A Collection of Fine Art

I actively competed with show horses from when I was a young girl (about ten years ago!!!) to 2017.

Growing up, it was in youth events. Later, from college days on, it was mainly in the cutting arena.

As life goes and is meant to be, my perspectives and what I’ve learned from research, other people, my students, and my own experiences have shaped my views of what it takes to create a competitive life that fits you, your horse, and what you want to do.

We’re all different. No one knows our story but us.

The question is, how do we create a personally fulfilling experience in the arena with our horse that’s authentically meaningful to us and successful – according to our values and our own scorecard?

Bottom line – we show for the joy of it.

Now, I don’t just believe, I know, that showing is an art form.

Here’s what I mean.

We do our bit at our appointed time, ideally immersed in mutually understood and trusted communication with our horse. We hope to do the job for the class that, at this point in our experience, is the best of us together.

That’s all that’s possible. The rest is out of our control.

Sometimes, it works; sometimes, you want the arena floor to open up and swallow you and your horse.

This life in the show pen.

While the actual time in the arena only takes moments, multiple pieces of the broader experience can be massaged, sculpted, and expanded over time. These individual yet overlapping parts proceed, are involved in, and come after the actual showpen ride.

Now – I’d love your take on this idea.

Showing is an interwoven tapestry of five pieces of art.

I say art because each is personally created and experienced.

The art forms are:

  1. The Art of a Belief in Yourself and Joy in Your Journey – This involves who you are, who’s in your corner, what you value, and why you want to compete (not why others show, but your reasons). Question: How do we find and cultivate strength and courage within that we can use as our most valuable inner resource (and not the results du jour)?
  2. The Art of Relationships with Other People – Humans surround us from every corner of our lives in the show world. Question: How do we find and cultivate beautiful interactions with family, our besties, and our mentors, and how do we find peace regarding real or perceived critics?
  3. The Art of Growing Our Relationship and Skills with Our Horse – We are all on an incredible learning journey. Questions: How do we navigate excitement, patience, and heartbreak simultaneously as we keep reaching and wanting to ‘get better’? How do we fall in love with the process of becoming? What if the question is ‘how far can we go”?
  4. The Art of Preparation – It’s no secret that the more prepared we are before entering the show arena, the more it feels like a hand slipping into a glove when we walk in there. Question: What and how can we keep cultivating this beautiful art of knowing we’ve done all we can before we enter the in-gate?
  5. The Art of Expressing Ourselves with Our Horse in the Show Arena – This is the moment we’ve been waiting for – and a glorious one it can be – as if white lights are turned on, and it feels magnificent. Of course, it can be our worst nightmare, too. Both scenarios will happen for those of us who do things in front of others that mean so much, and that we’ve worked so hard to do. Question: How do we present the best of our horse and ourselves and navigate getting our butts kicked when things go south?
  6. The Art of Observing and Gathering Feedback – This piece sets the stage for pure, customized growth. Question: How can we learn to love and benefit from post-event feedback without getting stuck in beating ourselves up?

So there you go.

Let me hear from you. Lay it on me.

What are your sticking points? Which (if any) of the art forms do you resonate with?

Thank you for your help and input!

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Comments

11 Comments on A Collection of Fine Art

  1. Jill on Sun, 14th Jul 2024 3:30 pm

    2. I’m relatively new to the sport and have been very fortunate in finding a horse that loves his job. Last year, family health related scares and the newness of my first year affected my focus. Finally I said, “ why am I here?” My answer, because I love horses, I really like cow related work, I love a challenge and I’m now retired and can enjoy life! When things get tough I have to remind myself why I’m here… then I smile and move on.

  2. Belinda Williams on Sun, 14th Jul 2024 4:09 pm

    3. Barb, you and I have worked on this together many times. When I begin to compare myself and my horse to those we compete against- I want to replace those thoughts and fears with another script to tell myself. Wonder what it could be?

    I find myself worrying about messing up when I think of showing others what I can do- whether it be playing in a piano recital or entering a horse show:(. Wonder what sentences I could tell myself to replace those thoughts?

  3. Joanne Milton on Sun, 14th Jul 2024 4:20 pm

    4. This whole idea resonates with me! I no longer compete, but one of the things I really try to instill in my students is that what happens in the show pen is between you & your horse. Yes, you are being judged, but that is just feedback from someone other than your friends, family & coach. It is meant to help you learn & grow…it does NOT define you!

