From: Kristina
Dear Jessica, First off, I would like to thank you for the advice you gave me last year. I finally got up enough courage to walk away from my old trainer, which was an abusive situation. I moved my horse to a small boarding facility and after a little bit of bumpy times, my horse and I are finally on the same page again. Thank you again for encouraging me to get out of my previous situation; I have never made a better decision in my life. :)
In the past year, I have been watching ESPN and have video taped the Equestrian programs. I have always wanted to get to Grand Prix show jumping, at least, and one day to the Olympics. I am working with my horse, and taking lessons with an excellent trainer (seperately) as well. But I was wondering, how did the professionals, such as Margie Goldstein-Engle, become as good as they did? Is it just through practice, or are there other things that can I could be doing to help myself get to the top? I know this is an unusual question, but any information or thoughts that you have on this is greatly appreciated.
Sincererly,
Kristina
Competitors get to the top in various ways, as I'm sure you know. For the very wealthy, it's possible to buy horses that are AT the top of their game, and try to ride them (with or without success). Occasionally an individual horse will have such immense talent and scope that its rider rises right to the top and stays there as long as that horse is able to jump - then disappears. But by and large, the top professionals get to the top and stay there through dedication and hard work. The people who buy their way to the top tend to disappear rather quickly - staying at the top requires money AND hard work AND dedication, with great talent an optional extra. ;-)
It's important to have good horses, of course. But sponsors are much more likely to appear if a rider has shown real talent and ability AND the capacity to continue to work hard. Nobody will ever come to your barn and say to you "I'm prepared to sponsor you and buy horses for you if you are willing to work very hard to become a Grand Prix rider." Sponsors want established top-level riders, and sponsors need to be courted - they're unlikely to come looking for you. But if you manage to reach the top on your own, and get a reputation for being good with humans as well as horses, then it's much more likely that your calls to potential sponsors will be returned. ;-)
You're right about practice. Practice does matter - and the quality of the practice matters. Find the best instructor you can, and work as hard as you can, for as long as you can. Take every opportunity to show what you can do - at competitions on your own horse, on your instructor's horses, even catch-riding other people's horses. Take clinics with the best trainers you can find. If you can't afford to take them, audit them - when I was in my 20s, I spent a good deal of time auditing George Morris clinics, and even though I couldn't afford to ride with him, I watched every second of each clinic, I heard every word, and I can promise you that I learned every bit as much as the riders.
Think about things other than riding. Raw talent is everywhere, and talent, in itself, is not enough to get you to the top. Trained talent - talent with solid basics and a good grounding in horsemanship and riding - is less easy to find. Trained talent with a strong work ethic is still less easy to find. But at the very top, you'll need the training, the ability, the work ethic, the drive to succeed, and more. The ability to communicate well is important. If you can take some classes in writing and speech, they will only help you in your career. It's much easier to attract and keep sponsors if you have good manners and good language skills. If you have your sights set on the Olympics, it's never too soon to prepare. You're already working on your riding - also start thinking of yourself as an ambassador for your country, and act accordingly.
I know that for a lot of ambitious young riders, looking for sponsorship is a sort of Catch-22: You can't attract the attention of wealthy sponsors unless you are able to display your riding talent on good horses at top competitions, and you can't afford the good horses or the top competitions unless you have some sort of sponsorship. But there are different degrees of sponsorship. Some riders start out in their home towns, asking local business for help in return for publicity if the riders do well. That's one way to begin!
The top riders I know are always looking for sponsorship - even those that already have sponsors. It takes an immense amount of money to travel with horses, to pay the entry fees at the shows, and to pay for all that you'll need for that kind of showing - clothing, tack, transportation, farrier and vet expenses, feed and hay and bedding. Sponsors can drop out, and sponsors can lose interest or find another way to enjoy spending their money. Most sponsored riders at the top are desperate to stay at the top - the sponsors are thinner on the ground when riders aren't consistently placing in the top three or four or five.
It also takes an immense amount of money to get the kind of horses you need to become a top professional with a lasting career. One lucky buy, one super-brilliant horse may be enough to get you to the top, but one horse won't be enough to keep you there. In fact, if you have a single brilliant horse, you're far more likely to be approached by some wealthy person who would like to acquire your horse for the rider s/he is sponsoring!
Some top riders seem to be "sitting pretty", with sponsors who buy them wonderful horses and set them up with training farms. But there's a downside to this - horses and farms that belong to other people can be taken away from you very quickly. I don't think that any of the top professionals can really relax until they have a large, well-paying clientele of their own, and don't need to depend on sponsors for their next horse or their next competition.
My suggestions for you are twofold:
First, why don't you contact the USET? Part of the reason for the existence of the USET is its mission to find and help develop talented riders and horses. If nothing else, you should be able to get some information about what they've done for riders in the past and what they expect to do for riders in the future. Talented young riders can find their way paid to clinics and competitions - but only if they're in the public eye, demonstrating their talent. You can reach the USET at (908)234-1251, and they also have a website: www.uset.org.
Second, since you are a great admirer of Margie Goldstein-Engle, why don't you write to her and ask her advice? She should understand about coping with hardships. She's sustained major injuries while competing, and managed to keep her nerve. She's also a great example for horse-crazy youngsters who just want to ride - when she was a child, she convinced her parents to pay for one weekly riding lesson, and then convinced the stable owners to let her clean stalls in exchange for more lessons. Why is this a great example for you? Because the owners of the stables didn't stop there - they helped her, educated her as a rider, and then became her sponsors. Not everyone has the talent of a Margie Goldstein-Engle, and not everyone will be lucky enough to run into potential sponsors early in life. But if there is a moral to her story, I think it is this: Margie wasn't sitting at home dreaming about being a famous rider - she was at the barn every day, taking lessons whenever she could, cleaning stalls, and always showing her sincere interest and her willingness to work. She seems like a good role model for a jumper rider. I can't promise that she'll answer your letter, but it can't hurt to write to her.
There's an old saying to the effect that "luck" is actually a combination of two things: preparation and opportunity. I tend to agree with this. If you are prepared, you'll be able to recognize and seize an opportunity - if you're NOT prepared, you may not even recognize an opportunity when it comes along, and you certainly won't be able to take advantage of it. So prepare yourself in every way you can, and I'll cross my fingers that your opportunity may come. ;-)
Jessica
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