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| Catch riding in high school |
In honor of kicking off the next round of Ammy Hour interviews, here are my thoughts on amateurs and professionalism.
I'm still not quite sure how I feel about having stars clipped on C-rage's butt. It's something I've never done before. I came through the ranks of tidy, professional horse people and I appreciate all those things. So when someone I respect told me that clipping shapes on horses and wearing bright colors was "cute when you're 12, but dumb after that", I had to stop and think.
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| I didn't have a horse, but I had a sweet winter coat |
What about those of us who didn't have a horse when they were 12? I got my first horse at 20, and I realize that's a lot earlier than many of the amateurs out there in the blogosphere. Yeah, if you had horses as a kid and got to show and play around and do all that fun stuff, cool. I'm sure you're ready to grow up and get serious and accomplish your goals, and I'm happy for you.
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| Going BN on the OTTB |
If you're me, you worked your ass for for well over a decade on lesson horses, catch riding, and then feeling like a lottery winner because your parents let you half lease a green OTTB when you were 15, provided you paid for it. If you're me, you never got to show very much because there just wasn't money for it in my family. Forget NAJYRC--I couldn't afford to join USEA, so going novice was out of the question. I showed out of state one time, at dressage championships. I borrowed a lovely mare to go and another mother from my team paid my entry fee. God bless her.
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| My $2 show coat from the 4H tack sale |
I never had the coolest, nicest, or fanciest anything. I'm not complaining--I know I was luckier than most kids, even kids that live in first world countries. I had a great time. I learned a lot about hard work and gratitude. I can be proud of the things I did and the horses I brought along. I certainly don't regret my childhood, but I never got to do a lot of the things I really wanted to.
So I guess I don't have a lot of patience with the "only cool if you're 12" argument. I'm not a professional. I don't want to be one. My goal is to be a happy amateur, and I'll be damned if I'm going to skip over doing new things just because some other subset of lucky people got to do more things when they were kids than I did.
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| It's a statement |
It's not about money or resentment or reliving my childhood either--I have horses for me to enjoy. It's about having fun. As much as I respect tidy professionals with well turned out horses, if I want to clip stars on my horse's ass, then I have no remorse. It's amateur hour!
So I guess I don't have a lot of patience with the "only cool if you're 12" argument. I'm not a professional. I don't want to be one. My goal is to be a happy amateur, and I'll be damned if I'm going to skip over doing new things just because some other subset of lucky people got to do more things when they were kids than I did.
Someone seriously said that? I personally see no problem with it, no matter your age. I'm a total kid at heart, and while I don't like bling on horses nor do I have the patience for clipping shapes into Fiction's butt, I do love to rock Lime Green when we're out and about! Not to mention his rainbow halter and pink bell boots! Who cares what you do or how you express yourself at any level? Professionals don't need to be stuffy (imo) and amateurs definitely don't need to even feel pressured to conform.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I am typically ultra concerned with turnout and "professional" level of grooming and horse care (despite my 24/7 outdoor living yak). Still, I think the number one thing is to make sure your horse is healthy and happy, then make sure you are enjoying your sport. My horse is 99% of the time immaculately clean, his equipment fits, and it's all clean and repaired. We look like we belong. If I want to up my enjoyment by neatly clipping a beer logo into his butt? At least I did it with nice clean lines, and it makes me smile when I see it.
ReplyDeleteLive on! Professionalism is great, stuffiness is not!
I think people need to chill out and stop being so darn snotty! I love the star on your horse, and I love the checkerboard another blogger has on her horse. I don't clip and am not artistic at all or I would have the Boulder mountains clipped on my horse. :)
ReplyDeleteLooking back through time, horses have always been decorated by their riders and that tradition should continue. Besides, keeping your horse and tack bland and plain is over rated.
Clip those stars, grrl. As RuPaul said, what other people think of you is none of your business. And furthermore, this professional is very impressed with your clip job. If I tried to clip stars on Lex's butt, they'd look like shapeless blobs. I judge people HARD for not taking good care of their horses, but not for adorable clips. Yeesh. Some people need to get a life.
ReplyDeleteYep!! What you said.
