We hear all the time about horses at the top of the sport, but what about the next generation of equine talent? EN’s Got Talent introduces the future superstars of the sport, interviewing riders about how they’re tackling training with these youngsters. Have you spotted a spectacular young horse at an event you think should be highlighted in this column? Tip me at [email protected].

Courtney and R Star in her second event at Paradise Farm. Photo by Mark Lehner.

I love writing about homebreds. It’s so much fun to hear the back story about the parents, the early years and, of course, see the adorable baby pictures. Courtney Cooper spoke to me this week about R Star — not to be confused with Kristi Nunnink’s gorgeous grey mare — a 7-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare who holds the honors as the third oldest homebred in her breeding program.

“Hope” is out of Courtney’s foundation broodmare Heavenly Star, who is sired by I’m A Star, the elite eventing Thoroughbred stallion who also sired Mary King’s Star Appeal. Courtney competed Heavenly Star through preliminary before the mare suffered a career-ending injury and was retired to brood. Heavenly Star also has Clover Hill and Chou Chin Chow bloodlines through her dam line.

Heavenly Star also sired Courtney’s upper-level partner Who’s A Star, who most recently finished third in the Jersey Fresh CCI3* in May. And Hope’s bloodlines are equally exciting on her father’s side, as she’s by R. Johnson, a Dutch Warmblood stallion whose sire, G. Ramiro Z, has produced many excellent sport horses. His daughter, Ratina Z, was a gold medallist in show jumping at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.

In short, Hope was bred to be a superstar, and she stole a lot of hearts as a baby. “She was just wonderful as a baby and very easy to work with,” Courtney said. “My husband Neal, who is an amateur, rode her as a 2-year-old, and she just always had a wonderful disposition and was so sweet.”

R Star with her dam, Heavenly Star. Photo courtesy of Courtney.

Courtney started Hope after the mare turned 2, and she was lightly worked through her 3-year-old year. “We breed our foals when they turn 3 so we can get a sense of what they will put on the ground, so she had a foal as a 4-year-old,” Courtney said. Hope’s daughter, Count R Lucky Stars, is by the Holsteiner stallion Linaro. After taking her 4-year-old year off to have the foal, Hope went to Aiken in the spring of 2011 to start her eventing career as a 5-year-old.

“She was a little bit tough in the dressage, which is funny because she’s quite fancy,” Courtney said. “She just didn’t know where to put all of her body parts. She was extravagant and couldn’t find the connection. If you look at her record, her first dressage score was a 44.8 in novice.”

Six months later, Hope’s dressage scores were down in the 20s, and she’d finally begun to understand the little white box. Hope steadily cruised through training level and had just moved up to preliminary when Courtney fell and suffered an injury in June 2012. “She had done six preliminaries and placed second three times,” Courtney said.

“When I got hurt, I kicked her out in a field because I didn’t want anyone else to compete her. We brought her back that fall and she would have these moments where all of a sudden she would go 4/5 lame and then the next day she would be fine. One time it happened at the walk, another time it was when she came in from the field, and a third time was when I had just started riding her again and had jumped her. I went to brush her after the ride and she was quite lame again. Nobody could figure it out.”

Next week on EN’s Got Talent: I’ll reveal the mysterious source of Hope’s lameness and how Courtney was able to diagnose the problem. We’ll also learn more about the “Star” family behind Courtney’s breeding program, as well as what it’s like to train a horse you’ve raised since birth.

“I’ve had some difficulty making the time with her on cross country, through through no fault of her own,” Courtney said. “It’s more my problem because I don’t always want to press her. It’s hard when you have horses you breed yourself and bring along. At some point, they go from being your baby to being your performance horse, and it’s hard to make that switch and know when to push.”

Lynn Symansky and Donner received a Jacqueline B. Mars Competition and Training Grant to compete at Pau this fall. Photo by Jenni Autry.

The USEF announced the recipients of the Jacqueline B. Mars Competition and Training Grants and the USEF Land Rover Competition Grants last night. As we expected, a large contingent of U.S. riders will be crossing the pond this fall to compete at Blenheim, Boekelo and Pau. In total, three pairs will compete at Blenheim, five pairs will compete at Boekelo and eight pairs will compete at Pau. Samantha will be on the ground at Blenheim, and I’ll be your boots on the ground at Boekelo and Pau, so you can expect full coverage of our U.S. contingent at these all-important fall outings. Get excited!

From the USEF:

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and United States Equestrian Team Foundation (USET) are pleased to announce eventing competition grants for European competition in the fall of 2013. All grants were awarded based on an application process.

Jacqueline B. Mars Competition and Training Grants

The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that the Jacqueline B. Mars Competition and Training Grants have been awarded to Meghan O’Donoghue and Lynn Symansky; eventing riders who have been identified and recommended by the USEF Eventing Selectors, with impressive records and potential to represent the United States in future international competition. O’Donoghue (Carbondale, IL) will compete her own 2002 Thoroughbred gelding Pirate at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3*. Symansky (Middleburg, VA) will compete her own 2003 Thoroughbred gelding Donner at the Les Estoiles De Pau CCI4*.

