Dedication

Riding is not just a summer sport – at least not if you are a true equestrian. As a riding coach, every November I have those few students and clients who disappear into hibernation and announce they will see us again in the spring. For the rest of us – the horses don’t hibernate so neither do we. Most of our horses are show horses so they need to be kept in excellent shape and good condition 365 days a year. To do this we have an indoor riding arena, similar to a hockey arena, with dirt and sand instead of ice.

This past weekend, despite snowstorms and freezing temperatures, we prepped the horses, loaded up the trailers and headed out to show at an indoor facility roughly an hour away.  At this time of year both our riders and horses are preparing for the summer show circuit – and getting off property to show with other riders in Ontario is key to establishing how your training is going and what needs to be worked on. Show days are long and patience is key. In brutal cold winter weather – everyone starts questioning - why do we love this sport?

Truth is we’re all nuts – or so it may seem to those people who don’t share the same love of horses. For horse people, this is just another step towards our show season and achieving greatness. It takes work and long hours. The belief some people have is that the horse does all the work – far from the truth. A horse can naturally run and jump, but put a rider on its back and that’s a game changer. The two must communicate – they must be in unison. The timing of each instruction given by the rider has to be correct and understood by the horse in order for the pair to successfully make it around a jumping course and look graceful in the flat class. This can't be achieved overnight and takes time, hard work and a lot of practice.

HB