DeleteRock the butt stars, Courage! Who cares what anyone thinks? I have a short, fat pony that looks like he should belong to a 12 year old and be adorned in pink, instead of more "professional" looking horse. I don't even care. I'm having fun, I luv my pony, and I'm having fun. Did I mention I'm having fun? Although, if I clipped stars on his butt it would probably make him even cuter... ;)
ReplyDeleteI noticed the stars in one of your videos and meant to comment that I loved them!
ReplyDeleteI didn't get Harley until I was 27. I was very turned off at the last show I went to, because the people who lived at the barn were commenting that he was a nice kid's horse. I have nothing against kids, but not all of us can purchase a giant dressage horse of special breeding. He is my first horse and I work very hard as an adult to buy and keep him. No one bought me a kid's horse when I was 12 either.
You go girl!
Amen!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awful comment to make! I groomed professionally while I was in school, both on the A circuit and for a steeplechase trainer. I don't see anything wrong with having fun with your horse! Isn't that the whole point? And for the record, I saw a 3-star rider at Fair Hill rocking a pink saddle pad!
ReplyDeleteHad to wait until I graduated college and had a job to own a horse. I had a borrowed one before that. If you can't have fun, what's the point? That's the very reason I essentially stopped competing after some well over 40 years. Show fees up, more people riding expensive horses mostly better movers than mine, and all the hassle of grooming up, trailering, etc. Don't miss it at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, I love the stars and one super clip job you've done. My trace clips never looked that good!!
I didn't get my first horse until I was 21 and that was because I had scraped up enough money to buy a horse at an auction. I didn't get riding lessons until I was out of the house and then I spent every last penny for a once a week lesson. So I also missed out on all the having fun as a kid opportunities.
ReplyDeleteWhich probably explains why I dressed my last pony in pink, even though I'm at a 'serious' barn. Or why my current pony has a neon blue pad that makes my dressage trainers eyebrows raise all the way up into her hair.
Horses don't give a damn about being conservative and as long as you're not showing (at that moment) in a conservative discipline, I think you should have as much fun as you want to with clip designs and anything else you want to do with your pony.
People have said stuff like that to me and I don't care. I have saddle pads in most of the colors of the rainbow, sparkly crap, all my grooming stuff is purple, and my crop glitters.
ReplyDeleteThey'll get over it. I did what I liked and didn't worry too much about what anyone else thought.
Have you seen the helmet covers I ride in? I LOVE my blue animal print one! I'm 36 years old, but I'm still a kid at heart. I put quarter marks on my roan pony just for fun! Life's too short. I think there is a place for fun and professionalism at the same time, and ameatur hour just might be it! =D
ReplyDeleteI love the stars! Shy had a heart last year. Who cares what others think, it's your horse, have fun!
ReplyDeleteI have a similar background to yours, but I prefer a professionally turned out horse. That being said, it's your horse. I think riding is about FUN before anything else, and if you find that fun then go for it. I find monogrammed hunter princess land fun, so that works for me. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe someone said that. We have horses to enjoy them, so if clipping shapes on his rump is fun, then by all means do it!
ReplyDeleteExpress yo' self girlfriend!!! He looks adorbs with his stars. EVERY horse in our dressage barn is rocking their own symbol. Snowflake, Paw prints, hearts, stars, playboy bunny head, smiley face, crown, moon & stars, a BI-PLANE...I only WISH I could clip something in Pongo! You'd never be able to see it with all his spots otherwise you bet your buns I would do it!! My trainer does all the designs, she has a whole ziploc full of fun templates and they all look impeccable once complete.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first got rose we boarded at a dressage show barn. It was owned and run by the trainer. Guess what? They would clip any thing you wanted on your horses butt and show them. One horse was known in the winter show circuit for his awesome superman clip. Rock those stars girl!
ReplyDeleteWho's got time to worry about other people's thoughtless comments...
ReplyDeleteIf I ever end up clipping my guy in the future, you can be sure he'll have something cute on his a$$!
Seriously someone has their panties in a wad! Who cares how other people clip their horses? It grows back!!! I personally love the stars and really admire some of the more elaborate clip jobs people do. they have a lot more skill and patience than I do. I don't think it is "upnrofessional" to do artsy designs on your horse. It's just hair, it grows back, some people need to pull the stick out of their ass.
