Riding The Long Game
Let’s start this topic off with a personal story.
My horse of four years, Cali, has always had an ongoing issue with going on trail rides by herself. When I first got her, we were able to ride anywhere on the trail on our own. This was very short-lived, as a neighbor’s new life-sized cow statue scared her out of venturing out on the trail alone. She started planting her feet, refusing to go forward on the trail. I took so much time and pulled every resource I could to work on the issue, but she wouldn’t budge. My efforts only seemed to make her even more resistant. After months of trying with no progress, I decided to leave the trail issue be. If I left the property, I would either hand-walk or ride with a friend. Although these strategies worked well, they were very limiting. I would have to rely on someone else if I wanted to go on a trail ride, and the arena was a good ten-minute hand walk away for my lessons. I yearned for those early days when I could just hop on and go ride on my own, but every time I attempted to revisit the issue, Cali would just plant her feet again. I’m sure there are specific training tactics that I missed out on, but I used the resources that were available to me at the time. Unfortunately, I was out of luck. Flash forward to three years later, I moved Cali to another barn and then one final move right down the trail. After the issue was untouched for at least a year, I decided to brave the trail alone again. I had brief glimmers of luck, but she mostly continued to plant her feet and refuse to move forward. I took another break from solo trail riding for a few months, and with the help of a professional rider friend, I am now able to ride Cali all over the trail by myself. Instead of Cali planting her feet, she happily walks along the trail on a long rein, following wherever I guide her.
This brief overview of my lengthy journey with solo trail riding with Cali reflects the importance of choosing to play the long game. Although hindsight is 2020, and I could have gone about the situation in a different manner, it all worked out in my favor in the end. Some issues just don’t have a quick fix, and this saga lasted a total of nearly four years to conclude. No matter how hard I tried or how badly I wanted the issue to resolve itself, it took multiple years for it to finally work out the way I desired it to. The movies and accounts on social media often make the journey look a lot easier than it actually is. Sure, there are some issues that quickly improve with very little time, practice, patience, and dedication. There are also other issues and situations that take months or years to improve with a much higher level of time, practice, patience, and dedication. We live in a society that tends to crave instant gratification and often exhibits a lowered level of patience for progress and results. A lot of the time, a quick fix for unwanted issues is desired and preferred over a long, nonlinear journey of progress. Not everything is going to take a long time to resolve, but there are some situations that absolutely will. This doesn’t mean that something is wrong with the athlete going through the struggle. It means that performance isn’t perfect or linear, and some issues take more time and effort to resolve than others. It’s most important to stay connected to performance, keep those goals in sight, and keep working hard towards becoming better. Reap the abundance of learning opportunities along the journey; quick fixes offer much less growth than the long game does. To now be able to ride my horse on the trail on my own is the sweetest feeling. The sense of accomplishment is so strong, and it allows me to appreciate the small details of riding even more so.
When faced with an issue, know that it may or may not resolve itself in a timely manner. Know that playing the long game and continuing to work on it will ultimately be worth it in the end. This type of scenario could equate to developing a young horse, rehabbing an injury, moving up to the next division at horse shows, qualifying for a medal final, and so much more. With horses, playing the long game is very common as they are very unpredictable and often accident-prone animals. The saga of Cali trail riding alone is only one of many long games I have played with her. We have dealt with physical issues, behavioral occurrences, losses, and mental setbacks throughout the four years that I have owned and worked with her. I’ve had big goals, dreams, and plans that had to be put on the sidelines more than once. Slowly but surely, we built and rebuilt to a steadfast place. What I have gone through in my own, athletic journey is no different from a variety of athletes across a multitude of different sports and performances. Many of us have had to play the long game, change original plans, wait it out, and eventually reach our goals. Although the disappointment of going off track can be discouraging, the eventual success of overcoming the issues and reaching various goals is priceless.
Take some time to think about different performance issues that you are currently working on. Are you in the process of playing the long game? It may feel as if it is lasting forever but remember to keep holding on and working towards your goals. Very few things in sport come very easy, and the best things will allow you to work hard over a long period of time towards them. Success is well on its way, and you will have your time to shine. It may not come instantly, but it will happen for you, and it will be worth the wait. If you’d like help going through the process of the long game, please connect with me!
