Personal Narrative-My First IEA Team

One Sunday afternoon, just this past fall, I had my first IEA show. My trainer and I had been preparing for this for the past few months. My breeches were stiff, and my boots were almost as shiny as the grin on my face. I hoped for the one thing I had yet to acquire: a blue ribbon. The other riders were mounting when I took a deep breath, soaking in the crisp fall breeze. This is it, Gabi. You got this. When I saw my teammates watching and cheering for me on the sidelines, my nervousness disappeared. The ride was neither good nor bad, but it definitely was an experience paying extra attention to all the little details to keep my equitation in check. As the judge directed my class to dismount and started to read out placings, my heart sank. …show more content…
Prior to IEA, I would be riding the same horse doing the same thing, every ride. From this experience, I have learned many new skills such as, recognizing the individual needs of horses, how to ride in group lessons with many horses in the ring, and show etiquette. Additionally, my equitation has improved, not to mention the countless other lessons I have learned in only a few months about horsemanship and being part of an IEA team . I do not think that I would be the same rider that I am today without IEA and since the end of the IEA season, I have continued to ride diverse horses to increase my skill. IEA has changed everyone on my team’s riding experience and career, especially mine. I feel this is such a breakthrough because my riding didn’t have meaning until I started IEA. Now I ride for a cause. I ride to bring pride to my barn, family, teammates, and trainer. Most importantly, I ride to prove to myself that I do not give up, and there is always room for improvement. Before I started doing IEA, I did not even know what I was missing. To be honest, I do not truly have a set plan for the rest of my riding career, but I do know that it will involve IEA and