We Ride Sport and Trail Magazine March 2019 | Page 40

DRAWN TO THE SPORT Part I

This is the first of a four part series of different and entertaining perspectives from four people drawn to the sport of distance competitive trail riding (CTR) in the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC). These women range in age from 10 to 62. First up is a young woman, Shari Parys, who had been competing for five years at the time she penned this.

When I began the sport of competitive trail riding five years ago, I had no idea how it would change my life with horses

I have always loved to ride and compete, but now I had a different kind of competition, more friendly and healthy in many ways. I thought I knew how take care of horses, being very experienced in many aspects and having worked for an equine vet, but little did I know how my beliefs would change.

I have received an invaluable education on nutrition, conditioning, training, and safety. My learning has helped my horses and I grow both mentally and physically. Along with the beautiful places I have visited to enjoy rides, and the wonderful people I have met along the way, NATRC has given me much to be thankful for.

I am a competitive person and enjoy trying to better my horse and myself to improve our scores each year and move toward higher goals. NATRC gives me the competition I desire, but it is a quiet, friendly competition, with competitors looking out for one another and urging each other to excel. I love the encouraging atmosphere, which is rare to find at other horse competitions. We relax out on the trail and laugh at our “obstacle induced stupidity”.

My horse enjoys getting out of the arena and going down the trail, and this freedom and relaxation has carried back into the arena, giving us better all-around performance. Now, when trail riding, instead of just plodding along as we used to, I ride with more focus, taking advantage of training opportunities and ways to improve our riding.

Having precise control outside of the arena, in the “real world” where the unexpected can happen, has led to a greater bond and trust with my horse. And, as my horse grows in his skills and fitness, I find that I need to also work on myself. I eat better, exercise more, and have lost weight.

I was diagnosed with cancer last year, shortly after my last ride of the season, and it was the eagerness to get back in the saddle and get ready for my first CTR this year that motivated me and gave me something to focus on. Positive and caring attitudes abound in this sport, and they are very healing.

I am always excited to introduce new people to the sport of CTR. It lets me realize again, how far we have come and reinforces all the good things NATRC has to offer. Even when the weather does not cooperate, we smile, laugh and make memories. I have developed some life-long friendships in this sport, and learned much about my horse and myself, developing stronger bonds than I thought possible.

Quiet moments on a good horse, riding beautiful trails that others may never get to experience, overcoming challenges from the trail and the judges, relaxing around good people, is what I love about NATRC.

We invite you to come ride with us, join our family, and see what it’s all about! It is hard to find a friendlier,

more welcoming and

encouraging bunch

of folks than our

competitors and

members. For more

information visit

www.natrc.org.

40 / Sport and Trail Magazine

My horse enjoys getting out of the arena and going down the trail, and this freedom and relaxation has carried back freedom and relaxation has carried back into the arena, giving us better all-around performance. Now, when trail riding, instead of just plodding along as we used to, I ride with more focus, taking advantage of training opportunities and ways to improve our riding.

Having precise control outside of the arena, in the “real world” where the unexpected can happen, has led to a greater bond and trust with my horse. And, as my horse grows in his skills and fitness, I find that I need to also work on myself. I eat better, exercise more, and have lost weight.

I was diagnosed with cancer last year, shortly after my last ride of the season, and it was the eagerness to get back in the saddle and get ready for my first CTR this year that motivated me and gave me something to focus on. Positive and caring attitudes abound in this sport, and they are very healing.

I am always excited to introduce new people to the sport of CTR. It lets me realize again, how far we have come and reinforces all the good things NATRC has to offer. Even when the weather does not cooperate, we smile, laugh and make memories. I have developed some life-long friendships in this sport, and learned much about my horse and myself, developing stronger bonds than I thought possible.

Quiet moments on a good horse, riding beautiful trails that others may never get to experience, overcoming challenges from the trail and the judges, relaxing around good people, is what I love about NATRC.

NATRC welcomes riders of any equine breed, including grade, and from any discipline

www.natrc.org

Shari Parys

Photo Credit: Jim Edmondson of Optical Harmonics