I’ve enjoyed the comments and perspectives from my fellow competitors in Top Hand at the CD Finals.

Besides the great horsemanship, I would like to share a few things that stood out for me. First, was the willingness and courage of many accomplished horsemen. The horseman that stepped out of their box (discipline of choice) to compete in Top Hand for their very first CD show. As Richard Winters said, “… this Cowboy Dressage stuff looks a lot easier than it is.” I’ll add a big “Amen” to that! And these horsemen started with jumping in and riding the most challenging test of them all…at their very first Cowboy Dressage show!

Well, it was the most challenging test of them all…until we (the top 10) received our mystery test. This test took things up a notch or two. And once more I was impressed by my fellow competitors. There was only one Challenge Court set up for our warm-up. I was so encouraged to see these top competitors being so gracious with their time, definitely sharing the court with others. I think I can speak for all of us and say, we all could’ve spent a lot more time practicing.

The third thing that really stood out for me and also embraced the CD philosophy was during the few minutes after we traded horses. These top 5 competitors, who each definitely wanted to win, were coaching and giving tips to the chosen rider of their horse. We only had a few seconds to do this, but I was really moved by my fellow competitors humility and generosity.

The CD culture is contagious and I can’t help but believe it has the capability of influencing the competitive horse world in a positive way.

Marcia Moore Harrison