12/10/2021
“Oh, but I could never do that!”.
Truth is, if you want to, you can. Here I’m pretty sure Jane and I are chatting about WTF we are doing entering a competition like this, just us being two gals from the bush. We both struggled with comparison disease, considering we were “just” station kids up against professional and semi professional horsewomen, seasoned competitors and just damn good hands.
I know I struggled not having access to cattle (yes, I know you think living on a cattle station I have cattle in my backyard, but they are 30km away and in a huge paddock - you can’t just start chasing them around 🤣).
I worried about entering because I thought I couldn’t do it with kids - well, I busted my own myth there.
I thought I didn’t have time - if I can do it with about 45min saddle time a day, then you can too.
I struggled with having access to good pasture and nutrition, and a “thoroughbred friendly” property. I got myself a good feed sponsor (thanks CEN Horse Nutrition for believing in this gal from the sticks!) and I endured some hiccups and injuries as Darlene approached a less “protected” lifestyle (she wasn’t even rugged 😱).
My advantages included a “working horse” mindset that allowed D to tackle obstacles (like that bridge!) that she had never been exposed to but knew there was a job at hand and she was more than capable of getting it done.
I had the advantage of a super supportive circle of peers, mentors and friends (and a husband that had no time to practically support me but never ever stopped believing in me) that helped me along the way, including the other Cowgirls Gathering R2R competitors.
I think each of us brought our different strengths to the competition, and that was reflected through the different scores over the four phases.
Lastly, the horses themselves are all carriers of their own baggage and experiences, and that is not entirely a reflection of the R2R trainers themselves, and we all just had to work through each challenge the best we knew how with the tools we had at the time.
I guess the point of this post is, if you love and honour the horse (thoroughbreds especially!) and you have grit, you can do this. I’m sure each of us girls along the way struggled with imposter syndrome, but I am writing this post to show you that no matter if you are a well known trainer from the coast, a station Mum with kids, a part time competitor and hobby rider, a horsewoman that might feel “over the hill” or someone that competes and trains for a living - those labels will not advantage or disadvantage you from putting the horse first. Anyone can throw their hat in the ring, and who knows, you might come out with a ribbon, a cheque, a deeper understanding of yourself and your horsemanship and definitely a whole bunch of new friends ❤️✨I’ll be there along for the ride with the next intake of R2R competitors, so you will have me in your corner too ⭐️
Photo credit: Flash Pony
