Classic Eventing Nation

We received three great stories over the weekend about the “r” Judge Training Program, Shepherd Ranch Horse Trials and PVDA Ride for Life Show. Many thanks to Eileen Kenney, Jen McFall and Beth Collier for sending in these photos. Have a photo you’d like to submit to EN? Send it to [email protected].

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Photo L to R: Eileen Kenney, Andrew Temkin, Panelists Sally Ike & Cindy De Porter, Julie Congleton, Janice Holmes, Lynn Coates-Holmes, and Joni Abney.

From Eileen Kenney:

Participants in the “r” Judge Training Program for Eventing Officials – B & C Jumping Training Program, taken today at the Fox River Valley Pony Club HT, CIC* and CCI* in Barrington, Ill. OUTSTANDING teaching and wealth of information through experience given by Panelists Sally Ike & Cindy DePorter. New officials coming through the program will be taking their final testing for their Judges Certification in September 2013, setting up the USEF/USEA with upcoming Judges and TD’s for our future sport.

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Taylor McFall at Shepherd Ranch.

From Jen McFall:

What a gem Shepherd Ranch is! Tucked away in the Santa Ynez Valley, surrounded by wineries, estates, and great shopping, there is something for everyone at this show. Our daughter, Taylor, was showered in fabulous prizes offered at this show. She finished sixth in her Open Intro class, she won the Legis Optimum Time Award, and also a championship ribbon for the highest placed Pony Club member, representing the Deer Creek Pony Club. I’m pretty sure she will walk back to this show if she has to! Thank you, Shepherd Ranch, for making her year!

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Dobbin and Corinne Ashton. Photo by Beth Collier.

From Beth Collier:

Former Advanced level eventer Dobbin and Corinne Ashton completed a Grand Prix Test scoring 56.48% in the FEI Test Of Choice Class and finished in 2nd place at the Potomac Valley Dressage Association Ride for Life Show yesterday in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. I award Corrine the “diamond dressage tiara” for doing an FEI test in a SNAFFLE bit!

EN reader Denya is back with multiple reports from recent clinics taught by Clayton Fredericks and Jessica Phoenix. Denya submitted one of our favorite clinic reports for 2012, and we’re excited that she’s back to share more from Canadian eventing. Her third and final report looks at a Canadian Young Riders clinic taught by Jessica Phoenix on June 1 and 2. [Denya’s 1st report] [Denya’s 2nd report] 

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Jessica Phoenix gives instructions for the bounce.

From Denya:

Nineteen Canadian Young Riders attended a two-day clinic on June 1 and 2 at Arthur Teteishi’s farm given by Jessica Phoenix, coach of the Young Riders, a very successful competitor and extremely articulate. I’d not had the opportunity to see her as a clinician, and she was excellent. Her groups were talented, brave and hardy given the heavy footing and demanding exercises on the cross-country day. What was particularly interesting — as I dashed back and forth in my trusty 4-wheel drive through the mud — between her clinic and Clayton’s was the similarity in the core messages, yet each had different phrasing and used varying exercises. So it was really novel to be following two clinics at once …

Day one was dressage, and it included a talk with Jacqueline Brooks, one of Canada’s top dressage riders and coach. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to day one, but the second day was cross country, and, of course, it was fun. Jessica was using bounces, working up to big bounces, to teach the core principles of cross-country jumping.

A two-part bounce was used to demonstrated the necessity of preparing the horse, finding your distance and allowing the horse to have the freedom of movement to act like a bungee cord through the bounce. In a perfect world, the rebalancing zone must not be too early — too far out and the horse will get fussy — nor too close — not enough time to adjust the distance to the fence smoothly — and the change between the gallop position and the position to rebalance the horse for the upcoming jump must be clear.

As all of us know from experience that if you get into a big bounce wrong, there is no time to recover, so it’s our job to get them into the right spot. Then it’s our job to free up their head and neck so they can use the whole scope of their body to do their job. On landing, GO! Don’t land in a heap!

Riding bounces poorly or overfacing a horse with bounces can harm their confidence, so keep the horse in front of your leg, balanced, compact and confident you are there for them. Quite independently, both Clayton and Jess agree on using the distance of 10 strides out, and Jess reiterated using the last three strides to “jump” — no more fussing. Jess stressed that when the jumps are bigger, it’s not more speed, but collection and impulsion for success. And commit commit commit to your line. Let them see the questions as clearly as possible, try not to surprise them, be clear where you want to go — they need time to think too. Never ever let the horse cross its line when refusing or in trouble … stay straight at the obstacle.

