WHY SHOULD I SHOW, ANYWAYS?

Here at Taktur, we focus quite a bit on competitive riding and encourage our clients to compete whenever possible.  Through the years, we’ve received some pushback around making competition a training goal, so we want to share why we place so much emphasis on it - both for our students and for ourselves. Here are our biggest reasons why:

Community.

For us, the number one reason we compete is to connect with other folks that are as passionate about their horses as we are.  Some of our dearest friends are folks that we have met in the show circuit around the United States. These connections are resources for us as we practice horsemanship - whether it be support, inspiration, or just practical contacts.  Without these relationships, our personal and professional lives would not look the way they look today. We are grateful for them and want to continue to invest in them by showing up again and again.

Education.

Competitions are always a huge source of information and learning for us. The most obvious part of this are your scores and feedback from the judges. The less obvious, but perhaps even more important takeaways, are the opportunities to learn from other competitors, coaches and the hosting community.  Many a training revelation has been had during evening dinner conversations with friends at a horse show.

Goals & deadlines.

Shows offer a concrete framework for personal riding goals.  We’ve noticed that most of our competitive clients become better equestrians because showing gives them a deadline that motivates more systematic training. For us at Taktur, and 90% of the competitors we work with, competition is about personal growth and progress with your horse.

Showing keeps you honest.

Competition is about the wins and the losses - and sometimes that has nothing to do with your ribbons or medals. It’s important for professionals and amateurs to not just talk about what you do but to actually show up and do it. The pressure of has a way of revealing our strengths and weaknesses.  It’s a vulnerable place to be - and not always fun - but we feel it’s better to show up and learn what you have to work on than to not show up at all.

Exposure for your horse.

Our competition horses are consistently our most reliable trail horses. Traveling and showing requires a very high level of mental resilience and emotional regulation. The travel, different care accommodations, and performing in a new situation can be extremely challenging for horses. Although some horses are more emotionally able to handle this, we believe that this is something that all horses need to PRACTICE.  A horse that has been properly developed through the process of learning to handle competition is much more likely to be successful in all sorts of life situations.

Riding together.

All our favorite show memories involve competing in finals.  In Icelandic horse sport competition, the top five scoring horse & rider combinations are admitted to finals on the last day of the show. And riding finals is fun. There is no feeling like zooming around the track with other horses and riders to music! From the friendly rivalries as you push each other to beat your preliminaries scores, to the joy of the horses getting to move out together - finals are the best!