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Understanding Event Judging by Annalisa Hall, Contributor
Your goal for each ride should be achieving your personal best.
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udging has you could still win the Remember this – you up, you will succeed. many components. It blue ribbon with your can’t judge your success And yes, it is perfectly can be hard for kids and 4.0. This is one of the by the color of the ribbon. fine to be disappointed, their parents to figure out hardest things to wrap You can have a great ride and perfectly fine to cry. how these components your head around - that and be last or a poor ride Then we’d like to see you come together when rib- a blue ribbon does not and still win. In the long come back, determined bons are awarded to keep improvat a horse show. ing and fighting! It would seem The next that if you had a challenge you’ll really good ride, have is when you you would get a finally win that really good ribfirst blue ribbon bon, and if you and you think had a poor ride, you’ve “arrived,” you would get and that you’ll a low ribbon or always win from even no ribbon. that point on. But But the thing is, the competition is it’s not just about also working hard how you perto improve, and form, it’s also there are always about your comnewcomers workpetition’s perforPhoto: Karen Robertson ing hard, nipping mance. You could at the heels of the have a fabulous champions. Every You can’t judge your success by the color of the ribbon. ride, say a 9.5 on competitor has to a scale of 10, but learn not to rest others in the class have always mean you rode term, you will experi- on past successes, but to a 9.7, 9.8, or 9.9. So you well, and a low ribbon ence both. keep on training hard. can be really good, but does NOT automatically Experience makes a For sustained success, BIG difference. But in you have to love what they can still be better. mean you rode poorly. Other times, you may I teach kids that their order to gain show ring you are doing and enhave a poor ride, like goal each time they show experience, you just have joy the practices and the maybe a 4.0 on a scale is a PERSONAL BEST, to keep on going out process as much as the of 10. But it is possible as you can only control there and trying. It may successes. So work hard, that the other riders have your own performance, seem like it takes forev- and good luck! n even poorer rides, and and not how others ride. er, but if you don’t give 10
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