Guest Post by Jessica Story for Equine Business Management Class
When entering the arena on a horses back,
there is always a chance that something unexpected can happen. You can prepare
for months and months but you never know what is going to happen the day you
walk into the arena. Horses have a mind of their own which is what makes this
sport so exciting because riders have to find a unity with their horse in order
to perform. Amy Wrozek, a returning competitor for the St. Andrews American National Riding Commission (ANRC) team,
had a rough start to the show this year but showed perseverance and pushed
through the remainder of the show.
The first phase of the show that was on
horseback was the program ride. This is an equitation test that includes a
series of movements on the flat and includes two jumps within the test. Amy
entered the ring confident about the test that she had practiced over and over
but when she went to extend the trot across the diagonal, one of the first few
movements required in the test, the horse she was riding threw a very large and
unexpected buck. Not only did she fall off and not get a score for that phase, but
she broke one her fingers.
With the support of her ANRC team, IHSA
teammates, coaches, as well as people from other schools she managed to keep
her head up and compete the next day in the medal and derby phases. She had
beautiful rounds in both phases and took home multiple ribbons. With all of the
support she received it gave her to confidence to compete the next day as if
nothing had happened the day before. The power of support is a wonderful thing
and all of the St. Andrews equestrian teams show each other a tremendous amount
of support.
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