Your messages to Judge Heidi Hopen-Wright

[jaybird]

I'd like to pull together a special thank you gift for our judge, Heidi Hopen-Wright, so if you have anything you'd like to say to her about her wonderful work on Saturday please post it here!

[crownkorhelequest]

Thank you for all the kind constructive feedback, you did an amazing job! You really made the show fun for everyone to participate in. Thak you a million!!! I hope to ride for you again soon:)

[coconut]

THANK YOU So much. I learned a great deal from my first show experience and your consistent calm manner allowed me to relax a little. I know I made some mistakes and my horse was not as cooperative as I know she can be, but it was all new for her too. I really appreciated that I never felt "judged" by you in a negative way and that you gave us all really good things to work on so we'll be even more ready next time. So even when we didn't place, I felt like we just didn't do it as well as the others, not that you thought we were bad.

I also appreciate the way you ended everything on an up-note. I was so frustrated in one class and you took the time to tell me that you noticed I was persistent and worked through it. THAT was a much better take-away than the memory of my horse refusing to go through shadows!! I started caring less about what anyone else thought about our performance and focused on just trying to do what we knew how to and learn from the other participants ... and from you.

You made it a fantastic experience

[monicabee]

None cried, a few laughed, and there were many, many smiles, even outside the arena.

Ideally, a show is supposed to help riders set goals and measure their progress. You managed to keep it light while still reminding people of what they were aiming for.

[fatblackmare]

Thank you for making it a positive and fun experience for both me and my leadline riding daughter. You helped all of the competitors understand what you were looking for and helped us understand what we needed to do. It was great that you took the time to mention things to us and really make sure we had no questions going in.