HorseAddict

Can you lose the ability to win?

This is a Flashback for Friday. The horse with the ribbons on his neck is Tommie. I had to say goodbye to him in 2013 but the ribbons are from our first show together in Saugerties NY.

HorseAddict

I was about 14, on a cross country course, going at a cracking pace when I realized my horse was not absolutely on top of his game. Don’t get me wrong, he was sound and he was healthy he was just not quite in the tip top form he could be.  We finished the course. Nothing went wrong. We placed well enough.  Later the lightbulb moment happened. In the same way that I could have good days, brilliant days and not so good days my horse could have those days too. The question I asked myself was….when he is having a not so brilliant day how could I help him? 

Losing the ability to win. The Human

I recently read an article on ESPN about Tiger Woods and how he lost the ability to win. It was a lengthy piece and began with the death of his father and moved…

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anne leueen

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17 responses to “Can you lose the ability to win?”

  1. Amy Avatar
    Amy

    It takes a lot to win. We will always remember their glorious moments and achievements. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  2. J.W.S. Avatar
    J.W.S.

    Interesting notion

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. Emma Cownie Avatar
    Emma Cownie

    A lot of winning is mental focus (but 95% has to be physical preparation) and we are fascinated by sportspeople who struggle after doing so well. I am impressed that Tiger Wood is back playing golf at all after that terrible car crash. Walking around the course all day is quite an achievement with all those pins in your leg.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Emma Cownie Avatar
      Emma Cownie

      I should correct that – he has a rod and a quite few screws in his leg. I have 3 pins and a lot screws in mine.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. anne leueen Avatar
        anne leueen

        I could see he was in difficulty when I watched him at the Masters. I had a plate and six pins in in my femur after I broke it but his issues are with a moiving part of his leg.

        Liked by 2 people

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        1. Emma Cownie Avatar
          Emma Cownie

          Maybe the ankle is the problem rather than the leg. My ankle joint is stiff and I cant go up hills fast. It took me ages to walk down stairs too.

          Liked by 1 person

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          1. anne leueen Avatar
            anne leueen

            It may be. I dont know. My hip waa.relaced eventually and all plates and pins taken out. I had to be on crutches for 6 wweks till the bone grew in to fill in the gaps left. But it did and its fine now.

            Liked by 1 person

          2. Emma Cownie Avatar
            Emma Cownie

            I didn’t know you could get the plates and screws removed. That must be nice – I can feel them in my leg which is wierd.

            Liked by 1 person

          3. anne leueen Avatar
            anne leueen

            I had to have them removed to they cpuld put in the metal rod for the hip replacement.what amazed me was that in 6 weeks the holes from the screws had all filled iin. They showed me the xray !

            Liked by 1 person

          4. Emma Cownie Avatar
            Emma Cownie

            That makes sense. Yes, it’s incredible the holes healed so fast.

            Liked by 1 person

    2. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Yes it was impressive that he got through all the days of the Masters. I wonder if he struggles with the knowledge that he had the crash due to driving much too fast. But anyway he has made it back to compete.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Emma Cownie Avatar
        Emma Cownie

        I expect driving too fast was just one part of his emotional problems – It’s a blessing he didn’t crash into anyone else!

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        1. anne leueen Avatar
          anne leueen

          Yes i ageee

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
  4. David Avatar
    David

    Kent Farrington, several years ago, said jumpers have to be accustomed to losing. He said the very best will win, perhaps, 20% of their starts. A couple of years after that interview, he had that monster season. Kent talked about going after the Rolex Grand Slam. Then, he broke his leg at WEF. While his ardent fans are waiting for his return to prominence, Kent has been quite philosophical about it all. You get to be a normal rider again, working hard and whatever happens happens.

    My daughters can relate to Kent’s analysis. Last season, they had a number of 1-2-3 sweeps of the podium, with Elizabeth often finding herself at the top. She said that creates enormous pressure to keep it going. They prefer keeping their expectations low since you’re less likely to be disappointed. Also, they said they were a little relieved by the late cancellation of the shows a few weeks ago. They had done a couple of interviews where they were asked about how they’ll keep the streak rolling. Their answer was “whatever happens happens.” Going into a pair of 3* shows in NY, they’re glad to be unknowns again. No interview requests, which suits them fine.

    O/T: You and Biasini must be happy to be home again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      I think that the pressure to repeat success is a killer. I remember when Edward Gal was riding Totilas and they held all of the world records for Grand Prix level dressage he talked about finding the pressure was almost unbearable. I do not know how Charlotte Dujardin deals with it. Perhaps as she is haivng sucess with different horses that relieves is somewhat.

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. Michele Lee Avatar
    Michele Lee

    Engaging post, Anne and a lovely photo of Tommie. You have had some incredible experiences. I had the pleasure of going horseback riding today. A treat! I will post about it tomorrow. 🐴

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      I look forward to your post.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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