Here’s the thing that makes life so interesting. The theory of evolution claims only the strong shall survive, it maybe so… maybe so. But the theory of competition says “ Just because they are the strong doesn’t mean they can’t get their asses kicked.” That’s right!
See we all have our goals in life, fighting for our dreams. Risking everything, but equestrians, well it’s hard to say, because equestrians speak a different language, a language built in silence, not everyone is able to hear the silence, not everyone is capable of trusting completely.
Equestrians need to have the concentration and ability to judge distance like a golfer, the strength and stamina of a hockey player, and the artistic flow and ability to make a hard thing look easy and elegant like a ballerina.
When I enter a barn, I feel like in a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life’s true priorities are clear. When you take a step back, it’s not just about the horses- it’s about love, life and learning.
People often ask me “Why do I ride?” and I tell them “I ride because I borrow freedom, I can be myself without being judged, I do it for passion, I find a friend in that animal, that horse.”
We equestrians live in a different world that nobody understands, we’ve been pushed aside, said “it’s not a sport, it’s easy.” Well here is life through our eyes; we stay awake to listen our partners, during the day we live 1,70m from the ground on the top of a 500 kg creature that has a mind, body and soul of its own, which can kill us in every moment.
Horse may have injured me, made me cry, pissed me off until my breaking point, made me do stupid things, made me hate myself, made me think, made me work harder, helped me, made me a better person. They have made me the person I am today, and for that I am eternally grateful.
When a horse rider gazes into a horse’s they discover pieces of themselves once thought to be lost, we find connection when the connection seems to be impossible, because riding it’s the art of keeping a horse between you and the ground. Riding turns “I wish” into “I can”.
Equestrian art is the perfect understanding and harmony between horse and rider. To understand a horse is the closest we can come to knowing perfection.
You have to do what you love and love what you do, otherwise you will never be happy. I love what I do, I think everyone who rides a horse does, because it’s like a poison running through their veins, you can never let it go, and it will hunt you down forever.
I found everything that I needed, that I have been searching, and I don’t ever want to take it for granted.
ANTONIA BALAŞCO
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