Well, it’s official. The final results are in from NRHA and Cooper (Juice Chex N) and I are the NRHA Rookie Professional Reserve World Champions for 2018! It’s a great feeling to know that our hard work throughout last show season has culminated in a world title. I have many people to thank for helping us along the way and I have done so. Something like this doesn’t come easily but it is definitely worth all of the time put in to making it happen. So what exactly does it take to win a title? I can share some of my thoughts on that with you. The title standings in NRHA are based on the amount of money you earn, so the more shows you can attend, and the more classes you win at each show, the higher you will be in the ranking because you will accumulate more money. The keys to this are attending shows and winning money. At the end of the season, the one with the most earnings wins!
It’s extremely fun to show but when you’re running for a title you could literally be gone every weekend to make it to the shows that will count for earnings. Winning a title takes a huge time commitment. This can be difficult because even as you’re committed to showing you cannot neglect your other duties on the home and work fronts. If you’ve ever heard the expression “it takes a village…” you might imagine how it applies to this scenario also. It takes a village to be able to run for a title and successfully manage your other obligations. Well I would sincerely like to thank my village members now! I have a fabulous team at my facility from the barn manager and assistant trainer to the volunteers and friends and family that help to fill in and oversee that everything is getting done in my absence when I’m showing. Their dedication to the program is never to be taken for granted and is extremely appreciated.
Winning a title also makes more work for me at home. Having the time to train with my horse at home is always a struggle. I’m extremely busy with client horses and I take their training very seriously. They always come first so to keep my horse in top training condition requires additional time in the saddle and longer hours at home making sure he gets worked after all the clients’ horses are taken care of. The days were definitely long but the outcome, a Reserve World Title, was very worth it!
There were many times along the way where frustration reared its ugly head. To win this title I had to embrace my mistakes and learn from them. When I was frustrated from small defeats along the way I had to evaluate, analyze, critique and make sense of those mistakes so that they became the force behind my ability to be more educated about the process. Every struggle in the show pen, before or after, I tried to turn into a learning experience from which I would draw upon when showing next to help me avoid defeat again. I’ll always make mistakes, but I must never forget to learn from them to avoid making the same mistakes twice.
Learning to be a better showman has been a humbling journey and I have been successful this year in part due to the support of many mentors, a lot of mistakes from which I have learned many things, and living the experience of several years of showing through which I have learned the ropes. I’m on a constant learning curve still but each year we continue to improve and I’m in a better position now to support others who want to learn this discipline. Being confident now to help others pursue their dreams is a distinct pleasure that I will continue to realize in the years to come.