1% More is a blog series in which we ask World Equestrian Brands endorsed and trainer team riders to give us one booster tip that will help us to improve our competitive edge by 1%. As any true athlete knows, over time all of those 1%s add up to significant results.
Sharon White is an accomplished 5* rider based out of Summit Point, WV. She and Jaguars Duende were recently awarded the Connaught Grant by the USET Foundation after an incredible fall campaign culminating in the CCI3*-L win at the Maryland 5 Star in October ’24.
WEB: Sharon! Congratulations on your win at Maryland with Jaguars Duende in October. Your rides with her were beautiful to watch! Tell us all about Jag!
Sharon: Of course! I’ve had her since she was four, she’s eight now. She is the ultimate competitor! Her mind is so good, she’s always fighting for the win. In the barn, she’s no drama, no fuss. She is everything we all work for and strive to be ourselves!
WEB: Don’t we all strive to be no fuss!?
Sharon: I say all the time that her motto is, “Come. Conquer. Leave.” My goal is to be just like her when I grow up.
WEB: Can you tell us how you came into Maryland 3*? Did you know you were potentially sitting on a win? Did you look at the leaderboard in surprise on Sunday?
Sharon: She’s a very competitive horse. This event was always the destination for her because it’s a real test of the level. She did the 3*-L at Tryon in the Spring as a springboard for this, it’s just slightly shorter and softer so a perfect preparation. And she also won that, so I tried to put that out of my mind all weekend.
Of course, that’s always the goal! I was hoping for that for sure, but my responsibility to her is to show up for her every day of the competition and try not to think about the outcome…
WEB: …. 😳
Sharon: But of course, I was thinking about the outcome! Ha!
WEB: What kind of preparation did you have to put yourself through to know that you were sitting on a winning horse and try to get through the weekend not thinking about the fact that you are sitting on a winning horse?
Sharon: It takes a lot of work! It’s something I’ve worked on every day for many years! Being able to focus on the things that matter and that has to be true for every horse I sit on every day.
If you are thinking about outcomes while you are riding, I can guarantee that you are not being present for your horse.
My horses know whether I am there or not!
WEB: How specifically do you work on being present for your horses every day?
Sharon: I believe strongly in meditation, I meditate every day. I have a head coach, Natalie Hummel, who helps me – and was at Maryland. She’s someone who can guide me and keep reminding me why I am actually here on the day. And the answer to that for me is never, “to win,” it’s, “to be there for my horse.” And the answer for everyone is different. That doesn’t have to be someone else’s “why” but that’s mine.
WEB: So true! How does this practice impact you over time?
Sharon: Well, it’s taken 30 years of practicing showing up to become and “overnight success!” It’s taken 30 years of working to be with my horses without distraction every day. And that’s no small feat! There are plenty of distractions, but when I’m in the saddle, that can’t be around. So when we go to the competitions, it’s not so hard to stay on task. I can’t be thinking about whether or not we are going to win while riding around the cross country!
Doing this as a practice over time, it becomes easier. When you start, it’s hard to see that it’s all working. But if you can’t see the change right away and you stop, you never will!
WEB: Sounds like good advice for anyone. If you want to be good at horses, or your job, or your relationship, you have to show up and work at it every day, not just when it’s convenient or easy.
Sharon: Right! Especially when it’s really hard, that’s when it matters the most! Practice showing up under pressure and when it’s hard, not just putting yourself in that place at a competition!
WEB: LOVE THIS! Of course, we can’t finish without asking you about your favorite WEB product? What can’t you live without?
Sharon: I need it all! WEB is high performance! The bridles fit so well, I love my reins. I love my Mattes pads, they fit the horses beautifully. I love my Amerigo Saddles! I feel at home in them. I love it all. I feel safe and at home in all of my WEB products because I know that someone went above and beyond to make sure they are all exactly right for me.
All photos: Sharon & Jaguars Duenda PC: Sally Spickard
