Why should we be pleased when we have not achieved textbook success?
All Eventers know that you cannot have ‘success’ every time. The nature of the sport that we love so much means that we have to realise that mistakes can be, and are going to be, made. This goes for everything in life but in this sport in particular, getting through 3 very different phases is tough and demanding whatever the level.
Maybe because in this sport, the dreaded word ‘success’ is harder to find, the fact that we work so hard for very little reward, means that we learn to take small positive things from every outing.
I was out eventing for the first time since early March last month. On paper, I had a rather bad outing with a tense dressage test which obtained a cricket score and a stop on the cross country. Initially I was disappointed but then I realised what we really had achieved and how much we learnt from the experience. I learnt that Theo’s warm up time needed to be cut down and how he needs to be ridden so positively through the water when the challenge is greater. But it wasn’t just what I learnt brought me satisfaction with that day, but I also left on a really positive note because of a lovely show jumping round and simply completing our first event at this level.
The simplicity of just completing, regardless of the score, was superb and we all, each and every one of us, whether we win a red ribbon or leave with the worst completion score must find something to be grateful for. The recent tragic news from Luhmühlen and Nunney demonstrate just how grateful we must be for every small thing that we do. Even being at an event is a privilege, every day is a privilege, especially in a game as dangerous as this.
I feel that what the loss of two members of our community has shown us is how very grateful we should be. In respect for their lives and their families we should be grateful for every moment of pleasure we get out of the game, which we do for the love of the sport and the animal.
At the end of the day, the hours which we put in every single day to get to the point where a beast which speaks another language is fit enough and trained to the ability to take us through a dressage test, a show jumping course and cross country, all boil down to the love of the sport, as we know from the start that the financial reward is minimal. This, therefore, makes it hard to believe that people can be displeased with a partially good result. Surely if something went well it was a good day? It is easy to look for positives to take away and build on but it is hard to keep going out again and again when all you find from an outing is something bad.
We are all hugely lucky to have the ability and opportunity to event these wonderful animals so embrace it. Live every second in the knowledge that it can be taken from you at any time. This is too easy to forget.
Finally, my deepest thoughts and prayers go to the families and connections of Benjamin Winter and Jordan McDonald in this difficult time for all connections.
Brilliant article. After having a double clear and decent dressage at my first BE90 of the year at BCA, I was very disappointed when I did an awful dressage at Milton Keynes and got eliminated on xc at fence 4! I am naturally quite negative about my ability and can be easily disheartened when things don’t go perfectly, but what I must take away from MK is that I had a clear showjumping and both my horse and I came home safe and sound, able to try again another day. I’ll think of this article when I’m next out eventing because it reminds us how lucky we are to be doing the sport we love, and success doesn’t always mean being placed! Thank you for the confidence boost!
Thank you for this. Sounds very similar to the pep talk my husband gave me last Friday when I was contemplating withdrawing from an event because my mare is soooo difficult on the flat. He told me to forget about everyone else and to go and have fun. Sounds simple but I had temporarily forgotten that is why I do it. We went, had a blast and are now looking forward rather than overanalysing the negative bits….
Such a positive article, they do say the mark of a true sports person is how they deal with their successes as well as their failures. Having had a great season last year I have had tantrums in the dressage, a vaccination error that withdrew us from our class and then an elimination from missing a fence when we were on course to win our class on our dressage score so far this year. The positives this year have been great xc and sj rounds and no injuries thankfully. It is reasuring that even the top guys have days where their horse mis behaves or the go the wrong side of a xc flag and get eliminated. It is so important to enjoy the day and as there are three elements in an event there are bound to be good bits in the day. It is all about fun and personal achievement at the end of the day!