My first competition saw me bring home blue in our pleasure mount and riding pairs classes!

By Jade Mariani

2017. Where do I start?

The past twelve months have been a whirlwind of firsts for me – many of which were too incredible for me to have even dreamt of. In my last article, I spoke about riding at my first show-jumping event. Today, I have won my first blue ribbons, ridden many different horses, received my first trophy, helped train young horses, went to my first riding camp, became a Pony Club Captain, and started my own equestrian clothing business (KCM Equestrian)!

The girl who started riding when she turned 19 just wanted to learn how to trot… my oh my what a journey she’s been on! I guess no one can predict what life has in store for us, and I often hear people talk about the impossibility of their goals. I guess the best lesson 2017 taught me, is that the biggest barrier to success is doubt. I don’t even have my own horse! The horse community is full of generous and caring people, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet many of them.

My first competition saw me bring home blue in our pleasure mount and riding pairs classes. We also placed top 4 in our rider, best educated, pony club mount and sporting classes! Ozzie has been such an incredible horse to learn on, and I couldn’t have imagined experiencing all these ‘firsts’ with any other partner.

Ozzie has been such an incredible horse to learn on.

Driving to the event, I remember telling my instructor how nervous I felt – I had never been in an environment like that before, and I had no idea what to do! What if I missed my classes? What if I forgot my workouts? What if, what if!! As it turned out, everything was fine (of course it was, my instructor said it would be!) I even participated in sporting events I had never practiced before, and much to our surprise, won some ribbons in them! From my first competition, I learned that so long as you’re having fun, you’ve already won.

Joining Pony Club was another first for me.

Joining Pony Club was another first for me! While I don’t ride at every rally day, I still have so much fun helping out and spending time with my club. Despite being the oldest member, I couldn’t imagine being around a more cheerful, positive and enthusiastic group of people. Despite my late entrance to the equestrian community, I finally feel as though I’m reliving a childhood I always wished to have. Late last year, I was even made a Club Captain and received my first trophy!

Pony Club is teaching me that just because something hasn’t already happened, doesn’t mean it won’t. Good things are always waiting just around the corner. And last, but not least, 2017 has brought me an entirely new lease on life. While I technically joined this crazy world in 2016, it wasn’t until last year that I finally found my place in it. I guess the thing I’m most excited for in 2018, is a whole new year of firsts all over again. Because if there’s one thing I learned last year… it’s that we never, ever stop.

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