It’s been a while since I’ve done a blog post that is solely equestrian, and I think this one may be the best one yet. I’ve been riding for over 3 years now, and I’ve now had the opportunity to compete in 3 different competitions, with 2 of them being showjumping competitions.

Going into my first showjumping competition was quite nerve-wracking, lightly put. The competitions go on for 3 days. Friday is warmup, and Saturday and Sunday are real competition days. Saturday of my first competition went great, I even won 6th overall in my heavy packed event. Sunday was a different story though. I forgot my first jump and was immediately disqualified. This was extremely heartbreaking, as when you forget your course, there are no 2nd chances. I felt like crying right on the spot but I knew that so many people were watching so I held my head up high and walked out the arena. 

I think the worst feeling on Sunday wasn’t that I didn’t win, but was that I put so much effort and I wasn’t even able to get a shot. But those are the rules, and you have to play by them in order to win. That was definitely a terrible way to end my first competition. 

I felt even worse because that first jump on Sunday was the best jump I’ve ever jumped. I knew this was completely my fault, and had I paid a little more attention, I think I could have definitely placed. After dismounting Max (the horse I ride), I felt even worse because I knew he gave it his all and it was my 100% fault that we weren’t able to finish the course. 

The second competition went a lot better. I wasn’t able to go on Friday or Saturday due to me having to take my SAT saturday morning (blog post coming soon on my experience!). However, I was able to ride in 2 events on Sunday, and I placed 4th in one of them. Even though I won the same number of ribbons as my first competition, I didn’t forget my course and was able to give it my all. 

Competing in these events has introduced me to a new atmosphere and it has been an incredible experience. I’ve learned that I need to focus as soon as I mount the horse and that for the 2 minutes you ride, you need to give it your 100%. Forgetting the course that Sunday was not ideal, but I think the lesson learned was far greater than any ribbon that I could have won – well maybe on par with a first place ribbon. 

That’s it for this blog post and I’ll keep you updated on my showjumping journey over the next few months when I hopefully get the amazing opportunity to compete in more events!