ReplyDeleteI love those stars. That person that made that comment needs to get over themselves. Creative clip jobs and bright colors never hurt anybody.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of expense and often heartache in owning horses. If we can't have fun, why do it?
Here here!! To each their own, and for me that means cute clipper patterns and sparkly hooves and hot pink saddle pads when I'm in the mood. Staying connected to your inner 12-year old is part of the joy of horses!
ReplyDeleteI will always clip something into my horses butt! It's fun!!! And it's my horse so WHY NOT!?!? Also id love to be on Ammy Hour:) I'm not an adult amateur but I am a Teenager amateur!!! New perspective!:) lol fab pictures btw:)
ReplyDeletePoo on people who have no sense of humour and think far too much of themselves. Don't they have something else to worry about? I take personal joy in offending the DQ's with my pads that are neither white NOR black, offending the hair nazis by refusing to braid ever, offending the trendy kids with a helmet less than $60, and offending revisionist traditionalists with my absent jacket. If it ain't in the rule book, it ain't a rule and as much as you think the judge admires your horse's coiffure, s/he actually doesn't even know what colour it is.
ReplyDeleteAnd I didn't get to go to a horse show (outside of a few small dressage schooling "shows" at my lesson barn where I rode whatever random horse whose owner wanted 1/2 price board) until I was 26 and I got Solo, which happened only because he was a gift to me from a very special person.
Anytime I hear people like that, I think it's a shame they never learned to think for themselves.
So I was one of those ridiculously lucky children who not only had their own horse (from the age of 3 on) but got to show and lesson on a regular basis. I would love to have some sort of design clipped on Charlie's behind! Whoever told you "it was cute at 12" has obviously forgotten that having horses is supposed to be fun. And to add to that, I seem to remember Opposition Buzz having some sort of flower clipped on his hind end at a major 4*.
ReplyDeleteJust ridiculous. People can be such jerks sometimes.
Clip away! I didn't get my first horse until I was 28 and had a handful of lessons before that. This is my time! I have fun and a lot of times that means matching my shirt to my pad and my horse's bell boots. Esp. around my barn, I do what I want. Going places, I always opt for a clean, more conservative look (I get complimented on my turnout). So when I finally get the nerve to shave shapes in my horse's coat, I'll just do it not during show season. :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this post. I never had a horse when I was a kid too and he's going to look as cute as I goddamn want him to. I don't clip but I'm all about the colours, and I have a friend who didn't get her horse until later too. She has everything from purple rope reins to tuquoise custom stirrups. Why? Because why not.
ReplyDeleteSometimes horse people lack a filter when it comes to their opinions. Even if it is someone you respect, their opinion doesn't matter on this and I think they are missing the whole picture. Your horse looks healthy, happy, and well cared for. The clip job, which it looks like you did a really good job on, serves the purpose you want. There is nothing wrong with adding a little something else to it. It's not like you clipped an obnoxious design or something. Good for you for working so hard to be able to do what you love and adding a little creativity in the process :)
ReplyDeleteAgree 100%. Love this post so much.
ReplyDeleteYou go girl! It should all be about having fun and doing whatever you want with your horse if it makes you feel good. I grew up like you, never with a horse of my own who I could paint with sparkly toe polish or braid bows in his mane or do something creative with the clippers. Who cares what people say? I love the stars :)
ReplyDeleteIf dressing your horse up is wrong, then I don't wanna be right! I have to show in dark tack, a dark coat, dark boots, and a white saddle pad, shirt and breeches. I look like a darned penguin! Therefore, in our down time, I like to have a little fun. It doesn't make me any less professional. Also, I learned when I was boarding that no one steals your stuff when it's obnoxious looking and easily identified. Now that I have my own place, I've learned that you're less likely to accidentally run over your equipment with the lawn mower if it's brightly colored.
ReplyDeleteI don't clip, so I guess I'm ok there, but your "friend" would probably plotz if she saw the silly costumes I make my horses wear for every holiday! It's all in good fun, we still look "professional" when we go down centerline.
HERE HERE! I soooo agree with this post! We have worked too hard for too long to realize our dreams, to let othesr dictate how to live those dreams! You clip stars if you want to!!!
