For the Extracurricular Essay on the Common App I decided to write about one of my favorite activities, horseback riding. This is a rough draft and I really need ideas or corrections on how to improve this.
I can remember the thud of my back hitting the ground, and the sight of two metal clad hooves hovering above me. As my horses hoof struck the ground right near my head I could remember my very first coach telling me that I wouldn't be a real rider till I fell off or was thrown off. For most of my horseback career I assumed this was something coaches said to make little kids feel brave. But right then I began to understand what people meant when they said falling makes you a real rider. In the horseback community falling is both a disgrace and an achievement. Falling means you failed, and in any competition it is sure to earn you last place. But being thrown is an achievement too because sometime after being thrown riders find the strength inside themselves to get back in the saddle which at some point down the line just means being thrown again. Riders learn a lot from falling than just what pain feels like. Falling teaches riders how to be humble and admit to a mistake, it teaches them how to fix their mistakes and most importantly it teaches them how to continue on.
I can remember the thud of my back hitting the ground, and the sight of two metal clad hooves hovering above me. As my horses hoof struck the ground right near my head I could remember my very first coach telling me that I wouldn't be a real rider till I fell off or was thrown off. For most of my horseback career I assumed this was something coaches said to make little kids feel brave. But right then I began to understand what people meant when they said falling makes you a real rider. In the horseback community falling is both a disgrace and an achievement. Falling means you failed, and in any competition it is sure to earn you last place. But being thrown is an achievement too because sometime after being thrown riders find the strength inside themselves to get back in the saddle which at some point down the line just means being thrown again. Riders learn a lot from falling than just what pain feels like. Falling teaches riders how to be humble and admit to a mistake, it teaches them how to fix their mistakes and most importantly it teaches them how to continue on.