  4. Mary Phillips on Sun, 14th Jul 2024 7:52 pm

    5. There are so many things that go through my head both before and when I am in the show pen. I was doing really well at practice and then fall apart at the show. I decided to just concentrate on my trainer and think about practice at home. I come out of the show pen now and can’t even tell you who my turn back people are only my trainer and the other herd help. I quit thinking about and compare myself with others and just try to make myself better.

  5. Robin Nichols on Mon, 15th Jul 2024 6:04 am

    6. My show life fell apart this season. I’ve worked really hard at all the pieces. Now I’m questioning everything wondering what the universe is trying to tell me. My horse seems to hate it now and I’ve lost my why. I didn’t want to say this where others could read because it sounds ridiculous but I’m trying to be honest with myself. I don’t need to win all the time, but for where I’m at I’m not competitive and it makes no sense to pay money to be humiliated into that realization over and over again. My ranch horse isn’t sound and so I feel very lost. As Bobbe Jones would say you just want to throw your sucker in the dirt and go home. It’s not pretty. But it’s how I feel if I’m honest. I feel like I should sell my cutter to someone who can ride her and get a bicycle but she’s also my friend and I love her.

  6. Camille Abbott on Mon, 15th Jul 2024 11:38 am

    7. Hi Barb! I loved this as I have always believed that cutting is one of the most beautiful and challenging of equine disciplines. I have been cutting for 10 years, and at the end of the day I often surprise myself at what I know about the necessary skills and knowing what I am looking at. I have taken most of your classes regarding not only the physical mechanics of a show run but also the mental skills necessary to put together a prize winning run. It is definitely a fine art. It is hours of watching others’runs and evaluating those runs to be able to incorporate those evaluations into my own runs. It is being able to discern where errors were made and how to correct them. It is being able to focus on your run and tone out all the “help from the stands” during my run. I believe that the whole experience is something you keep honing and taking classes and reading about over and over. Like the art of acting on stage, every performance it different because there are other factors that come into play every time. Just as actors feel things at different times as they attempt to perfect their performances, so do we as cutters. I have loved every minute of learning and testing myself in the show pen. So, yes, there is a fine art to cutting.

  7. Becky Calabria on Mon, 15th Jul 2024 12:15 pm

    8. I love art as much as my horses and cutting. Observing, creating and building to a result that is sometimes wonderful and sometimes not, is exactly how a fine painting is created.

    I think it’s a fascinating idea that the sport itself be approached as an art form. The similarities are much more than the differences!

  8. Suzanne Lamon on Tue, 16th Jul 2024 10:22 am

    9. Hey Twin –
    Ok, here it is….no, nope you can’t use the term/ words “ Fine Art” to describe something that may be virtuosity, presence of mind or a skill set. Using “ART” to describe an ability, a skill set is like calling a person that makes a good cookie an artist when all they did was make a delicious cookie. Being an artist involved in the arts is a different sort of commitment. I get – I think – what you are saying about the “art “ of showing but I think it would be truer to refer, think about it like finese , ability, skill set, like acting or making a presentation, you’re the choreographer….but calling it fine art is disrespectful to the actual arts. Make sense? Call me….I love you twinny 🥰❤️

  9. Barbra Schulte on Tue, 16th Jul 2024 2:28 pm

    10. Thank you, Suzanne – and of course, no disrespect would ever be intended for fine art. I think the word ‘fine’ with ‘art’ might have taken my original intentions over the top! LOL.

    I do think we could have a fun conversation about what different words mean to different people – (art for all of the areas meaning creative personal expressions to me) – that’s the short story. But, for sure, no disrespect ever intended to any who is in the art world (which you are a mahhhhvelous artist) – and the idea of personal expression and the freedom to explore it is intended. Siamese and over and out! B

  10. Barbra Schulte on Tue, 16th Jul 2024 3:07 pm

    11. Hi, Robin,

    I’m hearing you; I can imagine that’s a very hard place to be. I appreciate your honesty.

    There are so many moving pieces and parts.

    I believe the solutions can be found by doing your best to observe how each piece (horse and rider) works individually and then how they come together as a team.

    I also believe it takes three to tango – horse, rider, and a support team, including the mentors and the people who have your back.

    You’re always welcome to send a note to me and I’m willing to do whatever I can to support you.

    It’s great to hear from you and I’m so sorry things have been so challenging.

  11. Barbra Schulte on Tue, 16th Jul 2024 3:16 pm

    12. Hi, to everyone here. Thank you for your comments.

    Belinda – more to come on your question.

    Thank you, Camille, Becky, Jill, Mary and Joanne – good to hear from you.

    Barb

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