The Idea of Order: If Equestrians Were Honest On Facebook

Because you know that video is just the highlight reel…

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This last weekend some friends and I attended a sports psychology seminar geared towards riders. One of the topics discussed was that to truly make it as an equestrian you need to be in love with the process (as opposed to the outcome, like winning), because that’s really all you have control over. Also, having those successful moments generally means you have had a whole crapton of not so successful, less than awesome moments to get there. That’s just how it works. Becoming excellent takes a whole lot of mediocrity first.

What followed from that, for my friends and I anyway, was the humor in most Facebook posts; everyone posts their highlight reel. While that’s understandable, it can make the outtake reel that you’re living (i.e. your real life) feel somehow less than awesome. The above comic was the result of imagining what it would be like if we all posted some of those outtakes as well.

Go Riding!

Morgane Schmidt Gabriel is a 33-year-old teacher/artist/dressage trainer/show announcer/ who still hasn’t quite decided what she wants to be when she grows up. A native Floridian, she now lives in Reno, NV, where she’s been able to confirm her suspicion that snow is utterly worthless. Though she has run the gamut of equestrian disciplines, her favorite is dressage. She was recently able to complete her USDF bronze and silver medals and is currently working on her gold. Generally speaking her life is largely ruled by Woody, a 14.2 hand beastly quarter horse, Willie, a now beastly 7-year-old Dutch gelding, and Stormy, her friend’s nearly all white paint gelding with a penchant for finding every mud hole and pee spot in existence. Visit her website at www.theideaoforder.com.