Dressage trainer Keri Garber brought her horse, L.A. Baltic Destiny, to the Gold Coast Dressage Fall Fling at Jim Brandon Equestrian Center at Okeeheelee Park on Nov. 12 and 13. It was the horse's first show.
Garber knew she wasn't going to walk away with a championship, but she entered the show to give "Monkey," as he's known at the barn, experience at a dressage test. It wasn't about perfecting each movement or being the best.
After the test, Garber, who owns Finesse Farm in Loxahatchee, Florida, was proud of her horse. She grinned at him, praised him and left the ring thrilled. People noticed. Even though she didn't score highly on the dressage test, Garber won an even more meaningful award.
"A woman came into the show office looking for me," Garber said. "All these thoughts went through my mind, like, 'Uh-oh. Am I parked in the wrong spot? Is the horse loose?' "
The woman was a representative of Premier Equestrian, a supplier of dressage arenas, horse jumps, arena footing and stable accessories.
"She told me she was there to present me with an award," Garber said. "I was speechless. She said she watched my ride and noticed that I was riding a horse that was having a lot of issues. She told me I'd dealt with them in a positive manner and that she'd watched me get off the horse at the end and pat him with a huge smile on my face. She said she was there to present me with a sportsmanship award. I was completely blown away."
Garber brought L.A. Baltic Destiny to the show for his benefit, not to win.
"Sometimes, when you train horses, you have to have the guts to go out and not have a brilliant performance because it's in the best interest of the horse," she said. "You have to not worry about what other people are going to say or think, and put the horse first.
"It wasn't the most beautiful ride, but I was really pleased with him. He was a good boy, and he had a great attitude. I wanted him to have a positive experience, so that from there on out, he'd think, 'Horse shows are a lot of fun! I like them!' "
Receiving an award for sportsmanship meant plenty to Garber.
"There could be no higher prize for me," she said. "I try to be positive and put the horse first and always make sure they feel happy in the job they've done."
The U.S. Dressage Federation rule book contains a sportsman's charter that Garber lives by. A portion reads, "Amateurism is something of the heart and spirit, not a matter of exact technical qualifications."
"I read the rule book, and I believe in it because it's all for the benefit of the horse," Garber said. All some people are focused on is winning and getting a high score, but at what cost? Winning will never come at the expense of my horse."
-By Amy Bower Doucette, Palm Beach Post
No comments:
Post a Comment