Perspective

So every once in a while I get to thinking about something. It's usually when I'm riding along, thinking, "I need 1/2 ounce more pressure in my left rein, and I think the mare's not tracking up as much as she should be on her right hind, and my ears need to be further back, and my heels should be down another centimeter or two, and is she really giving to my leg?"

Or when I'm teaching, telling a student, "You need to bring your shoulders back an inch, and your right pinky finger needs to be closed, and keep that knee down, and he's slightly locked in his left jaw, and we need a tiny bit more impulsion."

You get the idea. We all know what that feels like. But once in a while I take a step back and think about what others must think of us. Frankly, they probably think we're crazy. I don't wonder why dressage riders get the reputation of being uptight control freaks. It's not a stretch of the imagination to see us that way!

However, I don't think that we are. I'm not, anyways, or at least I try not to be. It's just that precision is so important. When you're in there, when you're riding or helping someone else, it's so easy to get wrapped up in these minute (yet important) details. Yet at the same time, we need to think of the overall picture to keep ourselves sane and to keep it in perspective. It's all about that perspective. From the outside, we might seem out of our minds. From the inside, it's all important.

As long as it's fun, I don't think it really matters from where you're looking.