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation (www.uset.org) is the non-profit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international, high-performance horses and athletes in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.

USEF Land Rover Competition Grants

The USEF has awarded USEF Land Rover Competition Grants to the following horse-and-rider combinations. Grant recipients will compete at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3*, Military Boekelo CCI4*and the Les Estoiles De Pau CCI4*.

Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* 

The following horse-and-rider combinations have been awarded Land Rover Competition Grants to compete at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3*, September 12-15, 2013 in Woodstock, England.

Clark Montgomery (Wiltshire, UK) and Jessica Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and William Becker’s Loughan Glen
Loughan Glen is a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding

Sharon White (Summit Point, WV) and her own Wundermaske
Wundermaske is a 2003 Hanoverian/Thoroughbred gelding

Learn more about the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* here.

Military Boekelo CCIO3*

The following horse-and-rider combinations have been awarded Land Rover Competition Grants to compete at the Military Boekelo CCIO3*, October 10-13, 2013 in Boekelo, The Netherlands.

Will Coleman (Charlottesville, VA) and Four Star Eventing Group’s OBOS O’Reilly
OBOS O’Reilly is a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding

Buck Davidson (Ocala, FL) and Debbie Adams’ DA Adirmo
DA Adirmo is a 2005 KWPN gelding

Lauren Kieffer (Middleburg, VA) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica
Veronica is 2002 Dutch Warmblood mare

Boyd Martin (Cochranville, PA) and Trading Aces, LLC’s Trading Aces
Trading Aces is a 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding

Caitlin Silliman (Chestertown, MD) and her own Catch A Star
Catch A Star is a 2000 Holsteiner/Thoroughbred mare

Learn more about the Military Boekelo CCIO3* here.

Les Etoiles De Pau CCI4*

The following horse-and-rider combinations have been awarded Land Rover Competition Grants to compete at the Les Etoiles De Pau CCI4*, October 23-27, 2013 in Pau, France.

Will Faudree (Hoffman, NC) and Jennifer Mosing’s Andromaque
Andromaque is a 2001 Irish Thoroughbred mare

Kristi Nunnink (Auburn, CA) and her own R-Star
R-Star is a 2001 Holsteiner mare

Marilyn Little (Frederick, MD) and Raylyn Farms and Team Demeter’s RF Demeter
RF Demeter is a 2002 Oldenburg mare

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) and the Mr. Medicott Syndicate’s Mr. Medicott
Mr. Medicott is a 1999 Irish Sport Horse

Clark Montgomery (Wiltshire, UK) and Jessica Montgomery, Carole Montgomery, Janet Higgins, and Elizabeth Smith’s Universe
Universe is a 2001 Dutch Warmblood gelding

Hannah Sue Burnett (The Plains, VA) and Jacqueline Mars’ Harbour Pilot
Harbour Pilot is a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding

Michael Pollard (Dalton, GA) and Carl Bouckaert’s Mensa G
Mensa G is a 1998 Thoroughbred gelding

Learn more about the Les Estoiles De Pau CCI4* here.

EN Blogger Contest finalist Sally Spickard send in this beautiful tribute piece to Zeppo, an OTTB who tragically passed away this week at just 12 years of age. We’ve all experienced equine loss in one way or another. Even if our own horses haven’t yet passed away, we know a barn friend who has faced the death of their partner and friend. Rest in peace, Zeppo.

Makenna and Zeppo enjoying a few moments of relaxation at a recent jumper show. Photo credit to CJM Photo.

From Sally:

It is days like today that make us glaringly and acutely aware of what we have and how fragile it is. A good friend of mine, Makenna, received a phone call from her barn owner, who said her OTTB partner of 4 1/2 years to the day, Zeppo, had appeared to have gotten cast the night before. He was a little banged up, so Makenna cleared her day and drove to the barn, only to find that her horse of a lifetime was down in his stall having convulsions. He stopped thrashing after a few minutes, and she was able to get into his stall and hold his head as he took his last breaths.

It is her belief that he held on long enough to say goodbye to her, and at the happy and healthy age of 12, Zeppo passed away in Makenna’s arms. My heart is breaking as I write this piece knowing that there are no words, no condolences, no thoughts or prayers that will be able to bring back Makenna’s best friend. I think of the horses that we as an equestrian family have lost, and I know that we all wish that we could bring them back to us. We are all too often reminded that life is too short and that we are never afforded enough time with the ones we love. For all of the horses we have had to say goodbye to before we were ready, this piece is to serve as a humble tribute.

It’s not often that you find someone who understands the bonds we share with our horses. If I had a dime for every time someone raised their eyebrows and immediately moved me into their “not quite right friend” category whenever I tell them that horses mean the world to me, I would be filthy rich. It’s not something that is easy to understand when you are not a part of this world. They don’t wake up at 4 a.m. on the day of a show, riddled with anticipation and nerves at the prospect of competition. They don’t feel the weight of the world lift from their shoulders when they set foot in the barn and hear the quiet breaths and inhale the comfort of hay and leather. They don’t feel  a rush of pure happiness when they put their left foot in the stirrup. They don’t comprehend the unadulterated love and joy that comes from seeing your horse prick his ears and nicker in your direction when he sees you coming. And they most definitely don’t understand the earth shattering, heartbreaking feeling that comes when you must say goodbye to one of the only things that keeps you sane and makes you feel whole.

