Wise words

I got to message back with forth with P. today because they had a surprise port in Kiel, Germany. The ship had just gone through the Kiel Canal which links the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. (I had to look it up. I had never heard of it nor was I entirely sure where it was. Following P.'s voyage has been good for my geography.) It's always nice to be able to chat with P., and more and more we talk about horses together. She really misses horses and riding and there aren't really any horse types on the ship.

Since I am currently taking her riding lessons spot, she is familiar with the barn and horses and people. It makes it easy to discuss things since no explanation is needed. Yesterday, the trainer I'm working with right now strongly suggested I enter the next schooling show, doing both over (low) fences and on the flat. I was non-committal, both because of my own trepidation and because the show is the day before we leave for London.

If I haven't mentioned it, I am pretty competitive. (Those who know me well are probably thinking this is an understatement.) I like to win, and tend to not participate in things where I don't have a chance at winning. (Yes, I realize this often means I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face.) I know I am getting better at riding, but I have absolutely no sense how I compare to others who would be riding at my same level. I freely admit that the possibility that not only I wouldn't win but that I could also be at the very bottom makes me hesitant to enter.

I mentioned this to P. who replied that when she enters schooling shows, she just assumes that she will be dead last and enters anyway. Then, when she does well, it's a bonus. (And she does do well, placing first in one of her classes in the last show she rode in.) She enjoys riding, so that is why she enters.

She's pretty smart, that daughter of mine.