It's 11:50. I'm still in my pajamas watching what not to wear about a cat obsessed cellist (sp?). It makes me feel better about myself. How bad does that sound? Welcome to life, kids. I'm not the kind of person who will put other people down or stab them in the back because it helps my confidence level. I think that's awful. But sometimes I'll look at someone who is clueless about life or that has a bad attitude or whom doesn't appreciate what they have and think "wow, it sucks to be that person."
I've been riding horses since I was 7 years old. I'll be 16 in late August. Horses are a cut-throat industry. In Ohio, where everything began for me, sportsmanship was a good thing. I remember being at multiple shows, riding lessons, etc. where everyone, even complete strangers, encouraged each other.
I was in one show where there were two girls in my Training 2 dressage class. The other girl and I were practically the same. We were even riding the same horse. It was tough competition! She had tacked up our horse and when she was done in the warmup ring, it was my turn to warm up. I trotted the horse around the first corner and I hit the ground. All I could think was "dumb bitch didn't tighten the girth." But when I stood up and dusted my shirt off to go catch the nutso horse I had a better thought. It wasn't her fault. It was mine. I know I'm supposed to check the girth before I mount up.
She apologized over and over. I put the saddle back on, handed her the reins and said "don't worry about it, everything is okay, good luck." I wasn't mad. I was shaken, sure.
Another girl I knew who wasn't riding that day gave me a huge hug and said to forget about it, I was an awesome rider and everyone knew that.
It was my turn to ride my test and I did almost perfectly. We floated through the test. Easy. Piece of cake. After the final salaute, I was relieved, but it wasn't over.
After the tests were scored I went to see how I did. There was a blue ribbon laying there with a trophy, next to a red ribbon. I was nervous. Although second place isn't bad, no one else had to know it also meant last. The trophy and the blue ribbon were picked up and my heart skipped a beat, and then they were handed to me. The red ribbon went to the other girl, but we were both satisfied.
The point of the story is, karma happens. And winning fair is the best feeling in the world.
I went to a show at the end of May where I live now, in Minnesota. I rode in two jumper rounds, and one hunter round. I had probably 30 to 40 people in each class - big show. I had never ridden a hunter round in my life, I'd always been a jumper. I went into the hunter ring and actually had a good round, but what I heard when I left the ring was absolutely terrible. Three girls sat ringside and laughed at me. I had worked at the barn where these girls kept their horses. I jump higher than they do. And I'm a hard worker. I ignored them and moved on with my life, but it still sticks in my head that people can be so cruel.
The best policy for sports is this:
Keep a level head; think before you react. There are consequences for actions and reactions.
Winning doesn't mean you beat everyone else. Winning means you come out of the ring, field, court, etc. feeling like you've accomplished something. And just because you didn't win doesn't mean you lost.
What goes around comes around. The person you just made fun of may just kick your ass later, because they've got a better attitude than you.
It's all about the heart. If you don't have the heart, fire, passion and spirit to do what you're doing, then stop doing it.
And lastly, never give up. Anything you thought was worth doing in the first place is always worth giving another shot. Don't ever regret anything that made you a better person. Everything makes you a better person.
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