Young athletes make mistakes.
It's kind of the nature of the beast as they strive to master the skill development necessary to advance to whatever stage at which they wish to compete.
Ella Palladino and Holly Heikkila are no different.
They just happen to compete in a sport (equestrianism) where they are occasionally blessed with a highly forgiving partner, one who is able to right their wrongs, if you will.
And let's be honest here: given that the two young riders at Foothills Farm were both among a highly exclusive group of Canadian athletes selected to participate at the recent 2024 FEI North American Youth Championships in Traverse City (Michigan), their "mistakes", if you will, are relatively minimal for their age.
One of five Team Canada U14 riders in the Children's Divsion, Heikkila took to the rings aboard Foolproof, a relatively recent acquisition for Laurel Scott and the Foothills Farm crew.
"She has a lot of scope - she can handle mistakes that I make," Heikkila noted of of the horse that she trusts implicitly. "She passed everything I threw at her with flying colours. She's a really cool horse, really experienced."
Making the jump to 1.20m events on a newer horse, Heikkila was thrilled to be named to the team, knowing that there is still a much greater level of comfort she needs to reach in the saddle.
"The biggest part for me is where I am at, mentally," she stated. "When you're coming up to a bigger jump, it's easy to get scared if you don't see a distance. For me, if it's not there, I get really stressed and make a bunch of bad decisions."
"I will get slower - as slow as possible - and that's really dangerous," continued Heikkila. "Then you don't have enough momentum to make it across certain jumps. And with a horse that's so careful, she jumps higher, but without any rhythm. She gets higher but comes down really hard."
"I'm kind of the opposite of Ella."
Two years her elder, Palladino was one of nine U16 (Pre-Junior) riders, seven from Ontario alone joined by a pair of Western Canadian teens representing the country at the pristine bay-side city.
"Finding the distance to the jump has to be the hardest thing; there are times when I get nervous and anxious," said the grade 11 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School who plans to transition to on-line schooling in the fall, allowing her more time to pursue the sport that she loves, in earnest.
"A lot of riders will pull up to the jumps when this happens but I go really fast and leave (from) very far. He (Davison - her horse) is now trying to control himself for me instead of getting angry at me."
The improvement in Palladino will no doubt continue to come - even if not always at the rapid pace the talented young rider would like to see.
"The thing that people have noticed the most is that I have gotten a lot more patient and put a lot more work into it," she said. "I know that the more work I put into it, the better it's going to get - so I don't get so impatient and angry when things don't happen right away."
"And I find that the horses want to do more for you when you're a lot more forgiving," Palladino added. "Everything is easier when you're in the right mindset. It just took a while for me to understand that."
Having now committed herself almost completely to the jumper disciplines, the affable teenager remains thankful for the broad scope of equestrian training which had led her to this point.
"I think it's important to grow up in the hunters, learning patience and rhythm and very basic suff that you will need to bring over to the jumpers."
As for Heikkila, time is still on her side when it comes to perhaps narrowing the focus, just a touch. "I am likely more on the equitation side - but I do love both sides and want to continue with both."
And as for this particular event, perspective is key.
"It's just the experience," smiled Heikkila. "Competing for Canada is something I am really excited for."
