You know, everyone talks about wanting to inform and teach newbies, and to
educate some who just never learned certain things - many people who never HAD a
horse before, some who hailed from the show ring and have no CLUE what fitness
is; others getting back into it on an old horse or when THEY are old - and then
here we sit denegrating some of the best teaching tools.
To me, I happen to feel that a BC at ANY distance says something about both
horse and rider, a "something" that we keep SAYING we want to increase - the
task of bringing a horse in who is truly fit to continue!
I never thought about it before, but even though there are plenty of
cliques at horse shows, I never NEVER had anyone look down their nose at me or
call me trash because for whatever reason - new horse, being off for a
month, coming off a leg injury -just because I was jumping a course of lower
fences. or training level classes. Never, in about 20 YEARS of competing.
HAving to do with dressage Queens, elite jumper riders, and the like, I
never let them make me FEEL (by their own impertinent behavior, NEVER what they
said) that they were any better - just different.
So today, after 8 DAYS of influenza, I get to go jump on my 22 year old
guy - who is smooth and who I can hock a snot rocket off of easier (got your
attention now?) and trotted a good 10 miles and THAT was GOOD considering what
the past week has been like. I am just saying to all of those who would put
others down - no trash talk dampened MY spirits today, nor usually do - but some
people are hurt by those attitudes, especially the newer riders, the VERY ones
who NEED a good example. Good example, kids. BC means something and I don't care
what distance. Finishing in good condition means something. Otherwise, why is
everyone so up in arms about a horse getting ridden into the ground?
Well it was ONLY a few miles today but it felt GREAT and so now a shower
and off to a show and dinner with my sweet husband. How BLESSED we are - at ANY
distance! YEE HAW!