I asked if horses could see the angles on corners, and Jess replied that horses learn to see the flag. When she set an in-and-out of two verticals on a hard angle, the horses jumped them easily. They jumped the left end of the first and the right end of the second for two strides, and then switched to jump the right end of the first element (greater angle) and the left end of the second for three strides. We’re not talking small verticals either!

Perhaps one of the easiest lessons to understand was practice bounces on a hillside up, on a hillside down, on a side slope … don’t do all your work on even flat ground with great footing. Ride in the rain, the wind, the heat, the cold. Events seldom have perfect footing and perfect weather. But we can always hope … Go Canada! Go Eventing!

Capt. Mark Phillips sent a response to Eventing Nation yesterday addressing the Buschreiter.de editorial entitled “Good Time For A New Start” by Wolf-Deitrich Nar, which we posted Saturday morning on the blog. As we explained in that post, Buschreiter.de is a German eventing website that posted the opinion piece following the death of Emeric George’s mount P’tite Bomb at Luhmühlen. A tragic fall claimed the mare’s life at fence 12 on the cross-country course, which Mark designed. Click here to read the English translation of the Buschreiter.de editorial and here to read the editorial in German.

From Capt. Mark Phillips:

Dear Sirs:

I don’t do ‘social media’ or ‘chat rooms’ but I was shocked to be told about and then read that Eventing Nation had posted the piece by Wolf-Deitrich Nahr without any research into its authenticity.

Eventing Nation is not usually associated with such provocative and inflammatory journalism. I hope this is neither a change of direction for the website nor that it has a personal vendetta against myself.

The article posted on the German website Buschreiter.de had so many inaccuracies and fabrications that I feel compelled to put the record straight.

Firstly I have never spoken to Wolf-Deitrich and he has no idea of the sickening feeling a course designer has in their stomach when a horse or rider gets killed. He has no idea of the personal examination, sadness and remorse. A fatality always puts a dark cloud over a day and I can only assume that that sadness was mistakenly taken for a perceived ‘lack of compassion’.

Many weeks before the competition I went round the course with Rudiger Schwarz and the TD. We tuned the course, easier in some places, more difficult in others. It is totally untrue to say that those “discussions didn’t achieve any actual changes in course design”.

It is also totally untrue to say that there were no changes after the “FEI Official Course Walk”. Everything the Ground Jury and TD wanted adjusted was done and everything requested by Chef d’Equipe’s, Coaches and Riders was done. I hasten to say the lists were small, one item for the Ground Jury, one item for a ‘Chef’ and two extra warm up fences. The truth is that the courses received unprecedented acclaim from coaches, riders and the many FEI Officals present.

The first water, number 4, remains a mystery. Beforehand it was generally thought to be ‘innocuous’ and a warm up water fence for the questions to follow. How often it happens that there is trouble when fences don’t get the same respect as the more difficult combinations.

To say that “Luhmuhlen is an entertainment programme for ex-Royals in early retirement” is plain insulting and gives no credence to the extreme effort put in by the whole team, Organisers, TD, Officials, builders as well as coaches and riders.

The ‘art’ of designers to “incorporate all those expectations into a singular package” was put into practice in an exemplary way at Luhmuhlen, even if all would have wished for a different result.

The CIC3* was a true CIC3* with a little plus in it. I was sorry but I thought that was what was expected at one of the flagship German competitions. It will therefore continue that way unless the Organising Committee and German coaching regime asks for something different.

It is true that I was sad to see the old, with Steeplechase format, go but I as much as anyone understood the sports position with the IOC and the need for change. I have since worked harder than most to put constructive input into the rules and conditions of the modern sport.

I believe this is still a work in progress as we strive to get this more intense formula better.

To say that course design has anything to do with “nationalistic pride” is nothing but laughable. To even think it has anything to do with the demise or prowess of the British or German sport horse is simply a joke.

To say that the horse is being “relegated to (a piece) of sports equipment” only goes further to devalue the article as Wolf-Deitrich obviously has no conception of the extreme love, care and attention bestowed upon the sport horse and the love affair between horse and rider.

After eight years without serious incident at Luhmuhlen, the death of P’tite Bomb and the rotational fall of Nicola Wilson and Opposition Buzz over a fence they jumped successfully in 2011 has left a scar on me that I will carry for the rest of my life.

