The holiday season can prove a scary prospect for people in the horse world, as the giving of gifts is standard protocol, and no one, no matter what level they’re at, are breaking anything more than even. But as they always say, it isn’t the gift that counts, but the thought that’s behind it. And what better gift to give, than the gift of thanks. In our sport, the people “behind-the-scenes” far out-number the pair that actually compete in the arena, but those people are extremely important nevertheless. It takes a village, so I think it fitting that on Christmas Day, we thank our “village.”
Event Organizers and Secretaries– Most competitors are guilty on more than one occasion of emailing you with multiple changes and requests for the upcoming event that goes something like this: switch Horse A from Level A to Level B, than back to level A, then to switch Horse A to Horse B, from Level B to Level A back to level B. And once you think that the pen-pal ship with said competitor has finally come to an end, you receive an email from that person stating both Horse A and Horse B are injured and the entry will have to be scratched. The secretaries and organizers have to put up with these constant annoyances all the time, while still managing all the other aspects of the event, and somehow still keeping a grimace smile on their faces. Have a glass of bubbly on us today, we all know that you, more than anyone, deserves to.
Grooms– If you thought that riders’ widespread indecision stopped with the event secretaries, you thought wrong. No one knows this better than the grooms, who’s job seems, at times, to be more for the management of their rider rather than their horses. It’s a tough job- they work on the horses’ clock, which means early mornings and many late nights. As one well-known groom always says, “It’s a lifestyle, not a job.”
Owners– No topic is more highly discussed or heavily debated than that of owners in horse sports. Without them, the “show” stops on all fronts, upper-level competitors no longer have horses to compete at those levels, the events can’t afford to keep the levels without a sufficient amount of entries to balance the bills, and somehow the empire of the event scene suddenly looks more like a small village. Keeping owners, and drawing new ones in, requires some creative thinking on the riders’ parts, but it also requires that the sport have a positive and well-respected image that makes them want to partake in it. I think we can all do our part in this upcoming year of managing and upholding that reputation.
Parents– In many cases, the parents of eventers add “owner” to their laundry list of other duties during an event including chauffeur, dog walker, sibling and grandparent manager, while at the end of the day still being the face with the biggest smile when things go right, and the most comforting shoulder to cry on when they don’t. As a friend’s mother said to me at one event this year, “You must believe in those who believe in you.” Who believes in us more than our parents do?
Coaches– It’s the perfect combination of enough support and enough “push” that makes a great event rider. With too much of the first, riders become under-skilled and over-confident, while too much of the latter can create an emotional complex that pertains to far more than just riding. It’s a tough job, and we certainly owe our coaches many thanks. Patience is the name of the game, for just as frustrated as we riders can get when trying to master a particular excersize or technique, our coaches share in that frustration, as they know the answer but have to wait for the rest of us to find it for ourselves. And all too often the only thing they can say is, “Try it again.”
I’d like to thank all of these people for not only the ways in which they assist and support each of us throughout the year, but for the deep and long-lasting effects they have on our lives. It’s debatable whether Eventing is the World’s Greatest Sport because of the sport itself, or the wonderful people in it. Merry Christmas, Eventing Nation.
