EquiTeam’s coach and rider Liz Daniels chats about winning and explores if bringing home a rosette really matters.
Last weekend I went to the British Dressage Petplan Equine Area Festival and, alongside all of the usual life lessons and reminders that I should work harder and smarter, something really resonated with me.
I went to say Hello to a lovely lady who came to camp a number of years ago. I was expressing how amazingly I thought she is doing on her journey with her native pony, and what a wonderful achievement to be there competing at Medium level.
She replied, “I know, it is amazing, but I just wish I wasn’t always in the bottom third of my class.”
I nodded and said,
But isn’t it better be out following your dreams and inspiring many people who might look and think, ‘wow, maybe I could do that one day’, than staying in your comfort zone, where you might be winning, but you are not pushing yourself to achieve more?
She concluded that maybe it was, but I have to say there is an element of me that completely understands how she feels.
Being competitive
I am competitive. Not fiercely competitive, but naturally competitive. I think sometimes being fiercely competitive can give you the edge, but sometimes also takes the enjoyment out of things. My brother is an accomplished sportsman and he has that extra edge. He is most definitely fiercely competitive, and I think this is one of the reasons that he is at the top of his chosen sport – thank goodness he doesn’t like horses!
But when you are naturally competitive, like I am, it’s not always about the winning, but more about being better than you were the last time out. Like a drive for self-improvement.
I had ridden my Novice test at the Areas the day before, a test that I am very comfortable with, and one that I thought had gone really well.
The judges did not agree as they concluded that we were distinctly average.
After my initial feelings of, “This is why jumping is so much less confusing – you either knock a pole or you don’t’, followed by, ‘Is this drive even worth it… a five hour round trip for five minutes of dressage’, followed by the frustration and realisation that it is just how it goes and three judges can’t all be wrong!
Either way, I too had left feeling a little deflated. Not because I hadn’t won, but because my efforts were, on paper, so much worse than the last time we rode at this level!
Regrouping
Of course I did go back, and the next day I got up at 4.30am for our early morning Elementary test which is where I saw my friend and absorbed her comment of wishing that she wasn’t always in the bottom third.
I contemplated her comment on the long drive home and concluded a few things. Not many of us like to admit it, but sometimes winning does matter – not always for the winning, but for the boost that it gives you.
But on the balance… is too much winning equally unhealthy?
Clearly I’m not a top level athlete, but after a really positive streak which saw Cianti and I at the top of the placings for a few consecutive competitions – being out of the rosettes feels harder.
Recognition
I wonder about the top athletes in our sport, take Olly Townsend, Scott Brash or even Charlotte Dujardin for example. The amount of pressure to win must be quite over-bearing. It might be their job, but does the pressure to perform take the ‘fun’ out of the sport they, presumably, once loved?
Going back to my friend, was it the winning she was seeking, or was it actually the recognition that she was improving and her hard work, time and efforts were being noticed by the judges?
I haven’t asked her – but I would bet that it is probably the latter.
So what is the answer? I think it depends on the person. For me I would rather have a five minute bout of frustration when I under-perform whilst I’m striving for more, than sitting in a comfortable position in the ribbons but afraid to push out of it.
But that is more about me as a person and it certainly doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with sitting in and enjoying your comfort zone.
In fact, staying where you are stops the feeling of being demotivated, the feeling that crushes your self-belief, and also means you probably enjoy the experience a lot more as let’s face it – it’s a much shorter drive home with a rosette on your dashboard than the feeling of being below par!
So do you have to keep pushing and striving for more? No of course you don’t!
Everyone has a limit and there is nothing at all wrong with that. Riding is all about the journey but it is also important that we enjoy it along the way.
And for me… Yep – it’s back to the drawing board… again!
Liz x