In our world, we understand these feelings. We know how surreal of a feeling it is to forge a partnership with a living, breathing creature and cultivate that partnership into a lasting bond of trust and friendship. We have all held our breath in anticipation while watching these partnerships in action, watching the ears swivel back in concentration before the next jump and seeing the smiles of complete satisfaction and the floppy ears after a stellar dressage test. We have seen these partnerships galloping home at Rolex, fists pumped in the air in triumph and ears pricked forward and ready for more.

Today, I would like to take a moment to memorialize the horses we have lost. I know that they say time heals everything, but our horses leave us with lasting memories and feelings that will never fade. Take a moment to be grateful for what we have, as life fails to make sense sometimes, and sometimes all the love we have is not enough. Our lives have all been touched in some way by a horse, and it is worth remembering that without our companions, we are limited to only our own earthbound feet. Rest in peace, Zeppo, and may we never forget the others we’ve lost along the way.

Rick Wallace during his Skype interview on CNN.

I think we can officially say Rick Wallace is making the rounds on all the news channels. CNN interviewed him on Wednesday about the viral video of his show jumping round at Chatt Hills, and the interview ran during “The Situation Room” with Wolf Blitzer. Now Fox News will air the video at 5:55 p.m. EST tonight to close out the national 5 p.m. news hour. According to Rick, Dana Perino, a Fox News political commentator, loves the video, which now has more than 255,000 views on YouTube. Be sure to tune in to Fox News at 5:55 p.m. tonight to see Rick’s interview. What’s next — the daytime talk show circuit? Go eventing.

We receive wonderful stories and photos in the Eventing Nation inbox each week. This week’s roundup features snapshots from NAJYRC, a video of a 9-year-old girl enjoying her first cross-country school, photos from Roebke’s Run and an idyllic place called Dennyville. Have a photo you’d like to submit to EN? Send it to [email protected].

Marissa Ashton at NAJYRC

From Mikki Kuchta: “Area I CCI* eventing competitors Marissa Ashton and Isabella Carrara both rode the bull Tuesday night at the opening party at NAJYRC. They have teamed up with Area IV for the team competition.”

Isabelle Carrara

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From Laura Rencher: “This is my 9-year-old daughter, Isabelle Smith, on her first cross-country schooling with her trainer, Candee Niss, at Poplar Place. I think her delight describes how much fun cross country is! She showed successfully in her first three phase the next day at Poplar Place. Be sure to turn the volume up for best viewing!”

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Photo by Derith Vogt, D&G Photography

From Pat Schmidt: “It takes a lot of talented and hardworking people to put on a successful horse trial. A few of the riders and volunteers pictured here received Roebke’s Run caps and made up that contingent during the Roebke’s Run summer horse trials held in Hector, Minn. A total of 153 riders competed in the two-day event held July 13 and 14. Roebke’s Run will be hosting its first FEI One Star trials the first week in October on its newly designed cross-country course.”

Photo by Derith Vogt, D&G Photography

“At the conclusion of the summer horse trials held at Roebke’s Run on Sunday, July 14, winners of the MSHEA in their respective divisions were awarded medals/ribbons. They include, from left, Annika Markovich, Emily Shirley, Gabi Geraci, Paradis Vandeputte, Mia Geraci, Gen Faith, Catharina Ardankani, Olivia Shirley, Sam Kelly, Tessa Doubek and Shannon Schlee.”

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From Steve Joyce: “On the way to ‘Dennyville’ … where all riders have an independent seat, know their mounts pedigree and muck 20 stalls a day! (Apologies to those above average folks from Lake Wobegon.)”

Tamie Smith sent in this lovely tribute piece to her working student Ashlynn Meuchel, who is competing in her first NAJYRC this week at the Kentucky Horse Park. Ashlynn believed in her horse Tyson when no one else did, and now they are representing their area on the biggest stage in America. Best of luck to Ashlynn and Tyson!

Ashlynn and Tyson at Herron Park. Photo by Hope Carlin.

From Tamie:

Boy how time flies! It seems like yesterday that I was nervous and unable to sleep wondering if I would make my area’s Young Rider team, and now I’m headed off to Kentucky to coach Ashlynn Meuchel from Area VII at her first NAYRC. It’s such a great time in life watching and mentoring these kids. For some, this might be their career highlight, and for others, just a stepping stone of riding accomplishments. It is the start to having our youth “think” and “dream” big!

I met Ashlynn a few years ago when she and her father drove down from Washington State determined to find the next “superstar” for her to pursue her upper-level riding career. They rode several horses at different farms in the area but would decide on the purchase of a talented and quirky Irish horse by the name of Morning Star, or “Tyson.” I was a bit skeptical of the partnership, as Tyson had a shady past — one that some would easily compare to the fighter Mike Tyson, and we cautiously joked about this several times. A common criminal with a lot of talent. But something happened between a girl and her horse.

