EN Gives Thanks: Our #Blessed Team

We here at EN have a lot to be thankful for year-round. We get to work in the service of the sport we love and participate in it in a wholly unique way. It’s a gift that isn’t lost on us, and years like 2018, with all of its rewards and challenges, peaks and valleys, have bound our team closer together than ever before.

Here are a few of the things we’re thankful for this year:

Jenni Autry, Leslie Threlkeld, Shelby Allen and Leslie Wylie at WEG.

Shelby Allen: Thanksgiving rolling around at the end of the season is a perfectly timed opportunity reflect on the incredible year we’ve had. I’ve gone back to school and competing has taken the back burner, so I am extremely thankful to stay involved with this amazing sport through EN. I was especially thankful to spend a wild week with a few of them in Tryon for WEG. It was a long, slightly crazy week, but there’s no one else I’d rather do it with. 


I am thankful for many things this year, but finding my new horse, Derry, has to top the list. Photo by Steve Berkowitz.

Jenni Autry: A wise man once said “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I’m not sure I so much as chose this job as it chose me. The people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along the way have become dear friends and ultimately family. The doors EN has opened, not just for my career but for me personally, have greatly enriched my life. From a riding standpoint, I took a giant leap forward this year thanks to working with amazing coaches who pushed me and believed in me when I needed it most: Dom and Jimmie Schramm, James Burtwell, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Joseph Murphy. I am thankful beyond words as I look ahead to the 2019 season with a supremely talented horse and the goals I have dreamed about my entire life finally within my grasp.


Ain’t no memory like a blurry memory from a Polaroid camera — but what could be better than a brilliant first four-star performance for a brilliant friend? Tilly Berendt, Hallie Coon, Celien, and Praire StipeMaas Tobul at Pau.

Tilly Berendt: Honestly? I’m thankful that there’s only a mere 102 days until the eventing season begins again! (I joke, obviously — that is a horrendously long time to wait.) In all seriousness, I feel so, so lucky to have come to the end of another year absolutely bursting with love and pride and inspiration, all because of this mad, wonderful, occasionally infuriating sport. Every season has its ups and downs, and this one has been no different — there have been some tough times, for sure, but the highs have been something seriously special. The 2018 season brought with it some indescribable joys: I welcomed my beautiful mare, Bella, into my life this spring, and she gave me the chance to get back out competing myself. The chance to set real goals again in that realm has been such a blessing, and I have to pinch myself every day when I see her silly face hanging over her stable door. But life as EN’s resident roving Brit has been pretty incredible, too — I’ve had so many brilliant adventures this year at a plethora of three- and four-stars, and I’ve once again found myself at the beating heart of a sport that means more to me than I could possibly say. I’m enormously thankful for several things: the chance to live my dream week in and week out, the vibrant and vivacious eventing community at large, old friends and wonderful new ones, and, of course, the phenomenal EN team. I spent years reading Eventing Nation and daydreaming about being part of the madness — actually doing so has exceeded every expectation I ever had, and I feel so lucky to work alongside some of the most talented and passionate people in the business. May our paths cross far more often in 2019! /end soppiness


Photo courtesy of Meagan DeLisle.

Meagan Delisle: Once a year I sit back and am reminded of just how lucky I am to live a crazy, pony-filled life. I could go on and on about all of the things I am thankful for and never reach a dead end. That being said, I will just give a massive thank you to the team at Altamonte Show Stable for coaching me, making me laugh, helping me to realize my dreams could be a reality and convincing me that no, I would not die if I went cross country schooling. A jumper at heart, this little barn family is slowly turning me to the dark side of things. And while my plans of competing at my first recognized event were shattered not once, but twice (maybe this is a sign?!?) I am very much looking forward to finally giving eventing the ole’ college try in 2019. #JumperGoneRogue


Photo by Allison Howell

Kristen Kovatch: As Eventing Nation’s token cowgirl (insert collective gasp here) I’m so thankful this year for all of my colleagues and friends across Nation Media for reminding me what a great community we’ve built. For me, it really hit home earlier this autumn at the Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover, hacking around the Kentucky Horse Park with field hunter/competitive trail Meagan DeLisle of Jumper Nation and eventer Kate Samuels of Eventing Nation — the first time all three sites had ever been represented simultaneously in person. We had never met before face to face, but here we were riding and talking and laughing together like we had known each other all our lives. Back at home, the rest of the team was cheering us on every step of the way, regardless of discipline. That’s a special community, and one that I’m so thankful to be part of.


