Juniors’ Ring
THE BALANCING ACT
Unlike many other sports where the practice field, gym, or pool is at your middle school or high school, most riders don’t have this convenience with the barn, making the balance of school and finding time to ride a challenge. Adding in homework, other extracurricular activities, and friends makes fitting in time at the barn an even tighter squeeze. Thousands of junior and young riders face this problem every year, and with the help of other riders just like you, we’ve come up with some tips to help take your riding to the next level while keeping your parents happy when the report card comes in.
Schedule Your Time Use a calendar to track when assignments and projects are due, as well as important competitions you plan to attend. This schedule will help you find times during the week when you can spend more time at the barn and not fall behind in the classroom.
PHOTO: KIM RUSSELL
Sacrifices With any sport, sacrifices will have to be made to participate, but prioritizing what is important to you will help make these trade-offs easier. Communicate with your trainer, parents, teachers, and friends about what activities are coming up to help determine a balance that can work for you. If you have a competition quickly approaching, it may not be possible to spend your entire Saturday at the mall with friends, but knowing ahead of time that the show is important to you will help motivate you to work even harder toward your goal.
12 Equestrian January / February
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