Tyson hadn’t quite found what made him happy before he met Ashlynn. In fact, his current owner and I conferred that a lengthy trial period to determine if the horse was suitable was required. Several wonderful riders would see the talent he exuded; however, his personality would just deter them from pursuing a career with him — until Ashlynn. I would describe Ashlynn as a mellow, witty, intelligent girl who has a very natural gift of riding — a bit of a tomboy, but a “girl” when you get to know her. She loves her family, her friends and animals, and is strong minded. Secretly she is stubborn, which makes her a fierce competitor, and she will be able to pursue whatever her heart desires. Whatever Ashlynn decides to do, she will be great at it.

Ashlynn has reluctantly been separated from her family at age 18 to become a working student for me the last five months in preparation for the biggest competition of her life — North American Young Rider Championships! She has ridden several horses a day, worked endless hours and all with a smile; whether it was fabricated or real, she was taught well by her parents to grin and bare it. Having multiple lessons a day and riding hours without stirrups, Ashlynn rarely complained even when she was at her all time low of home sick.

She learned to be more attentive about turning out horses, the care and first aid that is required on a farm of 30-plus horses and to treat ever horse as if it were her own. She learned how to get her horse fit for a three day; to successfully compete at the intermediate level; and improve on her seat and technique in dressage, cross country and show jumping. From saddle fitting, when to ice, building a nutritional program to treating scratches, Ashlynn will take home with her an experience that has helped shape her riding career.

I’m not certain if the sweet marshmallow (Tyson) will show up to Young Riders and cooperate with Ashlynn’s desires. He just might be the gangster we’ve seen him be in the past; but what I do know is Ashlynn deserves a huge congratulations for preparing herself and her horse to the best of her ability. She took a tough horse and learned to ride him. She has sacrificed being away from home and missing some of her senior year activities to commit herself to her championship. It’s a rare trait to find in our youth these days the commitment and dedication it takes to be the best, and I just wanted to share with the rest of the world that there are riders out there who still have that “true grit” — as Denny Emerson would say — and dedication it takes to compete and be great.

So whatever the outcome of Ashlynn’s first North American Young Rider Championships, she has prepared the best she can. She’s a fierce competitor, and now it’s all up to the criminal or the marshmallow and that thing called luck to how it all turns out. Regardless, Ashlynn has already won in my eyes!

I actually managed to stump most of you know-it-alls with my first clue this month, but you were all hot on my trail as soon as I posted the second clue. In all, 87 of you correctly guessed the Piper Knee Patch Breeches by SmartPak as this month’s SmartPak Mystery Product. I used random.org to determine the winner, and Kerstin Dickerson is the lucky winner of the breeches!

The Piper Knee Patch Breeches from SmartPak are too fun to buy just one! In addition to durable materials and fantastic fit, the Piper Knee Patch Breeches by SmartPak come in a variety of fun colors with all the fashionable details you’vebeen looking for in a pair of schooling breeches.

• Comfortable, soft and flattering fabric mix (63% polyester, 32% viscose, 5% spandex) performs well in the saddle and has great long term shape retention
• Contoured 2″ wide waistband helps eliminate gapping
• Stylish low rise cut gives you the modern look you crave
• Ergonomic shaped panel at the calf eliminates bulky velcro and annoying seams for a streamlined fit
• Stretch synthetic knee patch fabric offers fantastic grip and great durability
• Contrast stitching and pocket trim on front pockets add some fun flair to your riding ensemble
• Fashionable Euro seat and front zip

It’s time once again to play SmartPak Mystery Product, the monthly feature here on EN that sends you on a scavenger hunt through the SmartPak website. SmartPak has generously donated a variety of fantastic prizes that one EN reader will be lucky enough to take home each month. Here’s how SmartPak Mystery Product works: Keep checking back on this post throughout the week — we’ll bump it up each day — for additional clues that will lead you closer to guessing the product. Once you think you’ve discovered the SmartPak Mystery Product, email [email protected] with a link to the product. Everyone who correctly guesses the SmartPak Mystery Product will be entered to win it, and we’ll randomly draw a winner on Thursday morning. Only one guess per day, please!

Let’s play SmartPak Mystery Product! Here are your clues:

Clue #1: This product is perfect to wear whether you’re in the saddle or mucking stalls. Click here to search the SmartPak website.

Clue #2: This product has great shape retention and stylish contrast piping. Click here to search the SmartPak website.

Clue #3: This product comes in four colors and features a fashionable Euro seat. Click here to search the SmartPak website.

Think you’ve guessed the SmartPak Mystery Product? Email [email protected] with a link to the product. Still stumped? Check back tomorrow morning for the next clue.

Leah Lang-Gluscic and AP Prime. Photo by Conklin Photography.