Photo by Mily Mallard.

Abby Powell: You know how the saying goes that this is a sport of high highs and low lows? This has been one of those years on the lower end of the spectrum for me personally, but it’s made me incredibly thankful for the friends and family that I have in my corner who somehow seem to know exactly when I need a hug and a helping hand versus when I need a kick in the pants to get back on the metaphorical (or literal in some cases) horse. I may not have been able to compete as much as I wanted to this year, but ultimately I have a healthy and happy horse and for that I certainly have to be grateful as well! Plus, I’ve gotten to spend another year contributing to EN alongside this wonderful, wacky, hard-working, and talented bunch and for that I am #blessed.


Grateful for ponies that make me smile like this mid-course. Photo by Nicole Patenaude.

Kate Samuels: I’ve never been much of a big picture person, and I mean that in a good way. I’m always grateful for tiny moments in life, like the memory of a perfect jump on a young horse, the happiness of your dog when you come home, a good laugh with friends when horses inevitably drive you insane, the unfailing pleasure of said horse running to meet you every morning when you stumble outside bundled up against the elements, the satisfaction of a freshly swept aisle at the end of the day, and everything in between. I love that I am part of an absurdly witty, supportive, badass feminine powerhouse like EN, and I’m so grateful that it continues to help me make real life friends and connections even after all these years! Also, I’m very very thankful for mashed potatoes with stuffing and gravy because it is my favorite part of this holiday, if I’m being totally honest.


A good herd can help you get you to the other side of pretty much anything. Photo by Amanda Charlton.

Leslie Wylie: I feel especially blessed this year to be surrounded by such an incredible herd of family, friends, co-workers and, of course, horses. Life is so much more fulfilling when you feel supported; the good times are better when you have loved ones to share them with, and the rough stuff is made a little smoother when you’ve got a friend to call or a horse’s neck to hug. My husband Tommy and I are excited to announce that our herd is about to grow a little bit bigger, as we’re expecting a baby boy in April. Due date: the second day of Kentucky Three-Day Event dressage, naturally! Nothing like a dressage live stream to soothe the nerves while one is in labor — that will be something to be truly thankful for, indeed.


“Uncle Bailey” showing Leslie he still knows a thing or two at 19 years young. Photo by Heather Lynn.

Leslie Threlkeld: I’m not one to wax poetic or get particularly emotional, but with all the sadness and frustration in the world, I consider myself to be a very lucky individual. I’m generally very healthy and so is my family. My husband and I live in our dream house on a farm we have big plans for in an area of the country we absolutely love. My mom just happens to live nearby and we get to ride together all the time. On top of that, my young Thoroughbred turns out to be a natural foxhunter and it’s been a thrill to ride to hounds with my mom and old reliable “Uncle Bailey”. Above all, I am lucky enough to have turned a little girl’s horse crazy obsession into an incredibly rewarding, fulfilling career working with the most talented and inspiring team of journalists. I am never bored and there is nothing better than writing about, photographing, and cheering for the incredible people and horses in this sport. I urge you all to be true to yourself, follow your dreams, treasure those close to you and enjoy life’s wild ride to the absolute fullest. We’re right there, galloping alongside you. Thanks for being part of the EN team, dear readers. Gobble, gobble.


Showing off my amazing husband, super star horse and Best Conditioned award at Midsouth. Photo by Megan Lynn.

Maggie Deatrick: I’m sitting in Belgium, writing this full of beer and spaghetti (as apparently one does in Belgium), after Jenni kindly reminded me that I’d had yet to find the time to contribute. That I can drop everything and head overseas speaks volumes as to what a fantastic support team I have in my life, not the least of which is the incredible EN team, my husband, Matt and Cecily Brown at East West, and my supportive parents. I’ve finally completed the first full competition season on a talented but difficult horse that I bought two years ago, culminating in a solid T3D. The future is bright and I couldn’t be more thankful to have ended the year with an optimistic outlook.

Go Eventing!