John Reuter and Breeze.
We announced the 10 Blogger Contest finalists on Wednesday, and now we’re bringing you their awesome entries from Round 1 here on Bloggers Row. I will be posting all 10 entries over the next few days, so be sure to check them out and leave your feedback in the comments.
All entries will be reprinted without editing for fairness’ sake. Thanks again for your support and readership, EN! We are so thrilled to have such quality entries this year.
Entrant: John Reuter, 62
Bio:I am a college professor and father of two pony club alums (both now adult women). I spent countless hours and more dollars than I would care to admit on horsey events for my two daughters. After they moved out and left me with a barn full of tack and a couple old ponies I decided it was my turn to take up riding. I did my first horse trials last summer in the trot a trail division and finally purchased a horse all for myself. I plan to become an “eventer” this summer and do several one-day trials. Watch out for me on the Pacific Northwest eventing scene this summer with my shire sporthorse mare, Breeze.
Character Defining Qualities: I am a bit of a nervous rider since it would really hurt to fall off my 16.3 horse.
Embarrassing Tidbits: I actually don’t have any idea what my horse is thinking. Since she is a “princess” mare, that is going to be a problem.
Entry:
After twenty plus years of being a truck driver, trailer parker, pony club dad and casual rider, I decided I wanted to be an enventer. Last summer, I entered my first one-day event on a trusted family horse that had done it all. My daughter and trainer helped me get ready for all of the phases. I wasn’t so much looking for the insanity in the middle as just a great day outdoors with my horse, doing what horses do.
I entered a local one-day event at a level was called something like “grasshopper” or ”log-stepper-overer”, I forget which.
Both my dressage test and the cross-country phases went fine, but it was the stadium jumping that really defined who I was as a horseman and competitor. By “defined” I mean, set me apart from all the others. There were a few younger women riding fresh OTTB and they were very professional. Then there was me, a 60-something year old man on a small horse (15 h) that was still the biggest and then there was – dramatic pause – the “pony horde”. All of my real competitors were about six. When we walked the stadium course, several girls next to me were cantering their make believe ponies through the course and one even said, “I think I’ll take that jump next because it looks pretty.” I went clean on the stadium and was hoping to have moved up a notch or too at my first competition.
It’s not that I didn’t want to beat those little girls in their pink helmets and matching saddle pads, but I was trying to get a ribbon. We put the horse away and waited a bit while they posted the results. After a beer and a break, I went over to the officials’ tent and checked on my standing. I was given a rainbow-colored participation ribbon. It seems I wasn’t competing after all.
Even without the thrill of beating anyone, I was hooked. I kept training over the summer and was planning on another event in a class that might require some actually jumping and where I would expect a final score. But nature and horses intervened. The trusted family horse had to retire and I had to start looking for a new horse just for myself. This coming season I am training to ride my 16:3 Sport Shire with enormous hooves. As I gallantly clear 12” coops and splash through optional water, you will hear Breeze’s hoof beats and see an old guy having a great time.
