Top 26 lessons I've Learned...

What an educational year we've had! WOW!! Well guys we did it. I have been showing my horse for an entire year. I have dreamed of doing this since I was a little girl and I have actually done it!! And I might add that I did it fairly successfully considering my experience level and the horse I was riding! It has been a incredibly fun time and I have really learned some invaluable lessons this year. I wanted to make a list of these top things I've learned to share with you. Hopefully you can read this list and no matter your experience level, learn something yourself. Maybe you will read this and fondly remember when you learned some of these lessons with your horse. So here we go with my list...I really hope you enjoy it!

1. A "half halt" is really not a halt at all...it is more of a thing you do with your booty and hands...I am sure that many of my college friends would agree with this sentiment. I have actually done quite a bit of half halting in my college years....hehehe

2.Side Reins look NOTHING like real reins. They look more like some werido dominatrix tool than they do a horse training tool.

3. Launching yourself onto the back of a horse from the ground is much harder than it looks.

4Just because you think you deserved a 65% does NOT mean that the judge did.

5. Just because it is a "fancy" horse does not mean that it is a "fancy" rider.

6. YET, some of the most fancy horses have the most genuinely nice people.

7. Can't load a horse? Back your trailer in an alley way

8. A Swishing tail tells your trainer loads about what you are really doing in the saddle

9. Just because it is a safe horse does not mean that you will not be hurt.

10.Just because your interpretation of a 20 meter circle is more like a 20 meter egg does not mean that the judge will agree with you. Dressage is an art, but there is no room for personal interpretation.

11.Grey horses are unbelievably crazy hard to keep clean.

12. Yes, horses get sunburn

13.Sheath cleaning is probably more gross than cleaning teeth. Yeah its that bad.

14.You cannot compare someone that has ridden 1 year to someone that has ridden 20+. That's a very fast way to ruin confidence.

15.Sit the hell back already!

16.There is no sexual connotation when your trainer yells at you "Stick your Chest out!"

17.The barn is a true to life time warp. Every time I am out there time travels at a very fast rate.

18. Just because a horse is not "fancy" in the dressage way of thinking, does not mean that they are unable to teach you how to ride...and live.

19.You must crawl before you walk and walk before you run.

20. I am an amateur rider. End of story.

21.Big BIG difference in posting and bouncing...we are still working on this one :)

22.It is okay to make mistakes. We all do, especially when we are learning.

23.Making mistakes is the ONLY way to learn...how else would you know you learned anything??

24.After all of these years, Honesty is STILL the best policy. Never lie to yourself.

25. If you find yourself starting to get frustrated in the saddle, stop, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are on an animal. His life's ambition is to eat hay all day long. He really could care less about getting in frame. And THEN and only then should you proceed.

and the most important lesson I have learned this year....

26.Riding should always be fun. If it is not, change something about what you are doing.

So there you have it. Those are my top 26 things I have learned this year. Some of these lessons were extremely hard for me to learn and I am still learning. But learning new things, I believe, is what keeps me going, and hoping for a new and better tomorrow. I will be a better rider tomorrow because of what I learned today. This whole game we play is like building a house-You gotta have that strong foundation first.

I really have to stop here and thank my trainer yet again for all of the hard work and dedication that she has put into me and my horse. She has pulled us right along this year and because of her we have had more fun than you could ever imagine! Not only have I gotten a fabulous trainer out of this deal, but a best friend. We have done lots of cursing, whacking, pushing, pulling, relaxing...tensing, yelling, flexing, joking, and most importantly laughing. And I must admit just even a little bit of crying :) but through it all, we survived and I'm a better rider for it. Thank you Katie.

So until we meet again friends, remember its not what you know, but where you are going and how you get there that really counts. Never stop learning and never under any circumstances ever think you know it all. Learning is what makes this sport fun, otherwise we'd all be in the Olympics! Ha!

Keep your hands soft and eyes up into the future. We'll make it there someday :) And I'll wait at X for you!