Last week we met Leah Lang-Gluscic and AP Prime, an 8-year-old off-track Thoroughbred she campaigned from beginner novice through the CIC2* level in less than two years. While AP has soared through the levels, Leah is now taking a step back at the two-star level to address his dressage and show jumping. Like many off-track Thoroughbreds, AP struggles with remaining relaxed and fluid throughout his dressage tests, and Leah hopes to rebuild his muscle memory to help him handle those tense moments. “The flatwork has always been a little challenging,” Leah said. “He tries so hard that sometimes he gets a little bit tense and too inward. That’s been a struggle from the beginning. But it’s a matter of me becoming a sophisticated enough rider for him. He has the ability and the movement. In the beginning, getting him to relax over his topline and really use himself was always a challenge, and now it’s getting him to relax in the ring.”

Leah trains for dressage with Kathryn Barry, who in turn trains with Olympic bronze medalist Christine Traurig. Kathryn’s training philosophy and focus on helping AP stay relaxed has helped immensely, Leah said. “My weakness is keeping my horses supple enough, so at home I’m trying to be diligent about that,” Leah said. “Kathryn really stays on top of me about that and understands AP and how sensitive he is. It’s really a matter of being disciplined about what AP needs at home.” To give herself as many opportunities as possible to work on AP’s relaxation in the ring, Leah is hauling to schooling shows this summer to ride her two-star test hors concours in front of different judges. “We’ve been working on dressage all summer and getting him in a lot of different rings for practice,” Leah said. “The collection has come a long way even since this spring.”

Leah and AP Prime at Red Hills. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

While AP hasn’t had a cross-country jump penalty since Richland last year, the show jumping at the intermediate level continues to present challenges, and they’re struggling to leave all the poles in the cups. But, as with the dressage, Leah knows exactly what she needs to do to keep fine-tuning their show jumping as a team. “I’m always working on classical equitation and being correct in my jumping position,” Leah said. “If I do that, he’s brilliant. He jumps once a week or once every two weeks depending on our competition schedule. I’ll set up exercises to keep him tuned up and sharp, but the big thing with him is staying in really correct classical equitation. If I focus on that and just ride the gaits to the jump instead of trying to pick a distance, he’s so good.”

With her summer homework in mind, Leah is diligently preparing for Fair Hill. “Right now, I’m just really focused on fall,” Leah said. “He’ll do the two-star at Richland and one or two more horse trials, and then the Fair Hill CCI2*.” Leah hopes to move AP up to Advanced in January at Rocking Horse. Then she’ll tackle the CIC3* at Red Hills, hit a CCI at either Jersey Fresh or Bromont, and then aim for the Fair Hill CCI3* in the fall of 2014. “Rolex in 2015 would be amazing, but who knows,” Leah said. “That’s the perfect world plan. He definitely has the ability. It will just come down to soundness and everything working out. The goal is always to get to that level no matter when it happens and to be as competitive as possible when we do.”

Editor’s note: Leah wanted to give a shoutout to EN’s sponsors Omega Alpha and FLAIR Nasal Strips, as both of these companies help keep AP in top form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3SCKWmlLPQ
Leah and AP Prime going intermediate at Richland 

Next week on EN’s Got Talent: We’ll meet Courtney Cooper and R Star, a 7-year-old homebred Irish Sport Horse mare owned by Courtney and Neal Camens, her husband. A half-brother to Courtney’s Who’s A Star, who was third in the Jersey Fresh CCI3* in May, this exciting mare was ready to move up to intermediate before having an unexpected surgery last winter. Courtney is now moving “Hope” back to that point, and they most recently won their preliminary division at the Horse Park of New Jersey last month. Hope is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion R. Johnson, whose sire G. Ramiro Z has produced many successful horses,  including show jumper Ratina Z, gold medalist in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. Thanks to Margaret Rizzo McKelvy for the tip!

Boyd Martin and Trading Aces at The Fork. Photo by Jenni Autry.

You can’t keep an Aussie down for long. Boyd Martin competed at his first event last weekend since undergoing ankle surgery in May; he eased back into things with just one preliminary ride on New Cadet at the Maryland Horse Trials. After falling off a scooter at the competitor’s party at Southern Pines in March and then falling off Crackerjack before show jumping the next morning, Boyd tore six tendons and ligaments in his right ankle. Surgeons at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del., repaired the ankle on May 1 following Rolex — Boyd’s last event before surrendering to time out of the saddle to heal — and captured the surgery via iPhone photos for Boyd’s blog. (Warning: The photos are graphic!).

“I didn’t expect to be back quite this quickly,” Boyd said. “The doctor said at best I could be back for Millbrook at the beginning of August, so this was three weeks ahead of schedule. The ankle is not quite 100 percent yet. It’s good enough to bomb around in prelim with my stirrups about fives holes to long. My ankle doesn’t have the full mobility like the other, but I’m going to a physical therapist three times a week. He said the stretch is pretty much fully healed at about 97 percent. The ankle is stiff and sore, but the physical therapist doesn’t believe I’ll re-tear anything. As long as it’s not in agonizing pain, he doesn’t think I’ll do any damage.”

