22/07/2025
A week late… 😅 but our team had a fantastic weekend (as usual 😃) at the Tally Ho Equestrian Development Series July 11-13!
We’re so thankful to have these competitive opportunities available locally; competition can be such an invaluable learning experience for riders.
They can learn about how to handle themselves under pressure. A decline in performance from your “usual”? Totally normal, and something that can be improved on. Pressure causing you to act in ways that maybe you normally wouldn’t? Figuring out how to manage yourself better in stressful circumstances will serve you well beyond your equestrian life!
The importance of caring for your horse (even when you’re exhausted). It’s the end of the day: you’re tired, you’ve worked hard… you know who else has worked hard? Your horse! Equestrians know their horses deserve top treatment for their participation in our events.
The importance of self-care. Horse show days are long for everyone! If you want to bring your best self to the show day, you need to ensure your own needs are being met. Your horse needs to be hand walked, and their stall cleaned out- physical tasks will be much more manageable if you’ve had adequate sleep. Trying to memorize a challenging course? Much easier when your brain is running on better fuel than that half a muffin you ate 6 hours ago in the car on the way to the show! Staying hydrated throughout the day will not only help you feel your best for your time in the ring, but your equine partner needs you to be well enough to care for them at the end of the day!
The satisfaction of long-term achievement. Those goals you set two weeks, two months, two years ago- it’s an incredible feeling when you realize you’ve done it! Be proud of yourself!
Patience and perseverance. Sometimes, we fall short of what we had hoped to achieve. It doesn’t feel great, but it doesn’t mean we will never achieve that goal- it’s just a sign that we need more time, more practice, or other adjustment to our goal-setting plan!
Perspective. It’s so easy to let one incident ruin an entire day, when it may have been a relatively small part of the day! Your horse steps on your foot, or slobbers on your new show shirt, or you fall off- it’s so important to remember all the other good things that happened that day too!
At the end of each competition, it’s incredibly rewarding to see the growth in our riders’ abilities: both in the saddle, and in how they handle themselves whether they win, or whether that class provided a learning opportunity.
It looks like entries are out for the first Tally-Ho show of August... See you there!
