The author and two of her heart horses on her journey to the eventing world. Photos courtesy of Mary Shelley-Snell.
I’ve spent much of my life as a ‘horse girl’ jumping in two-feet-first as a working student in hunter / jumper land. I was the kid with hay in my hair, probably soaked from bathing someone’s horse and yeah, that might be manure under my fingernails. Despite my love for horses, several years ago I started to feel disenchanted with the industry. It wasn’t until I began following a few three-day event riders on Instagram that I realized it might be time to try out a different sport within the horse world to reignite my passion for riding.
Although I had never felt brave (or maybe wild!) enough for eventing, the urge to give it a try took hold. After studying the sport further, I realized that eventing isn’t just about bravery; it’s about becoming a more well-rounded horse person within a vibrant and supportive community.
So here I am, having spent a year taking dressage lessons and now daydreaming of my first event. There’s so much to learn, and knowing where to start can be overwhelming. We’re lucky to have so much information at the tips of our fingers! Here are a few of the resources I have found helpful:
Podcasts
Online Education
Books
- In the Middle Are the Horsemen by Tik Maynard
- Centered Riding by Sally Swift
- How Good Riders Get Good by Denny Emerson
Now that I’m preparing for my first event, I’ve started searching for clinics, schooling shows, and opportunities to gain off-the-farm experience. My go-to for finding riding opportunities is Blue Horse Entries. It can be a hassle to sign up for shows and clinics – especially when you are new to the sport.
Blue Horse Entries makes it easy to search by location, discipline, and other filters to find affordable, local options that fit your goals. The platform walks you through the entry process online to ensure all your information and payments are correct. Once you’ve added horse and rider information to your account, it autofills the entry information and displays notifications for expired documents, saving time and providing peace of mind.
One of my favorite aspects of Blue Horse Entries is the ability to save clinics and shows I’m interested in. I’ve started adding upcoming clinics and competitions to my profile so I won’t miss a deadline — I’m already planning a trip to Kentucky for a schooling show thanks to Blue Horse (shh, don’t tell my husband)!
Our journeys as equestrians are rarely linear, so whether you are new to the sport, or looking to reignite your love for riding, I hope you’ll find these tools helpful and encouraging. And if you see this ex-hunter princess in the warm-up ring, come say hi. Maybe you can help me learn what a stock tie is and how to meet optimum time for cross-country without falling off!
