Everyone has a set goal that one day they'd be able
to accomplish or have accomplished. There are several goals that I would
like to achieve one day. Get married, have 2 children, get my PhD, along
those lines. What I'm focusing on now is the major goal that I have
completed earlier in life. It's not hugely affected my life, but it has
made an impact. Some say it's not even a hard thing, others like to think
that it's scary, I think it's a great achievement that comes with hard work and
dedication. My huge past goal was jumping my first Equestrian 3-foot
jump.
Yes, it may not see all that glamorous to some of
you reading this, but let me tell you how much time and effort went into that
particular achievement. I had started riding horses since I was 6 years
old (pony rides don't count). I've always loved horses, and not
just riding them. I used to be afraid of normal sized horses when I was
younger. Since I was a tiny person, normal sized horses seemed huge! I
didn't want to be that high off the ground, and when I was put on one of the
horses, I started to cry. So needless to say, I stuck with ponies for a
while. When I reached the age of 8, I went to a camp that offered
horseback riding. I wanted to do it so badly, and my parents signed me
up. I had the best time.
That started my passion of horseback riding.
Since then I have done shows, taught kids how to properly ride a horse,
and became proficient in all things horse like. Just recently though, I
learned how to jump on a horse. No, I don't mean jumping up and down on
the horses back. I mean me and the horse moving as one over an obstacle
and being able to land it without any complications. Before I hit the
real jumps though, I needed to start small.
Polls. They became my best friend for a solid
4 months of my jumping training. In order for me to get started on
working towards the big stuff, I had to go small. Horse jumping pools are
long, hollow polls that can be draped across anything like two bales of hay, or
two barrels. Mine, started flat on the ground. Trotting (like a
human jog) over them was just about the most exciting part of those first
lessons. I had done stuff like that before, so I basically thought it was
a waste of time. It really wasn't though. It was a crucial
foundation that I needed in order to get used to moving over a raised object.
If my horse and I just went straight into jumping, either of us could be
hurt in the process.
After a few weeks, my instructor began to move the
polls in different positions. Three in a row, two right next to each
other, and so on. This would teach the horse to pick up its feet, so that
it wouldn't trip and fall over my future jump. Cantering (like a human
run) over the polls was the next step. That took more effort then I
expected. Cantering over the polls would tell the horse that speed was
necessary in order to make the jump. The entire time doing these drills,
I had to be in the Jockey position. Up out of the saddle, hands up on the
neck, back straight, looking right ahead of you. Needless to say, it was
a workout.
Finally after all that preparation, I was able to
try a raised jump. Nothing too fancy, but at least it was something.
It took a while for me and my horse to get the hang of it, but in due
time we finally made a clean jump! After weeks and weeks of trying different
combination of, we were finally able to try a higher jump. With set
determination, and all my practice behind me, I set myself up for the 3-foot
jump. Cantering towards it, my horse flew over it with such grace it was
almost perfect. I had just landed a high jump, and I was so proud of
myself.
This shows that you can set any goal, and with determination you can
complete it! Never give up on something that you know you can do.
It's the simple idea that you can complete something, something that may
or may not be hard, and that one day you can actually do it. Just a
simple idea put into actions, it's amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment