Win-A-Gin Farm Show
- JoAnn Shannon
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
You can’t go home again, according to Thomas Wolfe.
And perhaps returning to a place from the past to recapture some previous state of mind seldom works out. But I gave it a concerted effort when I returned to Win-A-Gin Farm for a horse show mid-May.
For three days it felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster.
There was a sense of accomplishment; I’d learned to ride there.
The familiar show rings gave me confidence.
There were friendly faces from the past and an abundance of memories.
I visited Joey’s old stall and imagined him alive again.
I took Captain to graze near the place where dear, sweet Alex is buried.
In the Intermediate Adult Class on Saturday, with my emotions on overdrive, I didn’t exert enough intent to get Captain into a good canter.
Consequently, we had a couple sloppy beginnings.
That night, in a meditative state of mind, I considered a better approach for the next day:
Jen had offered good technical advice.
Joey (from several photos) seemed to say, “No one cares what happened today.”
Alex (from his wall of fame) radiated the idea of stepping on the gas pedal and not letting up.
On Sunday, Captain and I were named Champion of the Primary Adult division, but it was the two Intermediate classes that made me (and Jen) so very proud. I improved my technique, forgot about the day before, and let speed carry me home.
“Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don’t freeze up.”
― Thomas Wolfe, You Can't Go Home Again
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