Ringside Commentary
usually fairly aware of the fact the round was su- per or not, but most cannot “fix” it themselves. For trainers and instructors, those riders become students and seek out an environment that works for them individually. Entering the ring and striving to be the best is
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the reason they show. Yes we have horses because we love them and yes we show because we love it and want to be with our friends. But the bottom line fact is that the majority of the riders want to win “something” and occasionally the brilliance of getting the last ribbon awarded is a huge ac- complishment for some. Personal Best is a saying prevalent among track
meet enthusiasts and it is a brilliant measuring stick or teaching tool when working with ama- teurs and junior riders. Coaches involved with competitive runners use the phrase quite regular- ly and have the facts to back it up. Stop watches and timers are very clear and measure the same distance each time so “Today’s Personal Best” is recorded allowing runners to have a clear picture
ost riders know almost exactly where things went right and things went wrong in any given round in the ring. Riders are
OUR EYES WIDE OPEN By Donna Ramsey
of how they are doing. They may not win a track race but they are aware of how they are doing and work to do better next time. Horse sports are a bit different than Track
Meets, with each horse show day and each class entirely different than the day or class before and that makes each ride a new opportunity to do better. However, about the only measuring tool available to show riders is whatever ribbons in whatever order the class ends up with on any given day. Jumpers are a bit easier to follow than Hunters
and Equitation because at the end of a jumper round you know instantly if you left them up or knocked them down and were or were not within the time allowed. The ultimate reward from there is in the ribbons. Even though riders and trainers vehemently deny that fact, it is why we show….we want ribbons too. “I only show because I love my horse and rid-
ing,” is a common statement among riders and usually those are the riders standing at the back gate hoping for a ribbon after a class. For some, any ribbon will do as long as they are not the only ones in their barn who did not have their color- ful awards adorning their Trainers barn set up.
For a Trainer and barn, displaying those ribbons is a badge of honor that their riders have done well and it creates a sense of pride of accomplish- ment. Underestimating the impact of a ribbon of re-
ward following a class can undermine the impact of the sport and the cost of showing. Trainers, parents or spouses who do not understand or celebrate the importance of even the last ribbon in some cases are unfortunate. Barns leaving the showground’s with dozens of ribbons thrown on the ground by a vacated tack room is sad in- deed. The sport is about community and celebrating
victories, even those victories that are small and low on the awards chart. Celebrating victories of any kind is the single most important thing we do in and out of the ring, celebrate the small ones that will become the big ones as each rider con- quers their Personal Beast each time they ride. Celebrating a well deserved 10th place is far more important than the Blue that was just lucky. We all want luck but more than that, riders
want to be recognized for a job well done at any level with any ribbon being the result and we hang them on the show stables set up to prove it.
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