Suffice it to say that my love of the sport and my love of the horse are still as strong as ever and I will continue to work my hardest to use my 45 years of experience to promote the sport and its horses and riders in the best possible light.

The same cannot be said for Buschreiter.de and much of the mainstream media in Germany.

Regards,

Captain Mark Phillips

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UPDATE 7/4/13:

We have corrected several errors in the original translation.

The first translation of the article incorrectly translated the tense of a German sentence, implying that there was an official FEI course walk that recommended changes before the cross-country and that those changes were not implemented.  In fact, the German article actually claims that there was an official FEI course walk AFTER cross-country that questioned the course design in retrospect.  Captain Phillips clarifies that above.

Secondly, the first translation incorrectly translated the German article as saying that Captain Mark Phillips wants to “go back to the old format.”  The German article does not say this.  A more correct translation is that “Phillips belongs to the group of hardliners, who would be happy to turn back the clock.”  There is no direct mention of the old format.

All of the points that Captain Phillips addresses above were translated correctly the first time.

We apologize for the errors, click here for more information.  

The view down the famous Hickstead bank. Photo via twitter, @donaldjdonald

Good morning EN! With no major events over the weekend, I hope you all spent some time away from your computers and in the company of your equine friends. While we’re nearing the end of June, I fear we are also nearing the end of bearable weather at weekend events. I just sent in our entry for our first Training Level event. I’m still waiting for the, ‘are you sure?’ email from the organizers. It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago we were competing in a BN event after a five year hiatus from jumping. How time flies!

Weekend Results

Surefire HT

Encore HT: [Website] [Entry Status/Ride Times]

Fox River Valley Pony Club HT, CIC* and CCI*

Midsouth HT

Shepherd Ranch HT

Events Opening this Week:

Area VII Young Rider Benefit H.T. (Washington, A-7)  Hunters Run H.T. (Michigan, A-8) Otter Creek Summer H.T. (Wisconsin, A-4) Fair Hill International H.T.(Maryland, A-2)  The Summer Event at Woodside (California, A-6)  GMHA Festival of Eventing August Horse Trials (Vermont, A-1)  Colorado Horse Park One Day H.T.

Monday News:

Salperton Park in England hosted some of the top riders in the country over the weekend. Laura Collette and Rayef made their comeback after a disappointing withdrawal prior to Badminton, by winning an OI division. Mary King suffered a brutal fall with King’s Temptress, but luckily both of them seem to be doing well, with Mary being knocked unconscious, but reportedly with no broken bones. William Fox Pitt had a slew of horses, including Neuf des Cours, Seacookie, Parklane Hawk, and Lionheart. [Salperton Results]

Staying in England, for the first time in two centuries, a reigning monarch’s horse won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with her horse, Estimate. It’s worth clicking through just to see the Queen’s outfit, which she matched to the silks of winning jockey Ryan Moore. The Queen is a massive horse racing supporter, and has rarely missed the Ascot meet in her 61 years of ruling. [USA Today]

The U.S. narrowly missed out on a winning team performance at the CSIO in Rotterdam, after they were edged out by the Germans by one point. American rider Lucy Davis, who is just 20 and a student at Stamford University, won the Rider of the Day after she and her horse Barron went double clear. [Chronicle of the Horse]

Phillip Miller won the famed Hickstead Derby on Sunday aboard Caritier Z. Miller, from Hertfordshire, produced the only double clear round to clinch the title. William Funnell and Trevor Breen tired for second. [Horse and Hound]

If you’re in Chantilly, the north of France, anytime soon, check out the restoration of the Grand Stables, a palace/racetrack/colossal tribute to the equine specimen. Louis Henri-Bourbon, an 18th century prince, built the stables because he apparently believed in reincarnation, and specifically that he would come back as a horse. The racetrack and stables are absolutely magnificent, and are set to hold some of France’s biggest races, as well as being open to the public. [CNN]

I announced the Blogger Contest final four on Friday; now I’m bringing you their victorious Round 2 entries in individual installments. Their Assignment: If you had the power to make three changes to the sport of eventing, what would they be? Next up: Erin Critz. Each entry will be presented unedited for fairness’ sake. Thanks as always for reading, Eventing Nation. Please leave feedback in the comments section. Click here for Sally Spickard’s Round 2 entry and here for Rick Wallace’s Round 2 entry.

Bio: Erin Critz is a former radio DJ, current IT professional and recovering Hunter/Jumper rider. Erin and her Morgan mare Akira Beijing compete in the Beginner Novice division on the West Coast. She aspires to tackle the N3D at Rebecca Farms in 2014 and finds writing 50 word bios challenging.

