Since my leg injury I've heard it all....from....."when the going gets tough....the tough get going", "everything happens for a reason", "there's always a silver lining".....and the list goes on. This injury really made so many things much clearer. Sitting back watching the Olympics was one of those eye opening moments that almost feels like someone hit me over the head with a frying pan. I have for years now been determined to ride for my country. But now more than ever the final pieces to the puzzle are filling in. I have to say that after my trip to Europe last year it really brought out a lot of holes I realized I needed filled. In my everyday training, my competition performances, and the team of horses I'm training to bring up the levels. I realized that in order to compete with the best, you have to be your best. Every step, every second you train. Is it difficult to be that disciplined? Not if you want to beat the best. Hard work just isn't enough.
This time off has made me hungrier than ever, but in a good strong way. In a way that makes me feel confidently determined. I want to be the best! I want to compete in Europe and be a contender that wins. It's attainable I know. We Americans right now feel a bit defeated.....the Weg was difficult and now the Olympics. It's a gut wrenching feeling to watch the people who you are routing for not have the results they want or we want for that matter. But unless your there you never know what they are experiencing. I can't wait to see the US after our makeover. We have so many riders who are hungry and excited for the "new" way of Team USA and I'm one of them!
I feel like the Eventing community as a whole is such a wonderful team already. We have excellent resources to make us better. We just need to utilize making our future brighter.
My unexpected vacation from riding has only made me stronger, hungrier, and more determined to being superior to "good". Because good isn't good enough!
We.....the USA did not have the best performance at the Olympics, however it's about what we as a Nation learn from each games and figure out how to improve and aspire to perform better. Change is a must! I don't think that buying trained, expensive horses is the answer.....it always helps to be sitting on expensive horse flesh....however the partnership between a horse and rider is unexplainable. When you find that special partnership I believe that's what is unbeatable. Time again we've seen Olympic Gold Medalist not necessarily be the best riders in the world.
So as Team USA has some time off to reflect on how to become superior, every rider aspiring to ride for Team USA or their own country should keep striving and working hard to be that next Olympian. You just never know what partnership you can develop with hard work!
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