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doing your best by erica davidge. king kekaulike high school pukalani hawaii.
I was fortunate enough to have the
opportunity to train with Greg Best, currently the Olympic
Equestrian Coach for New Zealand and past Silver Medalist for the
United States Equestrian Team. Horsemanship is an integral part of
my lifestyle.
I remember arriving at Greg’s farm in Otane, an agricultural landscape dotted with sheep, green pastures and lots of horses. I met with Greg and his fiancé Kim as they showed me where I would be sleeping and gave me the weekly training schedule. I walked down a long hallway where his Olympic photos hung along with his red competition jacket and two silver medals with letters of award signed by the President. I could hardly breath, I felt light headed and a sense of dread came over me, “ who did I think I was, a fifteen year old girl from Maui who thought she might someday ride on the Olympic team…he must think I am so foolish.” |
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My fleeting thoughts were pushed out of my mind as we got to work training on various horses. After each session Greg would go over point by point, what I needed to improve and how I could get a better ride. He put me on a very seasoned horse and I had some very good jumping courses on him. The next horse he put me on was straight off the racetrack, fresh, green and not knowing where to put his long legs when I asked him to canter over a cross rail. “ Aha, “ Greg said, “Paddy made you look very smart when you rode him, everything seemed easy but now seeing you on this young horse all your weaknesses are exposed and we have a lot of work to do.” I didn’t feel inadequate upon hearing these remarks, I felt ready, ready to do whatever it took to get things right. |
Each day I learned more and more from this seasoned veteran and one evening I told him how I would like to compete internationally. Instead of dismissing me he looked me straight in the eye and said “ you can never attain lofty goals if you don’t think about them and think about them often.”
The last day with Greg and Kim was very special. He brought out a young horse that had just won at the Horse of the Year Show. He was green but had a great deal of potential. I rode Moni that day and we clicked almost immediately. By that evening my father had made the decision along with Greg that Moni would be the horse that could help me reach some of my goals along the way. I was so excited I ran out to the paddock and told Moni that I would be bringing him on a long adventure with me!
That was over a year ago and the lesson of living immersed in your dream has only been strengthened. I look forward to blending university life with my athletic goals. To sum up the lesson I learned through this experience I need to quote Henry David Thoreau, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.” That is exactly what I intend to do.
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