Times Of Swaziland: RIDER LIA CELEBRATES FLAWLESS OUTING IN SA

RIDER LIA CELEBRATES FLAWLESS OUTING IN SA
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BY THEMBA ZWANE on 12/01/2019 08:46:00


MBABANE – She has much to celebrate at the end of the year. This is Eswatini
junior rider Lia van Wyk, who rides on Catch My Drift.
Sharing her best achievement for the year 2018, the young rider said besides
holding the National title for Dressage and Jumping in Eswatini, her best
achievement was when she went to represent Mpumalanga in SANESA nationals.
“This helped me achieve an 8th  placing out of South Africa’s top 33 riders
at the 1m level in the Competition class.
This achievement means a lot to me as showjumping is not my strongest discipline
and this competition was the biggest I have ever ridden in,” she said.
She then advised young people who wished to join equestrian to first find an
instructor who had their best interests at heart.
“They will help you improve your skill.  Next is to find a horse you trust and
are compatible with, as a dishonest horse can seriously damage your confidence
and will be detrimental to you as a rider,” she said.
foundation
Wyk highlighted that once the rider had these as their foundation, they can work
up from here.
“Set short term and long term goals.
“Your short term goals should keep you motivated and encourage you to improve
constantly and your long term goals should be something that you look forward to
and move a small step toward it each day.”
The rider said it was imperative to only enter a competition when that
particular rider felt they were ready.
“Don’t be afraid to start small.
“Focus on going in there and performing at your best,” she stressed.
She added that she was extremely lucky to have a family that supported her sport
and drove her to improve.