“I will never travel like that for a sport!” I touted from my high horse.
Enter my daughter…on her own high horse.
Not going to lie, I was stoked when she first showed an interest in riding. Chasing belt buckles ― the horse show equivalent of a championship ring ― is one of my personal favorite past times.
Little did I know how far it would go, because guess what? There is a travel organization for team horse showing, too. And not just traveling to local open shows, but around the state and even out of state for some events.
There is more than one organization, but the Youth Equestrian Development Association ― or YEDA (pronounced YEE-DAH and not to be confused with YEE-HAW which is a completely different style of horseback riding) ― was the one she opted for. Fortunately, a newly formed YEDA team was established at a nearby farm.
Equestrian sports are not a sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, and while her school completely supports her achievements as an equestrian, they can’t just invite a herd of large animals ― that don’t exactly have manners ― to the playing field.
But Double M Horsemanship provides the opportunity for riders of all levels to compete under the close watch of college riding teams. I don’t know if she wants to ride horses in college, but it is on her radar now.
Our daughter’s second love is cheerleading ― never pegged myself as a cheer mom either, but here we are. And her sports of choice both have travel requirements of which both are physically impossible as the seasons overlap. Competitive cheer entirely overlaps with the YEDA season.
A tough decision had to be made: competitive cheer or YEDA combined with a slightly less hectic season of football and basketball cheer (because yes, school sports are still important).
She saddled up for a 7+ month competitive YEDA season with a portion of sideline cheer only.
Additional riding lessons commenced, and we were on our way out of town at least one weekend a month so she could compete for a chance at YEDA Nationals.
I wasn’t worried about adding a trip to Tennessee to the summer schedule; after all, it was her first season.
But guess what? Tennessee was added to the summer travel plans. And she even earned herself a National Championship buckle. Not to mention the friendships, sportsmanship, and skills she earned, as well. She was winning all season. I guess that officially makes us travel team sports parents now.
Motherhood Part II is a recurring column in the News-Sun.
For those who may be interested in learning more about local YEDA opportunities:
Youth Equestrian Development Association, Inc (YEDA) is a program that encourages the development of riders’ skills, emphasizes exposure to scholarship opportunities and encourages making connections with college programs.
Horse ownership is not required and a “catch riding” format is utilized.
YEDA’s mission is to provide an equestrian riding program for youth students via both instructional and experiential learning opportunities. To accomplish this YEDA engage in equestrian competitions, instructional clinics, networking events and occasions for recruitment that includes but not limited to scholarship disbursements.
For more information or to find a team, visit showyeda.com.
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