Me: "He doesn't like liverpools in schooling." William: "As long as he jumps them at shows, we're cool." (*not actual quotes) Photo by Ellie Thompson
While waiting for William Fox-Pitt to arrive and give his first set of lessons last week, the crowd of riders and spectators were filled with nervous jitters. How could we act in order to not embarrass ourselves in front of such a god amongst men?! Not only were we going to be physically close to William, but many of the spectators were getting a rare inside look at U.S. upper-level riders and their styles of riding and learning. The tension was palpable.
Whenever most mere mortals come within striking distance of upper-level riders who are successful and competitive, they are struck with a combination of fear and awe. We become giggly like school girls and act like Johnny Depp is walking in our midst (OK, to be fair, the Boyd effect is a whole ‘nother kit and caboodle, and it’s totally normal to experience heart palpitations). We worry that they are so beyond us in skill that they can’t possibly have interest in talking about the Novice horse that’s worried about water or a struggle with getting a certain mare on the bit consistently.
However, here’s the thing: upper-level riders aren’t actually that scary. If you think about it, to be a successful event rider who competes at the top levels, you have to have a pretty particular personality. They are determined as hell and accustomed to working their fingers to the bone, even well into the realm of perceived success. Speaking of hard work, upper-level riders work harder and longer than is physically healthy and literally don’t know what a “day off” would look like if it bit them in the butt. If anything, they’re a rare combination of confident and humble that you don’t get in other sports because eventing will keep you humble like nothing else in this world.
Professional upper-level riders have had to ride every horse known to man at pretty much every level. They’ve had to create something out of nothing an incalculable amount of times. Upper-level riders spend their days riding and teaching horses of all shapes and sizes and working out a system that produces consistent results. If your horse has a weird habit, chances are that they’ve seen it, and it’s not an incurable disease.
I know multiple people that worry about taking lessons from famous upper-level riders, as they feel inadequate in their skill sets and apprehensive about being judged on their relative inexperience. Here’s the deal: Even if you’re a four-star rider, you’re never above the small problems in riding. We’ve all been there, and some of us more recently than others. Experience makes riders more forgiving of mistakes and imperfection, not less.
William explaining a better hand position to Kristin Carpenter. Photo by Kate Samuels.
Being able to affect positive change is exciting for all riders, whether it’s teaching a young horse to go on the bit happily, or high-fiving your adult amateur rider after her first successful Training level cross country or bringing your talented superstar home after their first three-star. Upper-level riders and professional horse people are able to find joy in all levels, and while big jumps are fun, they aren’t everything.
William Fox-Pitt, by the way, was the perfect example of this. The man exuded a calm and confident air that was impossible not to catch as you interacted with him. He was nothing but gracious, witty and willing to work with any and all problems of both horse and rider. There was nothing highfalutin’ about him at all; despite having won an unprecedented eleven four-stars and 50 CCI competitions, he was quite down to earth and personable to everyone he met.
So here’s my message: Don’t be afraid of the people you see in the magazines casually cruising over jumps larger than your minivan. They’re just like you and me, except perhaps dirtier on a daily basis and less inclined to sleep in on the weekends. They like cats (Boyd has two that eat KFC at the dinner table with him, and William has one named “Puddypuds”), they have really pale legs all year round and they probably bite their fingernails. No, they probably don’t want to be mobbed every time they walk around in public, but despite being the cool kids on the block, they’re generally not that scary at all.
