Positivity for 2024
IT’S EASY TO GET BOGGED DOWNwith negativity in this industry. You try to compare yourself to riders who can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single horse to compete at an elite level of competition. Or find yourself envious of riders who have unlimited access to trainers you dream of working with.
Or maybe it’s the negative thoughts that float through your head when you see other people ride and enjoy their horse while yours is sitting on never-ending stall rest. Leaving you wondering if you’re ever going to even make it into a show pen.
Last year it was easy for me to get dragged down by negativity. I questioned my ability as a horse owner when my horse ended up needing colic surgery: Where did I go wrong? Did I miss something? What could I have done differently? Why did this happen to my horse? But as I found myself crawling into a hole of negativity and self-doubt, my community of barn friends were there to drag me back out.
Having a support group of like-minded riders to call friends is a great way to avoid feeling overwhelmed in this industry. things don’t go according to plan. This support group can be in the form of your fellow barn mates (if you keep your horse at a boarding barn or in full-time training with a professional), or people you frequently carpool (or trailer-pool) with to events, but it can also be people you meet on the trail or at horse shows.
Maybe it’s even people you’ve connected with over Facebook in groups where like-minded riders can get together to bond over their love of horses or certain disciplines. one day, I realize I love working with young horses even more.
Had I let those negative thoughts continue to take up space in my head, I would have never realized how much I enjoy working with young horses and helping them learn the fundamentals they need to go on to do events like reining or reined cow horse.
It’s easy to try and compare yourself to other people in your horse circles or be envious of those who have the opportunity to ride at the level they do, but at the end of the day we should all be focusing on our own rides and our own journeys! Don’t let what other people are doing keep you from enjoying every second in the saddle.
Last year was not great for me. And for the most part, I spent a majority of the year in a negative headspace. But this year I’ve made it a point to focus on all the positive things that surround me each day.
Instead of dreading the what-ifs and worrying about what might happen in the future, I’m going to focus on being grateful for the things I currently have in my life, which are my friends, my family, my barn support group, and having a horse that I’m back to riding and enjoying spending time with after two life-threatening colic surgeries that left her with a 50% chance of making it past five days.