Being a devoted and passionate horse-lover, I think it would only be appropriate if I created a blog dedicated to the Dickinson Equestrian Team. The team has become my happy place at Dickinson. Going to the barn and riding is my safe-haven—my stress free zone. So I decided, why not create a blog about the fabulous life of the team that has helped make Dickinson feel like home?
My vision for the blog is for it to be a place where everyone—including those who are not so informed about the horse-world—can follow the team’s adventures. Unless you’re actually a member, no one knows much about it. Whenever I mention my involvement, I always get similar responses: I mean, horses? Who really cares, right? Well, I do, so I’m hoping my blog can help others care too.
I envision a few navigation links at the top linking to different topics. Last year, I qualified to compete at Nationals (not trying to brag), so I wanted to have a “Road to Nationals” tab where people could learn about the hard work that comes with competing at that level. When I was younger, there was this show on Animal Planet called “Road to the Maclay.” The Maclay is a huge, super cool show that riders will do anything to qualify for. Although it’s outdated, one of the riders created a blog about her experience (click the link!). This is similar to what I had in mind except with more pictures and much more wow factor.
Our show season is fast approaching, so I think it’d only be fitting to have a tab that covers competitions. I was thinking of including team member profiles of those members that have success throughout the season. The blog, Campus Equestrian (click this one too!), covers collegiate competitions throughout the U.S. The writer for our zone interviews various competitors for various teams. He includes pictures of them on the horse, with their ribbons, with their coach etc. This is my inspiration for the show coverage tab except it will be focused on members of the Dickinson team.
We also have an executive board, so another possible headline could be: “Meet members working behind the scenes.” I could even add horse profiles. After all, they are a huge part of the team. Sometimes people forget this. Considering we HORSE-back ride, this is weird, right?
Lastly, I’m thinking about a “How To” section. Most people don’t understand what it means to be a collegiate rider, so this would serve as a great way to educate those that are less knowledgeable. For example, “How to Dress for Competition” or “How to Have Success in Competition.” These are just a few ideas.
So, there you have it. Hopefully, my equestrian, horse-loving blog will turn out to be a success. Right now, it’s all in my head, but I’m hoping to put it on the Internet for all to see very soon.