Practice Isn't Meant to Be Perfect

Practice isn't meant to be perfect. It's meant to be the place that we challenge ourselves, try new things, learn, work on our brain, build a relationship with our horses and work on bettering ourselves. When you're striving to get better, it won't be perfect. If it is, you're doing something wrong.

Let me tell you a little story about myself...

I bought a horse a couple years ago who is better than me. He's the most athletic rope horse I've ridden. He's fast. He's strong. He breaks hard and he stops harder. I bought a horse that was better than me because I wanted to be better. Friends, let me tell you, the next level is hard. Figuring it out is really fun some days and a mess the next. You'll go from feeling like a hero to zero! More often than not, we've been closer to the zero end of the spectrum lately.

This horse feels better than ever physically. I feel great physically, but, the runs are not coming together. Practice is NOT perfect. The scoring is spot on one run and a mile late the next. My loops are snappy and fast one run and the next I'm getting dash boarded with my rope soaring over the calf's head the next run. Like most relationships, horse and human, it's beautiful and it's ugly. We're committed to figuring it out together and I know we'll get better the more we go through together.

Fortunately, I've been in this game long enough to not let recent events crush my confidence.

• I know I can score, ride aggressive, handle my rope and catch calves quickly.

• I know I can and I will get with this horse.

• I know my horse is healthy, smart, athletic and patient enough to let me catch up to him.

• I know I NEED HELP to get there.

  
  

Because I know I need help, yesterday, I took a trip to Albia, IA to work with Cody Huber. When I backed in the box at

Huber's I needed him to see my bad runs. I needed to share my flaws. He couldn't help me like I needed to be helped if I hid my issues or had a "perfect practice". I laid it out there. All the things we've been struggling with, he could see. Since he could see them, he could help. Since he could help, now I can work on those things at home.

I know in the past, I've gotten so focused on trying to be perfect that I got consumed by it. I got consumed with trying to figure it out on my own before I let anyone else see my struggles, my imperfections. I wanted to feel like I looked like I had it under control. I was worried what someone else would think.

Challenge yourself and your horse. If they're blown up in the gate or box, let them see it happen. If you're struggling with fast calves, don't rope all the slow ones and score the fast ones. Don't let yourself get hurt, but let someone see your raw flaws just as they are. A person can't help you overcome your problems if you don't show them the problem as it is.

The moral of the story is, let your flaws show. Open yourself up to the help. Listen, absorb then act. Be willing to try new things. Be willing to hear the hard things.

Lastly, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US STRUGGLES! You are not alone. Even if you feel like it, you aren't. As soon as you open up, you'll realize the reason the people can help you is because they've had the same struggle they had to overcome. The ones we see at the top are the ones who turn their obstacles into opportunities and their struggles into strengths.

If we can help you in any way at the Performance Pony Company, please reach out. We don't just sell the products. We live the life. We back in the box, we come down the ally, we face the struggles, we use the products! Let us help you! Take a video and send it in to performance.pony@gmail.com or (641) 799-5042.