“My Equestrian Hero” was the theme of a recent writing
competition that caught my eye and made me think some more about the subject.
According to Wikipedia: A hero is defined by “the display of
courage and the will for self sacrifice for some greater good of all… More
generally it is now extended to moral excellence...”
The ‘ideal equestrian professional’ (according to me): With
riders and horses alike he/she is encouraging whenever possible and strict when
called for. There is no bickering or backstabbing at his/her place (rather
uncommon in a sport that coined the name “Dressage Queen”). The horse care is
meticulous and all the horses are trained with compassion to high standards. There
are no short cuts, and no exotic gadgets for quick-fixes. But all this comes at
a price, and by price I mean the unwavering commitment, dedication –and yes, quite literally- the
blood, sweat and tears of the owner-trainer.
We all know that dealing with horses can be incredibly rewarding
but also extremely frustrating. Horses come with their own baggage, they get
injured, have colic, short attention spans, likes and dislikes, friends and
foes. Throw the owners into the mix and things get really interesting. Naturally,
people’s lives spill into the barn. Reason sometimes gets left by the wayside
when it comes to horses. Owner’s expectations of progress can be ludicrous; and
if they are not met who to fault if not the professional?
During decades of riding and owning horses I have come
across enough burned out and frustrated professionals of all riding disciplines.
Some just shut down; others become abusive to the very horses in their care.
Being able to keep the ‘inner fire’ burning with the same
intensity year over year, through injuries and illnesses (horse and human),
successes and failures, staying true to oneself through all of life’s ups and
downs and never waver from the chosen path is truly remarkable; this pretty
much is the definition of ‘My Equestrian Hero’.
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