'It feels like starting over...'-JCP

Well, this should be an interesting endeavored...

I started my quest for riding in Grand Prix in June 2007. At the time I knew very little and I didnt care, I had the heart, the 'guts', and most of all the unstopping desire to reach my goal. I had managed to be very successful in my first few year and started to acquire some nice horses. All with some good sized issues, whether it be lameness, lack of confidence, and mainly lack of experience!
Yesterday I went to a horse show in NJ, and on my travels there, I started to just meditate on all of my horses, and seeing what each horse has given me, feeling the confidence they have instilled in me, and knowing that I am but a small piece to this giant puzzle I'm looking to complete in my life.
I was a bit taken back yesterday when my coach, also my best friend, told me that he felt like we were starting all over again and sort of acted as if he wasnt excited to be taking those fist steps again. I suppose I have learned a lot in the last few years, and I believe the most important thing is that there is no value you can place on experience. You can buy the best horse, and you might have great talent, but experience, experience is what will make you truly great. So here I head back to the 'drawing board' to soak up more experience. I used to want everything all at once, but I know now thats not the way to do it. So bring on the experience!!! I'll take a full helping please.
I tried explaining to my friend yesterday that life is a lot like walking into the city with all of its skyscrapers, and buildings. We choose to walk to into certain buildings much like we choose a goal. You walk in and the lobby is generally pleasant area. The receptionist greats you and tells you where you need to go... at that moment you have the choice, stairs or elevator? Most times I take the elevator to save time, and face it I'm not really interested in climbing all the stairs! But a lot like life, the elevator doesnt always work, but the stairs.. the stairs are never broken! They are always there to lead the way up and after a certain amount of climbing, and a little sweat forming on your brow you start to think, geez this better be worth it when I get to the top. You see a sign on your way and you open a door to a certain floor and you welcome the break. You walk around, get a drink, maybe do some chatting but all the wile eating up valuable time from you reaching your goal. At each level you stop at the option to turn back is always there, and the option to just stay where you are, is always there. So its your choice to keep going. And I think thats what I've realized lately, its my choice to keep climbing the stairs and no one elses. As my analogy did not work for my friend and I received a very strange look as he reached over to turn up the music, I sat back and just smiled. I felt great. I felt excited and I felt ready to make mistakes and grow. I can only be my best today, and thats what we went for.

At the show I decided to take Baggie and Alice in the Level 4, 5, 6/7nd Ganowe in the L 5 and 6/7. all went pretty well. Alice was 2nd and Baggie 3rd in the L4 (4') and then Baggie was 1st in his first L5 (4'3) class, Ganowe was 2nd, and Alice 3rd, and then in the L6/7 (4'6-4'9), Baggie was 1st again, Ganowe 4th, and Alice 5th... It was a wonderful day back in the tack over some bigger jumps. With each step that each horse made into the ring, I smiled, I smiled know that each step they took with me was a step to my goals, and I appreciated all the effort they were giving me. I told my friend the night before, that win, loose, or draw I was ready to whatever came my way. And I think Iwas. Baggie had never jumped a big course before and hadn't shown since Harrisburg in October, and the same went for Ganowe, he hadnt shown since Washington International in October. And yes, the same went for me! I had to dust off the old boots and allow all of my 'mental training' to come into play. I do have to say, at least because I want to remember it since it was pretty funny at the time, I went first into the L 6/7 class and the added 3-6 inches did look, um bigger! With the first jumping being a nice sized oxer I could feel Baggie thinking, oh my goodness has this lady gone crazy? Not that he was coming back from the jumps but I could feel him using his body differently, and I could feel him thinking about the turns and the approach to the jumps and him knowing, wow these are bigger then last time... so, in my mind I thought, ok your jumping all of these, and I took him around the course. As I came out of the ring Jimmy laughed and asked if I was preparing for the Maryland Hunt Cup. By no means a compliment however I want it to be a mark in Mine and Baggies relationship. There is only room to get better, and in my mind no way but up. I have a destiny with the top floor, and each day I ride, each horse I ride, each night I go to bed thinking about my goals is one step closer to the top!

Hang on and enjoy the ride - Yeeeha!