Personal Narrative: My Canadian Pony Club Experience

In my first beginning days of highschool, I became interested in playing soccer for my first time ever. I’ve had no prior experience with playing soccer, only that many of my friends and my idealistic brother also played, so this was a major part in my beginning.I began training as rigorously as could have imagined. When the time came when my highschool team announced tryouts for the school I knew I couldn't resist. Many other players that I knew suggested that I didn't tryout for the sake of my dignity, but of course I shrugged them off , excited to prove them wrong.When tryouts came,I pushed the hardest I can. I sprinted the fastest I could,I ran the longest I could, and I put everything I had in me right on the field. I didn't want to leave with any regrets or doubts those few days. It was finally time when the team's roster was announced and possibly the worst day of my life when I saw that I didn't make it on the team. I ran home after school that day,slammed my door shut,and compltely confined myself in my prison, crying in my darkness,alone. I fell into a state of depression and overwhelming of hatred for myself that was impossible for me to escape from. I worked three times harderthan everybody else just so I could get close to the level that they already were. I felt the need to quit and hang up my cleats before my friend came up to me. He said to me that I surprised him how much more I improved and that I should have made the team since I was better than some of the others. He told me not to give up but to continue to strive to improve myself because at this rate I will exceed to impress everyone that doubted me and to show myself that I can accomplish my dream. I was in a really low place for myself that I felt that I thought I should throw away my hard work and accept my failure, although with the help of the single light

I slipped my left foot into the stirrup and pushed off the ground swinging my right leg over the back of the horse. I took a moment and a deep breath in thinking back to a month before when I had taken a bad fall in a show, landing on my head, and getting a concussion. Sitting in the saddle I could feel my stomach turning and visions of falling off again kept reappearing in my mind. I had fallen off a handful of times before, but never that bad. I took grip of the reins and put pressure to the horse as I signaled for him to walk on. My confidence level had taken a toll, but step by step I was becoming less nervous and back to my old riding self.

Some people think of them as animals. Some people think of them as objects. Some people think of them as friends. Then there are the few who think of them as family. Horses have always been like family to humans, except sometimes closer. There are many benefits to owning or being around horses. They come in many different colors. There is a multitude of breeds, also. Additionally, they have a long history with humans. Horses have unique behaviors. Showing horses has been the past-time or even career of many people. Furthermore, caring for horses can be a handful, but is definitely rewarding. Finally, riding horses is not just a hobby or a sport, but an action of your heart. Horses are wondrous creatures that have lived with man or

The first day of tryouts came around and I woke up that morning shaking with excitment and shear nervousness. I ate my bagel and chocolate milk, (a pregame ritual of mine) laced up my cleats, and was on my way. The second I got to the field I knew I was in for a long day. Most of the guys were double my size and looked like they were professionals. After a few days of the long, hard, and grueling tryout process the coaches posted the team on their website. When I saw my name wasn't on the list I felt spiteful, angry, even a little ashamed with myself. I knew I deserved a spot on that team and I was determined to claim it.

Three years ago, I was given the opportunity to try out for a Metro team and initially hesitated at the chance. There were many reasons as to why I did not participate, one being my lack of self-confidence. My previous coach shattered my self-confidence, as he would always denigrate my skills. Therefore I had no confidence in myself as a player. During that particular season, I wanted to prove to him my soccer abilities and enrolled in numerous soccer academies. In November of that year, I received a call and was asked to join the metro team after one formal tryout with them. I accepted the offer, proving to myself and my previous coach that when I put my mind to something, the results will reflect the effort. I realized that giving up should

Looking across the pastures and gently rolling hills of the farm, broken up into rectangles by barbed wire fences, I see dots of black where cows graze. Farther away in another pasture two spots of chestnut makeup horses, sleeping in the bright sun. Another horse, whose gleaming copper coat spotted with brown and white shines in the light, is slowly walking around his pasture looking for the perfect place to eat. I take a deep breath of rich air and smell the earthy scent of dirt, manure, and animals. Tall, green grass gently dances in the warm breeze. Birds flit across the sky, landing in the branches of large oak trees and a white cat creeps through the fescue, searching for her afternoon snack.

