We all have times in our lives when things go wrong. You're dreaming of success and things are moving toward that, but something unexpected occurs and you're hopes are dashed. What happens next? Do you give up on your goal? I didn't. Here's my advice to you.
During my childhood, my singular passion was to become an equestrian champion. It’s not a particularly unique goal, but my situation was different than most because I was born with a handicap that made walking a challenge. It was a huge blessing to have parents who instilled the idea that I could do anything if I persevered. That meant I couldn’t moan over how many times I fell off when I was learning to jump. After six years, I started jumping in competitions.
After I’d been jumping for a few years, Daddy bought me a beautiful black Thoroughbred horse named Fleet Nancy, so we could compete in the big shows. Her nickname was Peach. Peach’s only job was to excel at jumping, and she did. She showed it was fun for her by hopping up and down, doing small bucks called crow hops.
“Daddy, can we go to the show at the Riding Club in Weston? I heard the course is tricky because it’s hilly. Can we practice a couple of days before the show, to make sure we’re familiar with all of the jumps?”
“Good idea, honey. We’ll go there on Friday before the show.”
Our practice jumps helped me feel comfortable with the rolling terrain. Peach didn’t mind that the course wasn’t perfectly flat like most were.
On the morning of the show, Peach and I were practicing before our class. Everything went smoothly until we approached the last jump, the in and out. It’s two jumps with one stride in between. I thought Peach was ready to leave the ground at exactly the right time, but instead, she slid into the first part of the jump and I fell off. If you’re looking for the biggest embarrassment ever, this was it. I imagined every set of eyes in town staring at me when there was no rock to hide behind. And that’s not all. My amazing, perfect Peach galloped off the field at breakneck speed while the announcer yelled, “Loose horse!” over the loudspeaker. Peach ran off whenever she’d been naughty.
Naturally, anyone who didn’t know what happened felt compelled to check it out. I brushed myself off as Daddy walked onto the field. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
“Yes, but everyone was watching us.”
Daddy kissed the scrape on my cheek and wiped the dirt off with his clean hankie. “We’ll get some ice for it. Don’t let the fall bother you. When it matters, you and Peach will shine.”
Someone led Peach over to us. Daddy put me back on and we headed for the in and out again. I whispered, “Peach, that wasn’t nice. We’d better buckle down and do it right this time.” My legs trembled like they always did after I fell off, but we managed to take the in and out well. I patted Peach’s neck and tried to put the incident behind us.
***
“Honey, your class is next. Peach has rested since this morning. Be confident. Ride her like you always do. Then you’ll be hard to beat.”
Daddy kissed me for luck and we trotted onto the field. I gave Peach the canter signal and we galloped toward the first jump. Perfect, I thought. Peach and I took every jump in stride. When we finished, she crow hopped all over the field. I kissed her neck. My legs shook again because I was excited. “Now we’ll wait and see, Peach. We did our best.”
Daddy clapped and whistled from the side of the field. When Peach and I went over, he kissed me and said, “I don’t think anyone can top that.”
We waited for the winning numbers. Finally, the announcement came over the loudspeaker. “First place, number 91, Fleet Nancy, ridden by Deanie Humphrys.”
I kissed Peach’s soft brown nose and trotted her onto the field past the judge. The ringmaster pinned the bright blue ribbon on her bridle. We won every class that day and the Open Hunter Championship. It was incredible. It showed that even when your day doesn’t start out right, you can still change the outcome. When you have a setback, turn it into a comeback. When your biggest desire is to become a champion, you learn to be unstoppable.
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