Entry: Being asked what three things you’d change about your sport is really kind of a daunting question if you think about it. At first glance, it’s a fun, slightly fanciful question that requires you know enough about the material to speak to it in an educated fashion. Hidden in the question though is the tricky bit – the question has the potential to out you for who you really are. Very crafty, EN. Very crafty.

When you get down to it – I’m new at this whole Eventing thing. I came out to my friends and family as Eventing-curious in the summer of 2010 via a Facebook post:

Btw H/J friends and family this is me officially coming out of the closet as Eventing-curious. I’m not a full blown Eventer- I’m just experimenting with solid fences. Then again the previous Dressage flirtations may have given some of you a clue. Scandalous pix later tonight!

I referred to myself as Eventing-curious at the time because I was worried about the response and I thought maybe if I kept telling myself it was just a phase, it would be just that – a phase, something I did for a season or two. My friends and family accepted me for me though and I am beginning to be able to say “I am an Eventer” without the usual disclaimer of my Hunter/Jumper past.

With this newness to Eventing, I almost feel like I don’t have a right to answer a question like this – there’s so much out there that could be different for better or for worse. Do I attempt to tackle the Big Issues – the One Fall Rule or horses potentially being pushed to the limit with the current qualification system?

I could – yes, but that’s not me. Those kind of questions and problems need answers when you point them out and I don’t have those. That’s what the Eventing sages, superstars and-people-smarter-than-me are here for.

Me? I’m here for fun. That’s really the long and the short of it and why a question like this is hard for me – I’m having fun. I have yet to really start my own trek up the levels and those sorts of concerns still feel so removed from what I’m doing.

So that presents me with the real question – What would make Eventing MORE fun for me?

First, lets be honest. Real talk here. No one actually enjoys Dressage. If you find yourself saying “…but I enjoy Dressage,”, just stop. You don’t have to lie – we’re among friends here. We need to do something to make Dressage something more than what we suffer through to get to the fun stuff.. I’ve started this process on an individual level. I’ve accepted the fact that my Dressage tests are two minutes worth of set up for a punchline after the final halt – a panicked look to the judge’s booth after my salute and a breathless “We made time, right?!” If I can make the scribe laugh, it was a good test. If I can make the Judge laugh as well, a great test. One of these days when I am feeling very sassy, I just might have to up the ante on my gimmick and have a whole 10-minute box crew rush in. I promise there will be video.

Perhaps the answer is to shift Dressage from the same boring tests to a speed event. Everything else is timed, right? If I have a good time zooming around the sandbox at warp speed, I’m far less inclined to judge you with your beautiful score of 24 and comments like ‘Outstanding Geometry’ and ‘Consistent Rhythm’ while I sit here with my 49, ‘Tension’ and ‘Too Reactive’ scrawled all over my test.

Second, music. We all have it – that one song that gets you stoked. It energizes you and gets you ready to unleash the inner beast. As much as I love the fact that I have heard things over the speakers that make me sound like a total bad ass (“Erin Critz, The Blitz, on Akira Beijing clear thru the water”), I want my jams.

Imagine it – “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – Have a good trip!” And then there it is: your song as you valiantly spring in to action. Speakers at every fence, timed with your ride so it’s there – giving you that extra edge. Problem is, I don’t know what I’d choose – Flight of the Valkyries seems the comedic and yet somehow sensible choice for a 33 year old woman on a pony cruising around BN. Also when I move up to Novice, the jump judge will no longer be able to hear me on the approach to the down bank: “Yea, though I gallop up to the down-bank of death, I will fear no drop: for my horse is honest; my whip and grab strap they comfort me!”

Music, of course, would have to be submitted with your entry fees. If you fail to include or indicate your song of choice, your trainer and friends would be notified immediately and they’d be allowed to submit something ridiculous on your behalf like Rafi’s Banana Phone or Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

And finally, speaking of entries – can we work on some global unity when it comes to the naming of the levels? It worries me a bit that I could be filling out a British entry form, circle Novice and then suddenly find myself heading out to a Prelim trip. This is not to suggest that I plan to go to the UK and Event any time soon, but these are the things I secretly worry about when I look at the strange twists and turns my life has taken. On top of that we also have to deal with the awkwardly named collection of CCI-CIC-CCIO-EIEIO-BBQ-BRB-IDK-star levels.

