After three equestrian weekends out of six in Ocala, Florida, with Henriette Morris (both of which included Reserve Champion and Champion extra-long ribbons- wow!), there are a series of lessons learned (or hacks that I was reminded of) that I reflected upon as our youngest daughter competed on Smokey the Pony:

Henriette must learn each of her “courses” before competing. She studies the first most intently, then learns the second, third and fourth more real-time. Like skiing or any sport that requires hyper focus, when you are zeroing on only what’s in front of you, letting everything else melt away, it allows you to channel all of your effort and intention toward the task at hand. Sounds simple. Easier said than done. Clearly what is done by the world finest athletes and top performers industry wide.

Each “trip” (we are learning the hunter/jumper lingo) is another journey, another battle. What happened in the previous round is great experience to learn from, but no guarantee of future success. And any bumps in the road can be avoided in future rounds.

Show clothes in equestrian competitions are as elegant as they come. Like suiting up with any uniform for battle, it gets you into the mind space of “We are here to compete. Let’s go get it done.” Even if you are 9. Or maybe even more so when you are 9.

We saw some kids go off course. We saw our kid squiggle a little more on the course than we wanted to at times. But steady as she goes is often a winning strategy.

Even when hot and tired, champion start strong and finish stronger.