It’s the same optimistic attitude you’d expect from someone who’s undergone six previous surgeries. “I’ve been through the mill a lot over the years,” Boyd said. “You adapt and do the best you can with what you’ve got. It’s very frustrating being injured because you never feel like you’re going to come back to the level you were riding at before you got hurt. I broke my knee in nine places in 2003, and I went through the same thing. Now you wouldn’t even know me knee was ever injured. By September, I’ll probably be as good as ever.”

Part of Boyd’s motivation for getting back into the saddle ahead of schedule is to get on all of his Advanced horses before Millbrook to make sure everyone is ready to go. Trading Aces will be making an appearance, and we might also be seeing Crackerjack, Master Frisky and Pancho Villa. “I’ve had a couple injuries this year and the horses have had a couple injuries, so I’m trying to customize each horse’s schedule to get them qualified and firing for when it counts next year,” Boyd said.

Of course, he’s referring to being selected for the 2014 World Equestrian Games team in Normandy. And while his two top Advanced horses Neville Bardos and Otis Barbotiere have been out of competition this year, all signs point to both horses making a successful comeback next season. “Otis is in more work than Neville right now, who is sort of half in work,” Boyd said. “What I don’t want to do is set too many short- or long-term goals. My commitment is to have the soundest horses and have them as sound as they’ve even been. If you start standing your ground to go for something like Pau, you’re going to patch them up to get there.”

Neville will be back into full work by November with plans to aim for a spring three-day. Otis will tackle Fair Hill or Galway Downs, although he could end up competing at neither. “Unfortunately, I missed all the spring three-days with this ankle, so I’ve got a bunch of two-star, three-star and four-star horses that need a start,” Boyd said. He’s considering taking Trading Aces and Crackerjack to Boekelo; if not, they’ll do Fair Hill. And he also has Pancho Villa, Steady Eddie and New Cadet to worry about. It’s going to be a busy fall and spring for Boyd as he looks to play catch up.

While taking so much time off has derailed his summer and fall schedules, Boyd is maintaining a healthy perspective on the down time. “To be honest, in a strange way I’ve enjoyed it a bit,” Boyd said. “The last couple of years have been frantic, and I’ve had a pretty good run too. With everything well in place with Neville and Remi and Otis, we came out guns blazing. This year from the moment I got knocked unconscious while cross-country schooling in February, everything has gone from bad to worse. It’s forced me to take a step back and chill a bit, which has been good for re-evaluating all the horses and the training.”

Boyd has also enjoyed the opportunity to devote more time to the students in his program, as well as focus on the quality of training for his own horses. “Competing every weekend or even twice a week on horse after horse turns you into a bit of a racehorse jockey,” Boyd said. “In the last couple of months, I’ve never put so much of an emphases on the quality of training and really spending the time necessary to school the horse. I’m sort of reinventing the way I approach things. It’s frustrating as hell, but in a weird way, I haven’t taken a day off.”

With his ankle on the mend and a talented string of Advanced horses raring to go, Boyd is ready to put a tough 2013 behind him and focus on doing everything he can to qualify for the WEG team next year. “I’m lucky in that I’ve got a couple seasoned campaigners and then some very exciting young horses that will bring it,” Boyd said. “I’m pretty fired up. Often when you see an athlete have an injury, they actually come back stronger, more motivated and more inspired. I’m eager to return to where I was at this time last year.” Boyd would also like to notify the organizers of Southern Pines that he will not be attending the competitor’s party on a scooter next year. Go Boyd.

Sally Spickard is another of our awesome Blogger Contest finalists who will be contributing regularly to EN. After she submitted an epic list of the Top 10 Reasons PETA is Barking Up the Wrong Tree for the contest, I encouraged her to keep up the top-10 list tradition. Here’s her first installment as an official EN blogger.

One of the many reasons eventers do it better: tailgating!

Sally Spickard is 27 years old from St. Louis, Mo. She currently spends her free time stalking Eventing Nation for the latest Cooley Cross Border news (have you SEEN that horse yet?) and writing for We Are Cardinal Nation, a St. Louis Cardinals sports blog.

Hello Eventing Nation! Well, after the grueling journey that was the 2013 Blogger Contest, the resident chinchillas graciously asked me to contribute to EN on a regular basis after I threatened to expose the treacherous hazing traditions involving air vest canisters and lighters! I am back with a new Top 10 list this week; I know for a fact that the list could go on and on indefinitely, but I have compiled what I feel to be the most persuasive list of reasons why eventers are, on all accounts, the best there is. Without further ado…

1. Trotting/Cantering/Galloping/Falling Downhill

We all know that an integral part of being an event rider is being able to ride on terrain. I remember being petrified beyond belief at the thought of trotting my little 15-hand Connemara cross downhill at Queeny Park when I was a wee one. OK, I was 15, say something! I think it says a lot that we are able to fearlessly gallop up and down hills, across ditches and through water just to cross that finish line in optimum time. Plus, you’ve never really lived until you’ve successful lawn darted yourself into the side of a steep hill while your trusty steed gleefully runs off to find the greener grass at the bottom.

