No offense intended, nor am I advocating “tree hugging” per se, but the phrase “tread lightly” comes to mind, because this encompasses an entire mind set of “leave the world a better place then you found it”. I think this applies to everything we do on a daily basis.

How do we take this mind set in showing, breeding, and other arenas that seem to have personal gain? By allowing others to learn from us - win or lose. We hold our heads high, and hope that in some way we can contribute or impart some knowledge to others that see us. I think we basically take the perspective that we might be the ONLY ambassador some people will ever see of our chosen discipline. As such, we should make every attempt to ensure that we are representing our discipline and ourselves accordingly.

Of course this is easier to do when you are at the top of your class then when at the bottom, but lets keep reminding ourselves, “we are doing this because it’s fun”. We will not die if we don’t win all the time.

Besides, the most important thing to remember - good attitudes are contagious. There are some people you just enjoy being around - ALWAYS - and it doesn’t even matter if they win or lose, it is just that they are there. If everyone strives to be one of “those” people, the horse community as a whole will flourish and prosper.

At the horse show as I look out in the ring I see people who are not having fun. They are too nervous, too angry or too frustrated.

It is nice to see that for some the goal is still to have FUN!

Janis F.