HUNTINGTON BEACH SPOOKTACULAR, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA OCTOBER 28-30, 2023 # 885 | AMIGO
My first West Palms competition was definately a "Spooktacular".
At the end of October, I entered my first 2-day West Palms Event in Huntington Beach. I was signed up for the Open .65 / .70 Jumping Classes against 15 other more experienced and seasoned riders. I had never competed in either of the .65 or .70 Jumper Classes and even though I ride one of the trainer’s seasoned show horses, Amigo, he is over 28 years old. I was expectedly nervous for my first show. We arrived at the barn as planned at 7 am on Saturday and I was scheduled to be in the first group competitors at 8:30 am.
Typically, prior to the competition beginning, the horse and rider warm up with the trainer and then the trainer walks the course with their riders; They count out the paces, help the rider memorize the course and discuss strategy to hit the optimum course time established by the judges. That Saturday morning, my trainer was unable to get to the barn with much time to spare before the first round of competition began, so my initial strategic course walk was cut short. And during warmups, I couldn't help but notice how much younger and more lavish the other horses were and it was apparent that the other 15 riders in this .65 Open Jumping Class had been competing all year, were much older than me and were ready for this last show to begin.
My first round was successful in that I completed the course without knocking any bars off the jumps but finished with an excessive time well over the 65 second optimum time placing 9th out of 15 riders. And during my second round, my horse refused to jump twice, which automatically disqualifies me. My first day of competition was not what I envisioned for Amigo and me and I left the barn that day visibly disappointed.
I woke up Sunday morning under a cloud of discouragement, worried that Amigo was too old to compete against the younger, more expensive breeds and I had thoughts that I was a lesser rider than the seasoned, much older riders. I spoke with my mom about my concerns and the obstacles I felt I was facing on the way back down to Huntington Beach for the last day of the competition. I came to my own personal realization that I'm a strong rider, I've trained as many hours or more than the competitors and I set new goals for myself that morning: “I will be the best rider I know how to be and not worry about Amigo. He’s a good teacher, and he loves to jump in these shows. I will give it my best today and leave proud knowing that I gave it my best.” With my refreshed promise to myself and commitment to “Give it my Best” that day, I walked the course with my trainer in a more thorough manner, as well as, we took the time to properly warm up my older partner, Amigo, prior to hitting the competition arena.
On that morning of competition, both, Amigo and I was ready for the 8:30 am call to start in the .65 Open Class Jumping round. There were still over 15 competitors trying to hit a flawless run and the newly set optimum time of 72 seconds. My posture was more poised than the morning before, my eyes were focused and my concentration was deep as I jumped all 10 jumps clean, in the accurate pattern and with an optimum time of 71.864. When I crossed the finish line the announcer declared, “That was Peyton Goto-Lynch on Amigo with one of the best rides, if not the best ride we’ve seen all week for the entire show”.
My time stood, unchallenged by every rider and I brought home my first Blue Ribbon with Amigo and the only Blue for my Compton Junior Equestrian team that weekend. I'm so proud of my efforts to overcome my previous day’s losses, reflect and refocus myself and ride to the best of my ability, knowing that my efforts alone would be my personal victory, regardless of the competition outcome. The growth I expressed and exhibited in those 48 hours of competition reflects values and is a genuine representation of my personality and character.
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