Sixteen-year-old Mikaela has been spending her summer as a working student for Jan Byyny at Surefire Farm. This week, she is grooming for the Area II Young Rider Team. Good luck to Area II and thanks to Mikaela for writing. If you have something to share with EN, send it to [email protected]. Thanks for reading!
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From Mikaela:
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This year I am grooming for Area 2, which has eight competitors running this weekend. I am so excited to be given this opportunity. We have such a great group of riders this year, they all were so welcoming even though I was not able to be at YR Camp because of my duties at Surefire. I am so lucky to be helping this group and I am looking forward to having a blast in Kentucky!
Day one mostly involved driving to the Kentucky Horse Park. I was fortunate to travel with my good friend and Area IX competitor Jacqueline Larouche and her wonderful horse the Gingerbread Man. We pulled out of Allison Springer’s farm at around 6:45, though the riders from Area 2 left camp in Southern Pines at 4am and arrived before us. I had been keeping up with Woodge Fulton through camp and had been hearing really good things. Everyone on the team who I had met prior was super nice and I was excited to meet the rest of the girls. Area 2 always has an amazing team atmosphere and it’s so nice to be a part of an awesome group. All the girls and Connor had arrived before me and already unpacked and had just started to set up camp so I got there just in time to help set up the valences and make it cool, Area 2-style. I still can’t get over how nice everyone is and they are all so inviting.
The fun starts with in barns and opening ceremonies. Tuesday involved lessons and in-barns for the most part as well as barns lock down, which means non-credentialed people cannot get in. All the horses looked great in their lessons and ready to go down the centerline Thursday. Jogs are Wednesday after ring familiarization in the AM so the pace of things will pick up quickly. The opening ceremonies were lots of fun getting to watch everyone parade in followed by an amazing party at Spy Coast Farm. The farm is AMAZING and so beautiful. Area 2 looked mighty fine I must say and our golf cart was spectacular!!!! It was decked out in pink for the cause and we are very proud of it!! Our team motto is Save Them All Big Or Small for breast cancer this year. We even have a unicorn and anyone who tries to take her watch out!!!
Until next time Save the Ta-Ta’s, Go Area 2 and Go Eventing!!!!
