I love going to the big shows – the good shows that bring all the best talent. I hate it at the same time. It absolutely KILLS me to watch the good riders ride. It sort of gives me a hamster-on-a-wheel feeling, which is something I’ve had for the past five years. Even though, when I look at my blogging (which is one of the reasons why I keep this thing) I realize I have actually made some headway in working towards my goals. Quite a lot of headway for a girl who hasn’t owned a horse she could jump in something like, what…six or seven years? I try not to know the exact amount of years because that would bum me out even more.
Anyway, I feel as though I should be farther down my personal road. And quite frankly, how I stay motivated is beyond me. I think because I have been doing this sport for as long as I have, I feel I can’t stop now or it would make the past 40 years all for naught.
I am lucky in that I live in a very equine sport-heavy area. There is no shortage of horses to ride and places to ride them. I can give myself a pat on the back for always managing to keep several horses under my butt through my networking efforts. But I can’t help but wish for having my own horse to train my way and to build a partnership with.
Dani (right) and me
Until then, I continue to be a faithful student of the sport and try my best to be as correct as possible in my riding and my horsemanship every single ride. And, as a student of the sport, I made the trek this past weekend to the Syracuse Invitational with Dani, one of my best horse-girl buds who is as respectful of doing the right thing by the sport as I am. Dani and I speak the same language and are ‘Morrissians’ – disciples of George Morris. Which doesn’t mean we rode with him, it just means that we believe in his methods and respect his contribution to the sport. We’ve attended several of his clinics together and own all of his books and watch as many of his videos as we can. Also, my trainer in college trained with him and was practically a clone so I am comfortable with the lingo and philosophy.
The ASPCA Jump
We went to the show to specifically watch the ASPCA Medal Finals which really was a treat. The show is nicely done, a newer show on the circuit which, with a few improvements could easily become one of the best shows around rivaling shows like Harrisburg. The Syracuse Invitational’s heart is in the right place and can become whatever it wants to be.
Leslie's boo-boo
While the show ran, there were several clinics taking place in the adjoining building. I made a point of attending the talk with Leslie Burr Howard. She’s been an idol of mine for many years and came up through the George Morris system. Leslie was a delight and had a great sense of humor, especially after crashing a tractor through the wall in the indoor during the Ride and Drive competition (which was hilarious).
Leslie Burr Howard - An idol of mine
She opened her talk by asking people to ask questions that were important to them – questions that she might be able to answer, given her experience in the business. The first person was most curious about the timeline of Leslie’s success. After that question was answered, I raised my hand and asked what advice she could give those who don’t have their own horses, who didn’t in the forseeable future expect to own a horse. Her answer was one that gave me confidence that I’m on the right track. She said to realize that you will be riding a lot of not-so-good horses, which will only make you a better rider. To be certain that you always practice textbook horsemanship to build trust with an owner so that you can continue to ride their horses. And to give every horse the best ride you possibly can. Check, check and check. I can never doubt that I am constantly striving to ride well. It is most definitely a moving target for me but I never let that goal out of my sight.
The vendors were nice – Dani and I both did some damage while doing our part to boost the economy. We both LOVE outerwear and picked up some beautiful Helly Hansen jackets at Hadfield’s, who had their fabulous mobile shop parked curbside. I wish I could direct you to the exact jacket but the jacket selection on the Helly Hansen site is just vast and while I was surfing there trying to find it, I noticed a ka-zillion other jackets and clothing that I would die to have. Best that I navigate away.
Best surprise of all while in Hadfield’s came from running into an old friend, Harry, who I haven’t seen in about 20 years. He’s from Holland and I remember him as being a skinny, silly and sweet guy. He rode with my hateful husband at the time at Chestnut Lawn where they both worked. I hosted dinners for the guys from Chestnut Lawn, at our humble little apartment from time to time. They were sweet guys and I always enjoyed seeing them. They were bright spots in a crappy time in my life. So, when reintroducing myself to Harry, I got the warmest, warmest hug. We swapped phone numbers and emails and I plan on catching up in full as soon as I can. He was working at the show so we were only able to do a brief catch up. What a blast from the past!
The Saratoga Saddlery guy (a.k.a. the Margarita Man) talked me into a shirt I would never buy for myself (um, because they cost over $200 and are just a bit edgier than I see myself as being). I actually love it already because of that (the edgy part). My favorite line from him, “You, in this shirt, would be illegal in most states.” Sold. I also bought a Joules Beaufort polo shirt – navy, white and yellow. Fits me like a glove and I’m ready for it to be warm all over again so I can wear it.
This was fun!
We ate at some neat places. First night, we ate at bc. Second night at pastabilities. We got lucky at both places and didn’t have to wait long to get in. Each booth at pastabilities had it’s own little board with the magnetized words on it so you could form all sorts of crazy sayings. Syracuse is quite the sleepy town (well, in comparison to the DC area), despite being a college town and it didn’t appear that there was a large selection of decent restaurants (lots of pubs though!) to choose from. So, places tended to be quite packed due to the lack of other restaurants to select from.
Have so much more to say but I’ll have to do my Syracuse reporting in parts because there is just way too much to share. To be continued.
Had a blast!! Can’t wait for our next adventure!
Ooooh, so jealous – that sounded like tons of fun. I want to hear more!!