Story from this week's show

canteringkids · 10-26-2009, 04:22 AM

We had a show this weekend and I had a rider, Emily, age 11, who had never shown before. She took a scary fall over the summer (not under my tutelage!!) and has confidence issues as well as general anxiety issues. Her mother was a competitive event rider and I think she really feels the pressure to live up to mom's standards. Well, she really wanted to show this week and I said "yes", against my better judgment. She started getting really nervous in the warm-up ring and by the time her class was called, it ballooned into a panic attack.

I pulled her aside and gave her a stern pep-talk. In short, I told her she had to stop thinking and start riding and that she was on a horse who would take the best care of her (That was Summer, of course!) and who could win it for her if she just went in and rode. I gave Summer a pat, told her to do her job and take care of Emily and shoved them both in the ring.

There were 20 horses in the class.

And Summer never missed a step. She carried that child around the ring like a dream. Her transitions were smooth and careful. I swear she was picking her own spots on the rail . . . she never got bunched up or cut off. Emily was able to sit up and "equitate" perfectly. They went to the center and Summer squared up on the line. They started calling out places in reverse, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd (went to Abigail and Splatter, another student on one of my school horses!) and 1st place, Emily Streets riding Summer Better Than Others.

I swear, my knees almost buckled. Emily's mom burst into tears. Emily's face was just priceless. Everyone was cheering (they had all witnessed her meltdown). What a moment. Emily had to ride the next class, so she stayed in the ring and I would swear that Summer winked at me as she walked by. She rode her second class and won again, coming out division Champion. Abigail and Splatter took Reserve (out of 20 riders!!

)

The rest of the day was great, too. My 2'3" rider took Reserve in her jumping division and Champion in Open English. But nothing could beat the smile on Emily's face the rest of the day!

Hopefully, I'll have some pics to share soon - waiting to get them from the parents!

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10-26-2009, 04:22 AM
canteringkids Weanling Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Summerville, SC Posts: 486	Story from this week's show We had a show this weekend and I had a rider, Emily, age 11, who had never shown before. She took a scary fall over the summer (not under my tutelage!!) and has confidence issues as well as general anxiety issues. Her mother was a competitive event rider and I think she really feels the pressure to live up to mom's standards. Well, she really wanted to show this week and I said "yes", against my better judgment. She started getting really nervous in the warm-up ring and by the time her class was called, it ballooned into a panic attack. I pulled her aside and gave her a stern pep-talk. In short, I told her she had to stop thinking and start riding and that she was on a horse who would take the best care of her (That was Summer, of course!) and who could win it for her if she just went in and rode. I gave Summer a pat, told her to do her job and take care of Emily and shoved them both in the ring. There were 20 horses in the class. And Summer never missed a step. She carried that child around the ring like a dream. Her transitions were smooth and careful. I swear she was picking her own spots on the rail . . . she never got bunched up or cut off. Emily was able to sit up and "equitate" perfectly. They went to the center and Summer squared up on the line. They started calling out places in reverse, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd (went to Abigail and Splatter, another student on one of my school horses!) and 1st place, Emily Streets riding Summer Better Than Others. I swear, my knees almost buckled. Emily's mom burst into tears. Emily's face was just priceless. Everyone was cheering (they had all witnessed her meltdown). What a moment. Emily had to ride the next class, so she stayed in the ring and I would swear that Summer winked at me as she walked by. She rode her second class and won again, coming out division Champion. Abigail and Splatter took Reserve (out of 20 riders!!) The rest of the day was great, too. My 2'3" rider took Reserve in her jumping division and Champion in Open English. But nothing could beat the smile on Emily's face the rest of the day! Hopefully, I'll have some pics to share soon - waiting to get them from the parents!