Pressure To Move Up

Skybreaker this summer at Hitching Post Farm

Human begins are constantly dealing with pressure. We feel degrees of pressure in the office, at school, from our friends, families, enemies, and from that little annoying voice in our heads. How unnatural life would be without the reoccurring presence of pressure. As riders, we all feel a certain level of pressure, whether it’s internal or external. Some riders may agree, some might disagree, but there seems to be a certain amount pressure associated with moving up the levels in eventing.

Just yesterday I went to my last event of the year at Pirouette Farm in the lovely Norwich VT. This was a tiny little schooling show with less than 30 entries total. I took my dressage trainer’s horse to his very first three phase. As I was warming up for xc, a lady I know approached me and asked the following: I saw you and Skybreaker competing this summer. Why were you only going novice? I sort of responded, though not very in depth because I thought to myself, why do people care so much about moving up the levels? If I had been going training with Skybreaker, she would have asked why I wasn’t going Prelim. This happens repeatedly throughout the summers. I will have one of my horses at an event, and I swear to god, it doesn’t matter what level I am going, people are very concerned and curious why I am at the level I am at. Maybe it’s not just me, perhaps this happens to a lot of competitors.

I use to take this pressure to heart. I use to think the only thing on earth that mattered was going Prelim. Many riders I know are strangely obsessed with this level. Almost as if you are nobody, and your horse doesn’t exist unless you are competing at Prelim or above. Listen closely, because I am not suggesting that every single event rider feels this way. I am suggesting that there appears to be this lingering pressure to move up the levels and I am desperate to understand why?

Valonia schooling earlier this summer

As I said, I used to feel this pressure to move up. I used to feel pathetic and insignificant if I was going even training level. That pressure almost doesn’t exist anymore, and if it does it’s only because I put that pressure on myself. I would rather be one hell of an amazing training level rider than to be a nervous and totally freaked out upper level rider. I would rather be someone going Novice that people stop and watch because they think I actually look like I know what I am doing, than someone blindly galloping at a 3’9” corner only to prove they can compete at the upper levels. To me, the levels are just titles. The levels are almost irrelevant because I think people can absolutely be amazing riders without ever going Prelim. You could be one of the best event riders in the world, but not a single person would know that if you are not taking nine horses advanced at every event you go to.

For any rider going training level or below, you are not insignificant and should never feel insignificant. People can ask you once a day, every day for the rest of your life why you and your horse have not moved up yet. People can point fingers and talk behind your back, but at the end of the day it’s all about what YOU feel comfortable doing with YOUR horse. There are only two variables here and that’s you and your horse. Who cares if Will Coleman could take my mare intermediate? I sure don’t care. I have to feel confident in what I am doing with my horse at all times. Once fear enters the conversation, we are all doomed. The second we move up because we think that’s what we are supposed to do, we are also doomed.  Always stay at the level you feel the most comfortable with and never let external, or internal pressure sway your decisions.

 

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