For years up until highschool, I had successfully tried out for and made a variety of sports teams. That is, until sophomore year. It was my first year trying out for the Winnacunnet baseball team, which everyone had known to be terrible for years. 3 months full of hard work later with that idea still in my mind, I was filled with a weird mixture of confusion, anger, and sadness when I was told that I had been cut from the team before the start of the season. At the time I thought that day ended my entire baseball career, I’d never play another meaningful inning of the game I loved ever again. I decided against that idea though, I wasn’t gonna let one bad event stop me from following my dreams. So starting that summer, I trained all year round

With Regionals less than two weeks away visions of my teammate in tears and her horse struggling to pick itself up from the dirt consumed my thoughts. Horses are extremely unpredictable and the accident was an unpreventable incident that neither of us could have anticipated. That night, we drove home with injured horses and injured spirits. Having already failed to win back our state title, would the same fate afflict us at Regionals?

In the tenth grade, I hesitated at the opportunity to try out for a metro team. There were many reasons why I did not participated, one being my confidence. My confidence was shattered by my previous coach as he would always criticize me and had nothing positive to say to me, therefore I did not try out for the metro team. During my grade ten season I went to numerous of soccer academics to regain my confidence. As a result, mid-way thru October I received a call from the head of the metro club and was asked to joined the metro team for the rest of the season. Without a doubt I accepted the offer because I proved to not only myself but to my previous coach that I could do anything when I don’t give up. I put a lot of time and effort into soccer

When Tehani was 9 and I was 10 we where up our uncle's ranch chasing calfs. A calf got loose and it chased after Tehani. As she was watching the calf chase after her she turned to look back and WHAM!! she ran right into the bobwire fence. I imeadietly rode my horse to rope the calf. Tehani stood up and laughed like the sun. As she stood up she was red as a tomato. Her face and body was scratched and slightly bloody. I took the calf back and grabbed the horse. My horse was as tired as a bear in hibernation. So I saddled up my other horse like fast and furious and dashed off to Tehani and told her to take the horse back to the rach to go get cleanrd off. I stayed back to help my uncle with the rest of the calfs. That night Tehani and I rode

My mom and I were in the airport awaiting our flight to Kentucky. It was a one hour flight and it went by quickly as I watched a movie. After we got there, we picked up our bags and rented a car. WE drove to the hotel, started unpacking, and I went to the horse park. My pony Sparkles was at the horse park. WE were tent twenty-five, it was the week before pony finals and the show that I was competing in was that week.

The first way I improved myself in aftermath of the failure was by developing a strong mental discipline. To become more fit, I joined my school’s cross country team. I trained for soccer everyday after practice, regardless of how much I ran that day, the weather or if the field closest to my home was closed; I made no excuses. The next year, I made my school’s JV soccer team and a first division club team. I continued to practice on my own everyday with unconditional

“Go take a shower, you smell like a horse,” has been said to me numerous times by my family in the 13 years I have been surrounded by the horse industry. Competing in hunter and jumper shows throughout Virginia and Florida has held weight outside of merely riding and taught me the idea of banishing any shreds of arrogance, thinking before acting, and accepting and learning from small failures. These lessons may be applied to every aspect of life but they did not outweigh how much I would discover about future.

When I learned of my coach’s decision to not play me, I was devastated. I considered it a failure, consequently it hit me hard for a couple of days. I was very upset not being able to be on the court in the situations where I felt my abilities could be used for the team’s good. After a few games, I made, what i consider to be, a very important decision. I was either going to wimp out and quit the team, or do the mature thing and persevere. I am not a quitter, so there was only one option. For the next week of practice, I played harder than I ever have before, realizing that natural ability was not going to carry me, like it had in my adolescent years, but hardwork and dedication was going to get me the playing time I desired. I distinctly remember one practice where I worked the hardest I ever had on a basketball court. I made virtually every shot I took, played great defense, dove for balls, and my coach definitely noticed. After practice, he called me into his office. I was very anxious at the time, as I was desperately

First, I had to accept that I didn’t make the football team. Reflecting on the past is not going to help me in the future. It was not easy, but it is the first step in trying to achieve success. Secondly, I had to understand why I failed. I asked the coaches why I didn’t make the team, and they gave me helpful advice on what I needed to work on. Lastly, I had to create a plan to help me achieve my goal because I didn’t want to give up. Plus, I wanted to make the football team in high school. So, I started exercising three times a week, practicing catching the football, even watching football drills. My plan is to continue these drills and exercising until high school football