Blue Ribbon Heart - Horse Showing
Blue Ribbon Heart
As a child, in order to take one riding lesson a week, Laurie Quercioli would clean over 30 stalls at a local barn on Saturday’s and Sunday’s. She grew up in a modest home in Miami, with all she needed, but she had to figure out her desire to ride horses for herself. Laurie states, “I have no regrets. I learned how to ride on poorly trained or untrained horses and I think that is why I know what I like when I see and ride a horse. It made me a better rider I think.” She adds, “I have never lost the butterflies to this day. Every morning when I wake up and I look out my window and I see my horse, I still have the same feeling I had when I was a kid.”
After being out of the show ring for a couple years, Laurie set the goal this year of qualifying for and riding in the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association (CHJA) Medal Finals which took place at the end of September. Laurie and her horse, a 12 year old Paint gelding named “Luke”, were able to qualify by attending just three shows that she had intentionally planned around her family and work schedule.
Laurie found Luke as a two year old when she went to look at him for a trail horse. Luking Sacred aka Luke is a registered Paint, by Sacred Indian. He was bred to race, had only been ridden on the trail and was nothing fancy to look at, but after ten minutes riding him, Laurie knew he was her horse. Eleven years later Laurie can say, “He’s the ride of my life, for sure.” While the CHJA Medal Finals were her goal this year, Laurie and Luke have also shown extensively in American Paint Horse Association (APHA) shows in Western classes and English Equitation, Jumping, and Showmanship. They have won 3 World Championship Titles and 2 Reserve World Championship Titles along with a number of Top 10 World Show placings.
Laurie finds that for her, competing is a great opportunity for personal growth in life and with her riding. Laurie is a great example of three lessons to be learned from competition.
Setting Goals
Setting goals like the CHJA Medal Finals are an important part of improving your horse and your ability as a rider. Laurie noted that when you go to a show, or a clinic, “what is important is that you meet your own personal goal, whether it’s to just get over the course or it’s to win the championship or simply to have an experience - That’s what is important.”
Your goal may be to learn a new type of riding. For example, you have been a casual trail rider and you decide to try Competitive Trail Riding or you do Working Cow Horse and you want to try Eventing. What you have gained in the pursuit to learn more about a discipline in order to improve your horse and yourself is key. Laurie states, “whether its halter or steer stopping or roping, whatever it is, you just have to want to train for it. Learn the rules; learn how to play the game. Don’t worry about how big your horse is or what color it is because if you train and you know you stuff, you can be successful.”
To Win or Not to Win
In the 2010 movie Secretariat, Christopher Chenery says to his daughter Penny, “It doesn’t matter if they think you won. What matters is if you think you won.” Much of the time, winning is not that you were first place in the class, but that you accomplished your goals. You may be third or last, but considering the competition, in your heart, it is a blue ribbon if you did your very best and your horse performed to your expectations. Recognize what you have accomplished. If, on the other hand, it did not go as planned “you have homework before the next show”!
Don’t forget that a judge’s opinion is not always the final test. Laurie states, “In the end, a judge is very subjective. They could not like my white horse. I am on a horse that is too small for me. It’s not the stereotype, but it’s never stopped me. I would never swap my ride. I don’t care what they put up against me; I know that he’s my guy. That’s why it’s so much fun.”
For Laurie and Luke in the Hunter Jumper world, they might be looked over because “we don’t fit the mold”. Luke is a Paint which is not always favored in this discipline. Also, Laurie’s longer leg would normally dictate a larger horse to get the “picture” right. For Laurie, however, her ride with Luke is more important than winning every time. This is the challenge that makes them a better team and the rewards that much sweeter.
Laurie recognizes practicing is important but, “You don’t have to have the 24/7 trainer, although it certainly helps to have a coach/ trainer work with you whenever possible. You don’t have to have the most expensive horse; you just have to be consistent and really commit to what you are passionate about. For me, I am always competing against these other people, but the true competition is me. Am I getting better? Am I riding smarter? Is my team on? For me, it is more about my own personal growth and a great ride.”
