January seemed even longer than usual as I waited patiently to unveil our *new* ‘MiniD’s Moment of the Month’ and the very special rosettes made up beautifully for it!
One of the things that has always been important to me, and therefore a core Demi Dressage value, is that I know not everyone is competitive. I know not everyone feels ready to take to the competition platform (online or in real life) and I know how easy it is to feel somehow less of a rider or horse person if you are not out there getting placed and winning rosettes… And whilst we all say 'competing is a journey', and 'you’re only competing against yourself', and all those other platitudes, at the end of the day there has to be a method of marking, and that leads to scores and first, second, third place…
I can’t change that. But I *can* offer this opportunity for those special ‘moments’ to be celebrated. Those moments that mean nothing to an outsider, they’re not quantifiable, they don’t come with a score and a placing for validation. But they are worthy moments nonetheless. Maybe you went for your first gallop, maybe you trotted for the first time, went off lead, got back on after your first fall, were confident enough to lead your pony by yourself… Our 'Moment of the Month' is the time to celebrate those moments. And every month, MiniD will read through them with me and we’ll choose a recipient for our very special ‘Moment of the Month’ rosette <3 !
You can enjoy celebrating everyone's January 'Moments' here: https://www.facebook.com/demidressageonline/posts/1440546113009005
As you can imagine, it's tough choosing just one recipient for our special rosette, but MiniD and I eventually decided on Sophie Lloyd's daughter Ella, and her five year old pony Red. As most of you know, MiniD is a very cautious rider, and will still recount to anyone each of her falls...! Getting back on is for her often a lengthy process and a test of nerves in the extreme. So she was very impressed that Ella persevered after a bad fall, on a young pony, and then several more falls, and is now after several months back to cantering and having fun! We both understand how regaining confidence takes as long as it takes, and the return of it is definitely a 'moment' worth celebrating!
Thank you all so much for sharing your special moments, it has been a joy to celebrate them with you and I hope you are all very proud! 🥰 We're looking forward to reading all about your 'Moments of the Month' at the end of February! :D