I know those of you that have been at this forever are saying “You’re so silly, it makes perfect sense!”, but no – it really doesn’t. I know we’re dealing with the FEI and that’s a whole other bag of hairnets and saddle soap, but hear me out. As someone newer to the sport, I find myself struggling to explain to my non-Eventing friends and family where these go in the order of difficulty. I understand that they’re essentially the international Preliminary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels with some harder questions. When I try to explain a one star to non-Eventing friends and family I come up with underwhelming answers like “Uh, it’s Prelim-Plus? I guess? Maybe? It’s big.” If we unify the naming schemata across the globe these sorts of awkward statements and idle daydreaming worries will be eliminated. Obviously, I can’t be in charge of the naming conventions because Prelim-Plus sounds like some sort of poorly named energy drink.

In all honesty, for me and at my level, there isn’t much I want to change – I love what I’m doing now and being around the amazing and inspirational people in the sport and my barn. If you’ll excuse me though, Team Dragonfire is off to school cross country today and I’ve got some sort of watch or saddle pad based speaker-system to rig up as well as down bank therapy to prepare for. Go Team DF. Go Fun. Go Eventing.

I announced the Blogger Contest final four on Friday; now I’m bringing you their victorious Round 2 entries in individual installments. Their Assignment: If you had the power to make three changes to the sport of eventing, what would they be? Next up: Ella Rak. Each entry will be presented unedited for fairness’ sake. Thanks as always for reading, Eventing Nation. Please leave feedback in the comments section. Click here for Sally Spickard’s Round 2 entry, here for Rick Wallace’s Round 2 entry, and here for Erin Critz’s Round 2 entry.

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Bio: Ella Rak, 16, is a High School student, Aspiring Lower Level Eventer, C2 Pony Clubber and Equestrian-procrastinator extraordinare. Defining Characteristics: Strong willed, Easily distracted by horses (I should be studying for final exams right now, but instead cleaned tack and wrote this article), and slightly OCD (that record book WILL be perfect).

Entry: Disclaimer: These views are solely those of a striving Novice Level eventer, and do not reflect the views of someone with significant riding experience. I may never make it to ‘Young Riders’”, but maybe I can be an Eventing Nation ‘Young Writer’.

It’s funny that the prompt should be the three changes to the sport of eventing you would make, as that was almost exactly one of the questions I ask a number of eventers for a school project earlier this year. Though I asked about it in relation to the safety of the sport, the resounding answer I heard was how much change we had already seen within the sport in the past decade.  Jimmy Wooford (another major perk of living in Area II is having one of eventing’s foremost historians within an afternoon’s drive) provided a very interesting commentary on how the sport we have today cannot be compared to the long format events of say even 20 years ago. We have made spectacular strides in safety of horse and rider that we should be proud of, but though change is necessary and very often good, sometimes the ways of the past work too.

The first major things I would bring back to the sport is the vet box at all one day events, training level and up. I can feel the glares through the computer screen — but I think it is well worth the time, money and space.  Having spent the past the past weekend in the Vet Box for Virginia Region Pony Club Eventing Rally, I know what a major pain it can be, but I have also seen the great care it gives the horses. Not only does it force the riders to be more conscientious of how they cool out their horses, but it allows riders access to a vet right then and there if anything goes wrong after you get off. The horses are cooled out quickly and efficiently, and for riders new to eventing at that level, it allows them to learn the ropes of proper horse care. It is a frustrating experience seeing someone meander their way riding back to trailer after a long cross country run and though no one would intend to give anything but the best care, if we have the opportunity to encourage good horse care, we should.

We have all heard the old timers talk about the benefits of the long format event, but though that is not a realistic expectation in our sport today, I think reinstituting a modified roads and tracks section would be. Only a limited number of facilities are still capable of housing a steeplechase course as well as the rest of facilities necessary, but many have additional hacking space that could be used for roads and tracks. Though still not a true endurance test, an additional cross country phase would encourage better conditioning of both horses and riders, while allowing a more through warmup, hopefully helping to lessen the chance of injury.

The final change I would like to see, but is relatively impossible, would be if we could make eventing more financially accessible. Olympic eventing started as a competition for amateur military men and their horses funded by the cavalry, but today the upper levels are dominated by professionals. We pride ourselves on being the sport that can take the rejects and turn them into something truly extraordinary. We have story after story of horses that go from the meat truck to the podium, but the vast expenses of the sport make this really challenging. Horses will never be cheap, and the OTTB incentive programs are making huge strides, but many horses and riders can’t reach their full potential within the current system. By instituting a sliding scale for organization fees and entries, we could encourage riders who might not normally be able to afford competition to join our community. If we could make our sport more accessible to horses and riders from all walks of life, we could truly follow through on the founding of eventing of the best all around horses and riders.