The Mental Aspect
Laurie believes that eighty percent of riding and competing is mental. Our ability to control our frame of mind and the read our horse gets from us – nervous, scared, confident, excited – affect them just as much as ourselves, if not more. After all, they are much more attuned to us than we recognize sometimes and are hopefully the most prevalent team member visible to observers. Laurie communicates this as “changing your mind” to reflect the positive abilities of you and your horse. Laurie says, “How do I prepare? I put my brain in the right place, I have the horse, I have the talent, I am not the best rider, I am not the prettiest rider, but were a great team.” Of course the preparation you have put into getting to that place comes to fruition. You can only expect out what you have put into it. Once you get to that show or competition, you work with what you have that day.
After Laurie has put in the training time at home getting her and Luke fit she says, “I set very high expectations because I know I don’t always deserve to win, but I know I can. I know the potential for me to do well and to win is there. But it’s not always my day. Every time I go to a show, I say, ‘This could be my day’. I can have the ride that wins.” She is prepared to ride her best and give Luke the opportunity to show his abilities without getting in his way.
Next up, Laurie is looking into taking some lessons in Dressage and maybe competing Luke in a Horse Trial or two next year. Luke’s love for jumping really shines through when they have a chance to school over cross country jumps. Rooted in modest beginnings, Laurie’s determination to ride and learn are still alive and well as she balances life as a wife, mom and professional in marketing.
Consider what sparks your interest or something you may have noticed gets your horse’s interest and how you might work toward that. Could it be Cattle? Roping? Jumping? Driving? Attend a competition to see how it works, take a lesson from an expert in the field, ride in or audit a clinic, go to a low pressure competition or show to participate or set the goal of a competition and map out a way to get there. With horses, everyday is a learning experience and the more variety you add to your own training, the better rider you will be and the better horse you will have.
Laurie lives in Conifer with her husband Lenny, their two kids Sierra and Cole, three horses – Luke, Tyler and Cativo, as well as 3 dogs, 2 cats and a few fish.
Copyright 2010 Heather McWilliams
As a child, in order to take one riding lesson a week, Laurie Quercioli would clean over 30 stalls at a local barn on Saturday’s and Sunday’s. She grew up in a modest home in Miami, with all she needed, but she had to figure out her desire to ride horses for herself. Laurie states, “I have no regrets. I learned how to ride on poorly trained or untrained horses and I think that is why I know what I like when I see and ride a horse. It made me a better rider I think.” She adds, “I have never lost the butterflies to this day. Every morning when I wake up and I look out my window and I see my horse, I still have the same feeling I had when I was a kid.”
After being out of the show ring for a couple years, Laurie set the goal this year of qualifying for and riding in the Colorado Hunter Jumper Association (CHJA) Medal Finals which took place at the end of September. Laurie and her horse, a 12 year old Paint gelding named “Luke”, were able to qualify by attending just three shows that she had intentionally planned around her family and work schedule.
Laurie found Luke as a two year old when she went to look at him for a trail horse. Luking Sacred aka Luke is a registered Paint, by Sacred Indian. He was bred to race, had only been ridden on the trail and was nothing fancy to look at, but after ten minutes riding him, Laurie knew he was her horse. Eleven years later Laurie can say, “He’s the ride of my life, for sure.” While the CHJA Medal Finals were her goal this year, Laurie and Luke have also shown extensively in American Paint Horse Association (APHA) shows in Western classes and English Equitation, Jumping, and Showmanship. They have won 3 World Championship Titles and 2 Reserve World Championship Titles along with a number of Top 10 World Show placings.
Laurie finds that for her, competing is a great opportunity for personal growth in life and with her riding. Laurie is a great example of three lessons to be learned from competition.
Setting Goals
Setting goals like the CHJA Medal Finals are an important part of improving your horse and your ability as a rider. Laurie noted that when you go to a show, or a clinic, “what is important is that you meet your own personal goal, whether it’s to just get over the course or it’s to win the championship or simply to have an experience - That’s what is important.”