ReplyDeleteSide note: my new boots are on the way! I am so terribly excited! I will post the moment I get them!!!!
Wow, I can't believe someone was so narrow minded to say that! Those stars on Courage are awesome and definitely don't make you any less professional.
ReplyDeleteYou can still be professional and have fun with your horse, and that is what riding and horses is about :)
C-rage says he has dem dressage skillz... and he wants stripy sunglasses!
ReplyDeleteThe stars are cleanly clipped, and well placed. If I had the hand-eye coordination for it, my mare would totally rock a shape in her clip, even if I got razzed for it. I am along the same lines as many on here, most of us rode horses we couldn't do our own thing on growing up, so we get to enjoy it a bit now. I have my conservative tack, and I'm acquiring my fun tack too, wth not.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you! I went through a stage where I bought polo shirts to match Prince's brightly colored saddle pads for doing jumpers- I suspect I might not have gone through that stage if I had ridden or shown as a kid. But who cares, it made me happy and I was mostly just at schooling shows anyways.
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely a line between fun and tacky, but you and C always look neat and I think the stars are well done. Who cares in the comfort of your own barn anyways?
You tell 'em, loved this post!
ReplyDeleteI think your clip job looks great! It is clean looking, not gaudy. I do think there are people who sometimes take the whole "dressing up my little pony" too far, but have never thought that about you and your horses! My feeling is that when I'm in a lesson I want to be respectful and not distract from myself and my horse. However, if I'm just out and about having fun, its all fair game ;-)
ReplyDeleteI agree...Like Max Corcoran talking about how colour coordinating your cross country gear is ok when you are in Pony Club but not when you are an adult.
ReplyDeleteUMMM this is one reason I love eventing. Sorry not sorry, I WILL be wearing matchy matchy for life.
I completely agree! I'm a big "matchy" person, and I try to coordinate my polo wraps/boots with the saddle pad...which is why I have 4 sets of polos, 2 sets of boots and about 5 saddle pads. So sue me :)
ReplyDeleteIf he's not going to a show any time soon, then heck, why not? I personally do like keeping my horse looking "professional," and I try to look as professional as I can when I'm out. that said- at home, I wear comfortable exercise clothes, and even at lessons I don't dress up. But, when I do go out to a clinic or a schooling experience that is off the farm, I try to look nice because I am a working student of sorts and represent my trainer and I want to look good for her. And I can tell you, she appreciates it, as she's made comments to me before when her other students show up looking sloppy. It's not that I have the nicest or fanciest stuff, I just try to look as best as I can afford. Appearance is a big deal to me. (I do have a tiny bit of fun on xc with the teal colors, but I still don't like to over-do it, just the pad and vest.)
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't really get offended if someone else wants to wear bright colors or put cool shapes on their horse. I might not personally like it, but who cares!! To each his own, and yes, you're allowed to have fun every now and then :)
And I definitely wouldn't have said anything to someone who did clip something in their horse- that is just stupid and rude. Also, like other commenters have said, while I'm not a fan of designs, your starts are clipped really cleanly and they look really professionally done! And you know... hair grows.
I can't believe someone said that either! What the heck! I have had horses since I was five years old (except for two years in my twenties), but I never showed... not once have I ever competed in anything. We didn't have the money when I was a kid and by the time I could afford to I had such stage fright I didn't even want to try. I might someday (but again can't afford it), but it will never be my life's goal or anything. I have horses because they make me happy and I never plan to grow up! I'm perfectly happy to never be a "professional". I LOVE Courage's stars by the way. :D
ReplyDeleteI understand exactly where you're coming from especially the comment about being lucky but not necessarily getting to do what you wanted. Power to you and the stars! Have fun and love what you're doing!
ReplyDeleteMore power to you...
ReplyDeleteA professional that I know and respect clipped her personal horses: Wine bottle on the GP horse and wine glass on the pony. As long as the pattern doesnt interfere with the saddle area and is neat... who the heck cares?
Your horse, your time, your money.
Love your clip & the post! I'm in the ponyless child camp- but also in the Hunter World now where everything is prim and proper. A refreshing post and reminder! Thanks!
ReplyDelete