Bug and I competing in the Advanced at Pine Top this spring. Photo by Hoofclix.

Many of you have been following my journey with my amazing horse, Win the War (aka Bug), since we made the big move up to Advanced last spring. For those that are new to our story, I have ridden all of my life, but I didn’t start jumping until about 10 years ago. I acquired Bug in 2005 from Charles Town Racetrack as a 4 year old. He hadn’t done well at the track, and I was excited to start him in his new career of eventing. Little did I know, seven years later, we would be competing in our first Advanced.

We competed at the Advanced level last year with pretty good results. We went on to the CCI*** at Bromont, where my piloting error caused us to jump outside of the flags at a corner. He jumped around three-fourths of the course like a star, so I know he has what it takes. Due to life throwing some wrenches at me unrelated to Bug, I decided to compete at the Intermediate level last fall to try to really fill in the holes.

This spring, we came out with a bang, and I was feeling really excited about the season. Unfortunately, after Pine Top, Bug popped a splint and has been out the spring season. However, he is BACK and feeling great. I have our schedule all mapped out (in pencil, of course), and I am hoping that with the amazing Bonnie Mosser’s help, we will be ready to rock and roll this fall.

Syndication is a term that is being tossed around a lot in our industry these days. It is a way for people to get involved in the sport and help riders follow their dreams. It isn’t a way for people to make money, by any means, but there are a lot of people out there that just want to be a part of something big. To own a piece of an upper level horse is a really cool way for people to live out their dreams through someone else.  There are a lot of options available, and every syndication is a bit different.

For me, syndication could be a great way to help with Bug’s yearly expenses.  Syndication is not only about being involved with the horse, but it is about supporting and backing a rider that one believes in.  I am an up and coming rider with big dreams.  I know that there are a lot of us out there. Do I tend to put all of the spotlight on Bug? Yes. He is an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime horse. However, I must remember that I have brought him along from just being off the track. I have spent countless hours building the relationship that we have. I have worked hard to get where I am. Am I perfect? No. Do I have a lot to learn? Heck yes. Taking all of that into account, though, I am doing my best to educate myself constantly. I sit on a lot of horses every day and am using every minute to try to become better.

During my research into syndication, some people had some very blunt advice for me.  I have been told that no one will want to invest in me, as Bug and I have had so few Advanced runs. I have been told that I am silly to even talk about “The Team” and myself in the same sentence. I have been told that I should sell Bug to fund the rest of my career. I have been told that it is all about the rider in this business, not just one horse. At first, I wanted to take these things personally. However, after the dust settled, I realized that these people are truly trying to give me good business advice. All of these things may, in fact, be true. Sometimes, though, you have to balance what everyone else is saying and fighting for your dreams.

To me, this sport IS about the horse. To say anything contrary to that seems silly in my mind. Each and every big-named rider has had one horse that has really sent them to the top. The good riders go on to produce more, but just getting one horse to the top is no small feat. I have other horses coming up through the ranks, but I am trying to be fair to every horse I sit on. I don’t want to push them too quickly just to make a name for myself. I realize that we are in a results-oriented world. However, how many riders do you know that have AMAZING talent, but they just aren’t sitting on the right horses? Does it make them any less stellar of a rider? The horse is a very important part of this game we play.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about horsemanship.  Arrows have been flying at riders that are putting qualifications before the best interest of the horse.  It seems ironic to me that some of the people telling me that the business is all about the rider, not the horse, are some of the same people criticizing riders for putting the RIDER before the HORSE.  To me, everything about this sport is about the horse.  Sound business practices are definitely important.  I understand that people won’t want to invest in me or my horses if I don’t make wise choices and give them a reason to want to invest.

I have not decided 100% on what I want to do.  Honestly, it scares me to sell any part of Bug, as he is THAT horse for me.  I will continue to work hard and try to improve my riding on a daily basis.  If I find that there are, in fact, people out there willing to invest in Bug and me, then I would love to share my dreams with them. Coming up with syndicate benefits is something I plan to do; I am thinking hard about what I have to offer.   I am willing to be as invested in his syndicate as they are in us.   Maybe I won’t make it in this game because of my outlook, but I am sure going to try!