When I made it to campus in August of 2015 I had two ideas of how to make friends at school: rush or join the Equestrian Team. Rush Week here at UMT was over the second week of class and, of course, so was the Equestrian Team’s welcome meeting. I don’t remember why, but I missed the first day of rush, so I had no choice but to join the Equestrian Team. The rest is a long and storied history. I’ve made lifelong friends, learned many lessons, met many challenges head on, and added many memories to the quote jar in my two years on the team. As I hang up my chaps on this year, I want to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve learned so far.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

This was the very first thing I learned at a show this year. Before the season began I decided to trade the black breeches I wore under my chaps for an actual pair of pants. Of course, the first thing that happened was my teammate zipped them into my chaps before her class, leaving me alone to cut myself out of them, rip the piece of pants from the zipper, and put my chaps on with moments to spare before I had to mount. I have since returned to wearing my trusted breeches.

Take every opportunity to ride a new horse.

Not all horses are created equal. I have never had a bad draw in IHSA events, however, none of them will be the exact same. Some are light in the bridle. Some are soft. Some won’t think about moving without spurs. Some run away from them. I’ve been the only person riding a horse in snaffle in a class full of curb bits. One of the judges this year really emphasized that he placed riders who rode the best with what they were given. I rode a horse this year that as soon as he started to jog my face gave away my pure shock--I was rather ill prepared for his short-stride. While I had a great ride on him and really enjoyed him, it took a few strides to adjust to his gait and that really showed when they asked us to extend. The more you can ride different horses the better prepared you are for whatever your draw throws at you.

If you're going to do something wrong, do it confidently.

This past weekend I had a phenomenal draw--nice and light in the bridle, smooth, a total pattern machine. I felt super confident riding him and that’s when things went a little sideways (or diagonal, if you will). We started the class to second direction and when the judge asked us to reverse at the jog, I decided to do so on the diagonal. I was pretty proud of my decision; it got me an awesome spot on the rail. I felt great about my ride until the judge broke it to me that I chose the wrong corner to reverse from. So while I thought I was being really clever, I actually was on the path to go the same direction rather than reverse, right in front of the judge. She told me that while I looked bold doing it, it was what knocked my placement down.

Document your hilarity.

My team keeps a quote jar. Every time something funny is said, we document it and at the end of the year banquet we read them and try to guess who said them. This is the highlight of my year, and occasionally when our quote keeper lets us read them, I laugh so hard I cry remembering what was said or hearing things for the first time. Every occasion needs laughter, and if you aren’t laughing then you aren’t doing it right.

Listen to what the coaches are saying on the rail, even if they aren't yours.

Unless they’re yelling “WRONG LEAD” and you’re on the correct one (but you should probably feel for that too, just in case!), chances are what they’re saying is applicable to you. Chin up, more leg, heels down, even hands, even more leg, talk to your horse, and “I can see air between your leg and the horse” are always sound advice. Check yo’ self, girl!

Always have your coach check your tack.

I can’t comment on this based on personal experience, however. I have seen lots of tack malfunctions happen. Stirrups fall, saddles slide, reins come unclipped, bumper pads get put on butt high horses, the list grows almost every show I go to. Just when I think I've seen it all, I see something new. Remember these horses are generally handled and prepared by students and they may not always be the most knowledgeable. Most of the time, things turn out all right. However, you don’t want to be the person who does have things go terribly wrong. Don’t you dare touch that girth, but you better make sure your all mighty coach does!

Always fuel up at half tank.

I can comment on this last important lesson personally! Carpooling is easily the highlight of show weekends, for me. There’s lots of laughter and jokes, learning more about your friends, eating pizza, taking detours for the heck of it, getting lost, drinking Surge (because it makes you hear colors!), joking about billboards, and hitting the brakes when the entire car is asleep and you’re driving in silence. It’s fun until the driver says “can someone Google the next gas station?” but nobody has service in the middle of nowhere to look it up. Then suddenly, like a shining beacon of hope, there’s a sign for fuel next right and you try to exit the freeway but there’s a sign that says “NO SERVICES” looming over the exit. Don’t worry, we finally pulled into a gas station with zero miles until empty. We made it, and we know now to make sure we don’t drop below half-tank, and neither should you.