2012: A perfect year to throw out perfectionism

2012 was a good year competition-wise. As someone who tends toward the middle of the pack (no "thrill of victory," no "agony of defeat"), Ri and I are basking in what was, for us, a pretty good year. We won some year end awards from two GMOs, for one thing--more on that later. I'm happy, but I'm realistic about our performances. Ri is a lovely, kind horse, and judges saw it and rewarded it. I'm a lucky girl to have him, and the view from his back is worth a million bucks.  Four years ago, when he was on stall rest and needed unrelenting  care, I had no idea if he would even be sound for riding, much less competing. The real victory is that he is happy, and rideable, and healthy.  So this is all good.

Let yourself be happy: Taking the good advice 
Here is a shout-out to Kevin Donnelly. I'm relaying his sage advice to all of you perfectionist dressagey types. Hey, Kevin, you may not remember me, but we used to board together at a barn when I first moved to PA. Harv and I were competing, and one weekend we came away with blue ribbons and even edged out an area professional for a First Level victory at a recognized show. You congratulated me, and I was quick to explain how some of the more competitive riders had difficult horses or bad rides.

You said something that stuck with me:

"You should enjoy the highs to the fullest, because with horses, you're don't know how long you're going to stay there, and you need the highs to get you through the lows." 

Thanks Kevin. I'm going to follow this advice this year :-).