What has riding horses taught me? Well, of course, discipline, patience, control and so on; but riding has really taught me is that I can’t hide from failures and mistakes.

I can’t be perfect all the time.

Horseback riding is a sport full of “whens”. When you will win, when everything will go as planned, but more often, when you will fall off, or when you will get hurt. Something will go wrong, and if not, you haven’t been riding long enough. I’ve learned a valuable lesson from riding; “It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure” (Bill Gates).

I stand at the end of the line of riders. Waiting to draw the horse I will ride is both terrifying and exhilarating. I smile solely to keep my teeth from chattering.

“Number 7- Max.”

My mind rummages through the numerous horses I have seen groggily warming up in the ring this morning, their every breath leaving a cloud of steam in the bitterly cold air. Max. He was cute and sweet.

This is how it works at Interscholastic Equestrian Association show; arrive at an ungodly time, watch the warm-up, draw your horse, and then ride for two minutes, tops. The first three stages were complete, so now I walked nervously outside to find Max.

I swing my leg carefully over the saddle and, perched on his back, I examine every round before me, trying to weigh my chances. The more I watch, the more my limbs shake uncontrollably. Max and I are a cute pair, but cuteness doesn’t win beauty pageants.

When it is my turn at last, I gulp down an enormous breath of frigid air, and march towards the mouth of the ring, a wind tunnel that makes it nearly impossible for me to calm my trembling legs.

I rode Max at the regional competition last winter. I was determined to be perfect, to qualify for zones. In riding, perfectionism is usually helpful, but in the show ring, I choke. I was not going to blow my chances because of my nerves. I was tired of letting my fear of failure control me and I made my goal to simply have fun.

The first half of the less-than-threatening course goes smoothly, but Max stops before the fourth jump.

Well now I have no chance.

I’m still determined to end on a high note. I turn Max around and we finish the course. Unfortunately, judges don’t think very highly of a course with an intermission, no matter how great it was going.

Needless to say, I didn’t get a ribbon. However, my mistakes didn’t ruin my life; no one died, the world didn’t end. I took my mistake and used it as motivation to do better and continue to to do so in both riding and in my everyday life.

No one can be perfect. In order to experience success, we must fail at some point, and those failures only make us better.