18 / HorseandRider.comIN JUNE, I WATCHED my litt le sister’s
state fi nals rodeo. I saw many diff er-
ent types of kids competing. I think
these types exist in any sport, not
just rodeo or even the horse world in
general. And every type deserves to be
seen and recognized.
To the kid who wins the all-around:
I’m so proud of you. I’ve been you.
You put so much time into what you
accomplish. Countless hours spent—in
the practice pen, down the road, at the
vet’s—preparing for this win.
You worked to succeed not just in one
event, but in multiple. You knew what it
took and were willing to put in the time
to see it happen. It wasn’t easy, but it was
worth it.
To the kid they call “rich”: I’m so
proud of you. I’ve been you. You’re so
blessed with what you’ve been given.
You’ve been fortunate with the opportu-
nities you’ve had.
People will see what they want to see
on the outside, but not always under-
stand what it takes on the inside. You
work hard, you spend the time, and you
put in the eff ort to do well. You still have
to earn every run and appreciate every
victory. Money can’t buy hard work.
To the kid they call “poor”: I’m so
proud of you. I’ve been you. You’ve
pulled into the rodeo with only a Subur-
ban and an old, beat-up trailer. You’ve
unloaded the best horse your parentscould aff ord and even duct-taped his
bell boots on.
You know what sacrifi ces have been
made for you to compete in the sport you
love, and you appreciate them all. When
you enter the arena, you have as much of
a chance as anyone. You get to show how
much work you put in, and when it pays
off , you feel like a millionaire.
To the kid who takes fi fth place: I’m
so proud of you. I’ve been you. To be the
person who worked as hard as the con-
testants ahead of you and fall just short
isn’t easy. You’re as good as they are, and
you deserve the victory as much as they
do. But it wasn’t your day.
Don’t quit there! If you love some-
thing, you’ll never give it up. You’re al-
lowed to be upset and frustrated; in fact,
I believe that’s how you know you have a
passion for what you do. Keep working,
and your day will come. You can’t always
control what happens, but you do decide
what comes next.
To the kid who fi nally qualifi ed: I’m
so proud of you. I’ve been you. You set
your goals, you made your plan, you
worked hard, and it fi nally paid off. You
didn’t enter the arena taking anything
for granted; you appreciated every part
of what it took to be there. You prepared
physically, mentally, and even emotion-
ally to compete at the best of your ability.
You may not be the most talented or
have the best horse, but you gave yourself
no excuses. You just did it—so enjoy it.
To the kid who didn’t make state:
I’m so proud of you. I’ve been you. You
worked as hard as you thought possible,
and it wasn’t quite enough. You see your
friends succeed, and you’re happy for
them, but can’t help but wish to be them.
You want to earn your spot, to feel that
victory. You want to do what you love at
that level, but it just didn’t happen.
Don’t stop now! Don’t sell yourself
short. You’ve worked for everything
you have, and that matt ers. That will
add up if you keep going. Take a minute
to see how lucky you are to do what you
love, then start again. You’ve got this. I
believe in you!To the kid at home who dreams of
competing: I’m so proud of you. I’ve
been you. You think horses all day. You
eat, sleep, breathe the thought of being
able to compete. It doesn’t matt er what
your circumstances are; you can feel the
love you have in your bones. You know
what your goals are, and you know howto work hard, but the opportunity hasn’t
yet presented itself.
Hang on! That love and passion you
have are important. When you have the
chance, don’t let it pass. There’ll be a mil-
lion reasons why something can’t work,
but just focus on the one reason it can,
and don’t quit working until it does.
In every sport, there are victory and
defeat. We all want to be the best. We all
want to win every time, but it doesn’t
work like that. Life doesn’t work like
that. There’ll be loss, frustration, and
upset. There’ll be moments you believe
you’re the only one who understands
what it feels like to be you.
That’s all part of the journey. And we
can choose to continue on this journey,
no matt er what life has thrown at us.
We can’t control every situation or what
someone else has or does, but we can
control ourselves.
You get to decide what you want to
work for or what your att itude will be.
Appreciate what you have—because I
promise you, someone else is praying
for it. To the Kid ...
INSPIRED RIDER by Amberley Snyder
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Are you a kid struggling to make your dreams
of competition come true? Or the parent of
such a kid? I have some words for you.Amberley Snyder, Elkridge, Utah, is a barrel
racer and inspirational speaker. The story
of her triumphant return to the saddle after
an accident that left her without the use of
her legs has encouraged riders across the
country. Learn more at amberleysnyder.org.