Hannah Sue Burnett: Staying Busy in Ocala

After winning the Fair Hill CCI3* with Harbour Pilot to conclude her 2012 season, Hannah Sue Burnett is looking ahead to what will hopefully develop into another very successful year. She most recently had a great run with Pilot at Red Hills, where the two placed 7th in the CIC3*. Hannah brings us an excellent update on her 2013 season thus far. Take it away, Hannah!

________

Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot most recently finished 7th in the Red Hills CIC3*. Photo by Samantha Clark.

From Hannah:

We’ve been very busy so far this spring here in Ocala! Ashley and I share a house with my two good friends, Kate Lokey and Kelly Green. Kate works and rides with Lauren Kieffer, and Kelly works and rides with Karen. We rented a great little farm with a house across from Ms. Mars’ beautiful facility, where we are lucky enough to ride every day!

I have a nice group of horses this season, and they are really coming along nicely. I feel like I am beginning to get a groove on how to consistently create the type of event horse I want to be riding and competing. For some people this comes easily, and the actual competing is more difficult. Although it has taken me a little while to figure out how to consistently produce young horses to become easy and fun event horses that enjoy their job, I have become more confident this season in recreating this in different horses. This is definitely a work in progress, but now when I get to the events, my horses are more prepared and I am able to put more pressure on them and expect them to handle it.

We have been really busy this spring with multiple trips down to Wellington to practice our dressage with JJ Tate and show jumping with Marilyn Little. They have both been extremely helpful, and it’s also been really fun to go down there and watch the best in the world compete in show jumping and dressage.

The competition season has started out nicely, with most of my horses competing at Ocala Horse Trials and Rocking Horse to get them in the groove and knock off the cobwebs. I am really excited about a couple of young horses in my barn right now. My little 4-year-old TB, Thompson, who I named after the late Richard Thompson, is doing great! He did his first event at Rocking Horse III and was 2nd in BN! He is so stinkin’ adorable and was perfectly behaved the whole event. I really love this little guy. He is moving up to Novice next weekend at Rocking Horse.

I also get to compete and offer for sale Mainstay, a gorgeous, leggy 6-year-old bay OTTB owned by Annie Yeager. She’s busy becoming a famous steeplechase jockey, so I am lucky enough to train and sell her very talented young horse. He’s been 3rd at his first two Training events and is going to do one more at Rocking Horse and hopefully move up to Preliminary at Ocala.

Another promising youngster is Ashley’s Donatello. He is a very special guy with loads of talent. Despite having a slightly unsettling, “fast paced and suspended emergency dismount” that ended with Donnie galloping down the hill and clearing a 5-foot gate riderless before their first event of the season, the preparation has been going well! She has competed him successfully at Novice in her first year of eventing and is moving up to Training at Rocking Horse next weekend as well.  It’s so nice to be able to teach someone to event on such a talented (… cough, cough 5-foot gate …) horse. Best of all, he’s an OTTB!

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of my student, Sara Vitkus, and her two wonderful horses for her spring break vacation. She is going to compete at Rocking Horse, and then I will bring her horses and meet her at The Fork. I flew up to teach her and her mom, Christine, a couple weeks ago and had a great time. It was sleeting and snowing during the cross country lesson, but otherwise it was a great school and time with the Vitkuses. They are awesome people and have become good friends of mine.

I’m also training on David Pawlak’s horse, Just Bailey, and he will be coming in for his spring break to compete at Rocking Horse and The Fork as well. His family are also great friends of mine. David’s dad, Randy, has been my farrier for the past seven years or so and is the best!

Jacqueline Mars’ Harbour Pilot is having a good spring so far as well. He has become slightly cocky after his successful fall season last year, so we have had to change our usual easy 30-minute warm-up for dressage to a couple of rides to get him relaxed and listening. He is such a wonderful competitor and truly understands the three different phases of eventing. I’m so blessed to be riding him, and we’re shooting to travel to France for Saumur CCI*** at the end of May. We’re preparing by competing at The Fork CIC*** and Jersey Fresh CIC***.

Danio was very good at Red Hills CIC** and is making his Advanced debut at The Fork. His owner, The Neapolitan Holding Co., is very supportive and wants to take our time with him, so we might not get to a CCI this spring unless he really adapts to the new level well. He’s so talented but gets quite nervous, so it’s important to not rush him.

Woodbury has been great this spring and is moving up to Intermediate (!!!) next weekend at Rocking Horse. I’ve really built a partnership with this little horse, and he is such a talented and special horse. He is also offered for sale. I can’t thank his owner, Jann Aaron, enough for her support of my career.

Phew! So that’s the rundown of what’s going on in my life! Oh, I almost forgot; Jackson, the HSB Eventing mascot, is having a great spring as well. He is looking forward to his June wedding to his winter girlfriend, Na’vi (Kate’s black lab!). We head back to VA in early May. Thanks to all my owners, sponsors, friends and family. I couldn’t do any of this without you. Hope to see you out at the events!

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments