[rtk]

It happens whatever you do

We show and a few times have had some really big (for us) wins. Have come back onto the yard only to have the showjumpers put us down. They make comments about all you have to do is look pretty and ride in circles etc.

Last time they did it daughter turned round and said "better to be a proper show rider than a wannabe showjumper"

She now calls them the wannabe showjumpers to their faces, anyone want a teenager

 

[Sammii]

One of the only things that gets me down with Red and my situation etc, is that i feel belittled all too often. It's silly little things like saying 'Red looks so fat' that offend me, because Red, maybe not at the moment, but maybe 7 or 8 months ago, was at the thinnest he's EVER been in the 11 years of his owner owning him.

I'm probably just being silly, but that amongst a couple of other things gets me down quite alot. I am ultra-sensitive though.

 

[albilusitano]

I bought Albie 3.5 years ago...... when I went to see him he was un muscled little horse with all this mane and tail...had only just been backed...well lets say just sat on....basically he had been so badly beaten it took me 8 months to get a bridle on him....trust was a big thing as far as he was concerned humans were devils Anyway plenty of schooling and training and re-training and a few instructors one of them a very well FBHS instructor who has trained me for years even said to me he felt this one maybe unrideable...he was that sensitive if you patted him he'd bolt.... I rode for a good year with no leg on at all it was like sitting on a time bomb...and he'd been lunged 20 mins before i'd sit on him....def no saddle back issues as they were all checked out.

anyway 3.5 years later he is now affiliated and doing well at dressage !! he's been competing now for just over two years had 9 wins, 4 plaques, 3 trophys and several medals.....he even got the team through the area RC dressage as on of them got eliminated but as our score was so high we flew through !!!

There were times though i though maybe i've bitten off more than I can chew here......and some people even said to me ' can't you take him back ???....erm nope. but looking back and with time he's well worth it and I wouldn't have changed it for the world !!

when i first got him

now

 

[fluffy_betty]

this is one of the things i hate about the horse world, people always used to ask me 'how high have you jumped your horse?' like it was the only thing that mattered.

the fact that she lost all confidence jumping only 2 years ago and was written off and about to be PTS is insignificant to them!!!!

until she will hapilly pop round a 2ft course clear without spooking, rushing or backing off the fences I won't be jumping any higher. Whats the point of jumping 4 foot over 1 fence in the school over and over again when you can't get round a clear round course?

the people who used to say me and my horse were no good because we didn't jump high are both terrified to take their horses to shows for fear of them misbehaving anyway!

 

[Georgette]

These are the things that are my greatest achievements:- that my horse loves me and shows it by calling to me when I turn up at the yard and grooming me when I groom him; that he has proper feeding, grooming, a clean stable, an effective worming programming, regular vaccanations, dental checks etc, that he has well fitting tack and saddle that is checked regularly, that I do my best to be a sensitive rider, that he has a good balance between schooling and hacking and that he has field companions that he gets on with. In short he is a well loved and well looked after horse that will be with me for ever.

In 30 years of riding I have never competed and though have nothing against it at all, I have no time at all for those that think competing is the only reason to have horses