You Don’t Should Present to Have Enjoyable, From Jumpers to a Rider of Rohan

By PAYTON MEDFORD

“After years of showing (or training), I’m tired and burnt out. Should I sell my horse and just call it quits?” 

A query I really feel like I’ve seen requested increasingly all through this yr throughout social media. I believe, in some unspecified time in the future, all of us have been there. I definitely have, and on multiple event. With the present state of the trade, I wouldn’t blame anybody for wanting out. 

But my query to those that are at present trudging by means of the slogs of our sport is: why did you begin using?

I ask this query as a result of it’s one I requested myself each time I needed to throw within the towel. Not as soon as has my reply even been as a result of I needed to make it large within the present ring. I look again at recollections of watching films like Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Flicka. How I dreamed of getting that particular reference to these strong-willed and free animals. Of films like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, the place horse and rider galloped throughout beautiful terrain on their adventures.

To many, it would sound foolish, however that freedom and connection (and perhaps just a bit little bit of the adrenaline junkie in me) is what drew me to horses within the first place. So what do my childhood desires of horses should do with at the moment? I let that internal youngster out and had extra enjoyable using with a gaggle of strangers re-imagining a scene from The Lord of the Rings than I’ve had from exhibiting in years. 

I noticed a Facebook publish from a small enterprise native to my space known as Fell & Fair, who had been on the lookout for volunteer riders and their horses to take part in a video shoot to advertise their merchandise. Specifically, they needed to collect riders collectively to recreate scenes of the fantasy Riders of Rohan—a folks whose complete lifestyle will depend on the horse—getting ready for battle from The Lord of the Rings movies.

At the time, I used to be embarrassed by how excited I used to be. I hesitated to volunteer. My early life of being bullied for having fun with the world of fantasy on prime of being the ‘crazy horse girl’ nonetheless impression what I do or say even at the moment. Simply put, I used to be afraid of what folks would assume. When I spotted the supply of my hesitation, although it is probably not probably the most wholesome coping mechanism, I messaged Fell and Fair and volunteered to spite my cowardice.

When I heard again that they want to have me be a part of, I used to be a bundle of excited nerves. We scheduled a time to fulfill to debate the specifics and take a look at on the armor I used to be going to put on.

You could also be questioning the place the armor is coming from, so let me first introduce Fell & Fair. Started by retired naval officer Zan Campbell, Fell & Fair is a dressing up design firm devoted to craftsmanship, neighborhood, and acceptance. Most of the costuming worn by the riders within the shoot was handmade by their craftsman.

Walking into their store, I used to be met by Campbell and the Fell & Fair group working massive swaths of material or touching up leather-based armor. The pleasant ambiance and speaking with Campbell about his love for horses, how he doesn’t present and simply enjoys spending time with them, was a breath of recent air. I didn’t really feel like I used to be being judged. I didn’t really feel the calculating eyes of somebody figuring out if I measured as much as their customary of using talent and skill. Just informal dialog of horses we grew up using whereas younger and dumb, as I attempted on linen clothes and chainmail.

Two days later, I unloaded my retired present jumper in a hay subject with 10 different riders and horses. I don’t assume greater than 2 riders rode in the identical self-discipline. Western to English, trails to dressage and hunter/jumpers, we had been a hodgepodge of various backgrounds at completely different factors in using careers. Some had been using for a few years, others for a few many years. 

It was a way of neighborhood I hadn’t felt within the equestrian world in a while. Everyone provided to carry another person’s horse so the rider might grow to be their battle gear or assist one other get into their armor. There had been even riders there who didn’t even know what The Lord of the Rings was. They had been simply pleased to be there doing one thing completely different.

Under the steerage of the Fell & Fair group, everybody lined up and marched their horses in formations whereas the digital camera rolled. We carried flags and spears and galloped throughout the sphere. Riders stored a watch out for one another’s horses, stating holes or ant hills, noting if one horse didn’t fairly like one other, and ensuring everybody was in a spot they felt snug.

I believe I converse for everybody in saying all of us had a improbable time. And that’s what I believe the equestrian neighborhood ought to really feel like. Safe, snug, and enjoyable.

So the following time you surprise if you happen to ought to promote the horse, ask your self if what you’re doing is actually enjoyable for you and your horse. We all began this journey for the love of horses. Don’t let it finish over one thing as materials as ribbons, medals, how excessive you soar, or what degree check you experience. 

I problem you to search out one thing new to discover together with your horse exterior of the present ring. 

About Fell & Fair
Fell & Fair is a medieval and fantasy costume firm based mostly in Taylors, SC. Fell & Fair’s mission is to move and empower their group and prospects by means of immersive storytelling, enriching lives by bridging the previous with the current and fostering a neighborhood that celebrates magnificence, goodness, and shared hope for the long run. Fell & Fair makes use of medieval and fantasy costumes, occasions, and movie to rally a neighborhood related by these shared passions and values as they interact with new, tangible adventures within the fashionable world.

Photos courtesy of Fell & Fair