2. Jack of All Trades Syndrome

It is really an undervalued skill to know how best to complete dressage worthy braids, pick the correct set of studs out and apply them in 10 minutes or less, and somehow keep your focus on tap long enough to be able to memorize a tricky stadium course over the course of two or three days. Eventers are world class multitaskers, and that is evident every time you see us wrestling two different saddles and a matching saddle pad and outfit for each one out of a compact car at each event.

3. Speaking of Jack of All Trades, we also help keep trainers from multiple disciplines in business.

At one point in time, I had 3 coaches — one for my college team, a jumping instructor and a dressage instructor. I am sure I could take a poll and find that many of us have had multiple trainers at one point in our eventing lives. It gets addicting, really, to want to learn and train with the best, and since we have three different phases to require coaching for, the sport really lends itself well to those who have an extreme thirst for knowledge.

4. Our ability to condense all of our medical information onto one 3×4-sized piece of paper.

I mean, I’m talking primary care doctors, secondary care doctors, optometrists, dentists, psychics and hypnotists. All so I can keep it strapped to my arm at all times just in case my pre-competition Xanax wears off. Wait, that’s not what those are for? I always just thought it was a pharmaceutical speed dial form; I added a liquor store that delivers to mine just in case of emergency.

5. We are excellent color coordinators.

Move over, Martha Stewart; we can give your color matching skills a run for their money. I know more than a few eventers who will make several calls to SmartPark’s customer service just to ensure that Midnight Blue is in fact the correct shade of navy-but-not-too-navy that will match the rest of Max’s gear. It’s a sickness, really — the color scheme game. I’ve tried to stay easy with navy blue and white, but you really wouldn’t believe how many shades of “navy” there are. Ok, that call to SmartPak was made by me, but the saddle pad REALLY needed to match the ear bonnet. You understand, right?

6. Eventers have a special camaraderie that does not seem to exist in other disciplines.

If you take a stroll through a stable row at an event, you’ll see a culture that is distinctly noticeable in every part of the eventing world. Everywhere you look, there are people lending a hand, giving a leg up, loaning equipment or just sharing a story about the particularly scary trakehner on course that day. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s probably just because we are all crazy and crazy loves company, but hey, we have fun, and that’s the most important part.

7. We have Boyd Martin.

I really should have put this one at number one because really, what better reason is there to take up the sport?

8. We are 100 percent supportive if you want to tailgate at one of our events.

I mean, what better way to show your support for your barn or rider of choice than to bring a chair or pop the tailgate down, crack open a cold adult beverage, and scream and cheer obnoxiously loud when your rider successfully navigates the water complex? Chinchilla studies have shown that tailgating exponentially increases the effectiveness of your cheers of encouragement, so it’s a scientific fact that tailgating should be supported and encouraged at every event.

9. We give a lot of OTTBs new leases on life.

CANTER is pinned to my homepage as one of my most visited websites, and I’m not even horse shopping at the moment! There are so many people and organizations that have helped Thoroughbreds find new jobs as eventers once their racing careers are over. What would we do without the likes of Courageous Comet out there to cheer on? I swear, if I had the means, you’d find me on the eventing edition of the show Hoarders before too long. I had 50-plus Grand Champions when I was a kid; don’t think I couldn’t do it. (Editor’s note: Who remembers Grand Champions?!? You know you hoarded them too!)

10. And finally, we eventers have created a culture in which anyone, rich or poor, big or small can participate.

The thing I have always loved the most about eventing is the grass roots element. I love that the sport is accessible to all levels and that the community as a whole seems to embrace the upper and lower levels as one and the same. I will likely never wear the red coat at the Olympics, but I have the opportunity to represent my area each year at championships, and that is a great feeling. Eventers know how to do it best, and while this list is mostly joking, the bottom line is that our relationship with our horses and each other is something that is irreplaceable — no matter your sport of choice.

Eventing 25/Developing Rider Katy Groesbeck sent in an excellent report from the USEF Eventing High Performance Training Sessions with David O’Connor held at Woodside last week. We really appreciate Katy including so much detail, especially about David’s tricky vertical exercise, which Katy explains through a diagram below. Go Katy, and go West Coast eventing.

David O'Connor works with Katy Groesbeck and Oz the Tin Man at Woodside.

This past weekend saw the latest installment of the West Coast USEF High Performance Training Sessions. In attendance was World Class pair Kristi Nunnink and R-Star, in addition to Eventing 25/Developing Riders Marc Grandia, Avery Klunick, Jordan Lindstedt, Zach Brandt and myself. We missed seeing Teresa Harcourt and Mackenna Shea this weekend, but we are sure they were at home working hard!

First of all, I want to start off by reminding everyone how incredibly fortunate we are as riders and auditors to have access to these training sessions. I was able to bring a second horse to school with David, and many others came from around the area to ride with him as well and benefit from his seemingly unlimited source of insight and experience. The fact that these training sessions are not only free to audit but also open to outside riders is something we should all be grateful for when we consider the fact that almost every other U.S. Olympic team severely restricts access to their training sessions and coaches. We are all blessed to get a sneak peek into the inner workings of what David has in store for Team USA.