Your goal may be to learn a new type of riding. For example, you have been a casual trail rider and you decide to try Competitive Trail Riding or you do Working Cow Horse and you want to try Eventing. What you have gained in the pursuit to learn more about a discipline in order to improve your horse and yourself is key. Laurie states, “whether its halter or steer stopping or roping, whatever it is, you just have to want to train for it. Learn the rules; learn how to play the game. Don’t worry about how big your horse is or what color it is because if you train and you know you stuff, you can be successful.”
To Win or Not to Win
In the 2010 movie Secretariat, Christopher Chenery says to his daughter Penny, “It doesn’t matter if they think you won. What matters is if you think you won.” Much of the time, winning is not that you were first place in the class, but that you accomplished your goals. You may be third or last, but considering the competition, in your heart, it is a blue ribbon if you did your very best and your horse performed to your expectations. Recognize what you have accomplished. If, on the other hand, it did not go as planned “you have homework before the next show”!
Don’t forget that a judge’s opinion is not always the final test. Laurie states, “In the end, a judge is very subjective. They could not like my white horse. I am on a horse that is too small for me. It’s not the stereotype, but it’s never stopped me. I would never swap my ride. I don’t care what they put up against me; I know that he’s my guy. That’s why it’s so much fun.”
For Laurie and Luke in the Hunter Jumper world, they might be looked over because “we don’t fit the mold”. Luke is a Paint which is not always favored in this discipline. Also, Laurie’s longer leg would normally dictate a larger horse to get the “picture” right. For Laurie, however, her ride with Luke is more important than winning every time. This is the challenge that makes them a better team and the rewards that much sweeter.
Laurie recognizes practicing is important but, “You don’t have to have the 24/7 trainer, although it certainly helps to have a coach/ trainer work with you whenever possible. You don’t have to have the most expensive horse; you just have to be consistent and really commit to what you are passionate about. For me, I am always competing against these other people, but the true competition is me. Am I getting better? Am I riding smarter? Is my team on? For me, it is more about my own personal growth and a great ride.”
The Mental Aspect
Laurie believes that eighty percent of riding and competing is mental. Our ability to control our frame of mind and the read our horse gets from us – nervous, scared, confident, excited – affect them just as much as ourselves, if not more. After all, they are much more attuned to us than we recognize sometimes and are hopefully the most prevalent team member visible to observers. Laurie communicates this as “changing your mind” to reflect the positive abilities of you and your horse. Laurie says, “How do I prepare? I put my brain in the right place, I have the horse, I have the talent, I am not the best rider, I am not the prettiest rider, but were a great team.” Of course the preparation you have put into getting to that place comes to fruition. You can only expect out what you have put into it. Once you get to that show or competition, you work with what you have that day.
After Laurie has put in the training time at home getting her and Luke fit she says, “I set very high expectations because I know I don’t always deserve to win, but I know I can. I know the potential for me to do well and to win is there. But it’s not always my day. Every time I go to a show, I say, ‘This could be my day’. I can have the ride that wins.” She is prepared to ride her best and give Luke the opportunity to show his abilities without getting in his way.
Next up, Laurie is looking into taking some lessons in Dressage and maybe competing Luke in a Horse Trial or two next year. Luke’s love for jumping really shines through when they have a chance to school over cross country jumps. Rooted in modest beginnings, Laurie’s determination to ride and learn are still alive and well as she balances life as a wife, mom and professional in marketing.
Consider what sparks your interest or something you may have noticed gets your horse’s interest and how you might work toward that. Could it be Cattle? Roping? Jumping? Driving? Attend a competition to see how it works, take a lesson from an expert in the field, ride in or audit a clinic, go to a low pressure competition or show to participate or set the goal of a competition and map out a way to get there. With horses, everyday is a learning experience and the more variety you add to your own training, the better rider you will be and the better horse you will have.
Laurie lives in Conifer with her husband Lenny, their two kids Sierra and Cole, three horses – Luke, Tyler and Cativo, as well as 3 dogs, 2 cats and a few fish.
Copyright 2010 Heather McWilliams
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