This sense of community and public involvement is a major talking point for David. On Friday night, “we” — riders, coaches, spectators, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends and everyone else possibly involved with the sport – were invited to a wonderful dinner hosted by Victoria Klein. David spoke to us about his beginnings with the USET and how it takes a group of supporters and believers, how it takes a COUNTRY to get a rider to a podium. He inspired many of us with the question, “Four riders in this country will go to the Olympics. How many will be from this room?” He also spoke about his goal to improve the standard of riding in this country and make sure that riders are studying the craft of their sport; he feels that if we are focused on becoming great riders, we can then produce great horses. And as a rider, our jobs are to make average horses good, good horses great and great horses superstars. David definitely electrified the room with his passion and emotion.

David’s passion and commitment are also evident in his teaching. Those of us riding and watching and setting fences throughout the weekend would have been hard pressed to overlook the intensity of his desire to see us improve, learn and grow as riders. It was also rewarding to see him grin and nod his head every time he thought we “got it” or every time he recognized an improvement since the beginning of our training in January. I can’t tell you how great it is to hear him say, “Perfect!” or give you his simple thumbs up as he turns his head to the next rider in line. You really feel like you have accomplished something to get approval from DOC!

The lessons this weekend focused on fine-tuning our riding as many of us prepare to set out for Rebecca Farms, but David has a way of always bringing it back to the fundamentals, even as we polish our techniques. On Thursday we all worked on our dressage, but I don’t think a single one of us did any lateral work or practiced any test movements. We didn’t even have a dressage court ring set up. Instead we worked on the “tools” that we will need in the show ring — the subtle aids and lines of communication that will be necessary parts of every movement. With my horse — and many others — we worked on the transitions between working and collected and super-collected gaits and also the transitions between gaits.

David is adamant about looking for a change in the horse’s body or footsteps, and we are each striving to get our horses dialed in to the point that we can get a big change with little work from us. It should be as seamless as possible, and the horse should be waiting for the most subtle cues. Most of us also worked on straightness and getting the horse to take weight evenly on the hind end. It is common that horses will let their hips fall to the outside of the direction of travel, so we worked on moving the shoulders over so as to be farther outside than the haunches, and in this way encouraging the horse to take more weight more evenly behind. It was subtle to feel as a rider, but very clear to see when I watched other riders execute the same exercise.

David O'Connor's vertical exercise

Many of the Developing Riders were wary of David’s plans for us as we set up the fences for Day 2. One exercise included four verticals set parallel down the long side of the ring, side-by-side, 24 feet between each. As he introduced the exercise Friday morning, he said that we would eventually be jumping each, weaving down the line in four strides or less. My eyes were probably bulging when he said that. But as we progressed from jumping and turning over the first and third to jumping on a very open loop from one to the next to closing down the angle and jumping on a shallow serpentine over all four fences, it started to not only be possible but fun!

The horses started to hunt for the next fence and we started riding thinking about “next.” We had to not only think about the pace we needed to successfully execute each fence, but also the angle of the line and where we needed to be LANDING in order to negotiate all the fences. By the end of the ride, many of us were able to ride from vertical to vertical in THREE strides and the horses were eating it up. I will also say that this exercise improved the form of one of my horses, as he had to make a separate effort both front end and back to not clip the fence on such a drastic angle and be precise about his landing gear. He was very supple and careful by the conclusion of the exercise.

The precision of our landing/line and encouraging the horse to hunt for the next fence was the theme that carried over to Day 3, when we worked on cross country exercises. Some of us schooled on the cross country course at Woodside and some of us stayed in the ring, but, regardless, David was adamant that we think about landing in a specific spot — a circle on the back side of the fence about 1 meter in diameter. As we started to focus on that precision, we also became more aware of the things happening underneath of us, such as drifting left or drifting right, and only when we are aware of the problem can we fix it! It was an eye-opening reminder to be in the moment and aware, not just going from one fence to the next.

I personally feel that the most incredible part of participating in the training sessions has been watching the friendships develop between the riders and David and watching everyone give back as much as they are taking away. The barn aisle is full of shenanigans and jokes as we each tend to our horses, and there is plenty of teasing to go around as we all try with varying success to negotiate the exercises David sets for us. We are all also pretty comfortable teasing David about his Diet Coke addiction at this point. But beyond that, we are all also sharing in each other’s successes and stand behind each other 100 percent. And for every minute we spend getting instruction, we spend twice that long in the ring setting fences, raking the arena, and watching the other riders and horses go through the same series of struggles and victories as we all strive to improve and become better horsemen.

I know I speak on behalf of the Eventing 25/Developing Riders as well as World Class rider Kristi Nunnink when I say that we are ceaselessly appreciative of the opportunity we have been given to work with David at incredible facilities such as the Horse Park at Woodside, and we appreciate all of the hard work that goes into putting on these training sessions. David O’Connor and Joanie Morris put in looooooong days to see that we all improve and learn. We also owe a big thank you to the United States Equestrian Federation and all of its members for investing money in us as we pursue our dreams of excellence.