EN’s Rising Stars is a new weekly series about up and coming riders in the sport of 3-Day Eventing who are exceptional in their performances and personalities. Spotlighting riders under the age of 15, the series is meant to call attention to the next generation of talent before they even become Young Riders. Have a child, sibling or student who you think deserves some notice and praise? Tip me at [email protected]!
Tayler & Biz at the 2012 AEC's (photo by Cheryl Sherman)
Name: Tayler Stewart
Age: 13
Hometown: Damascus, Md
Horse: Strictly Business “Biz” is a 15.1 hand, 14 year old Appaloosa cross gelding
Level of Competition: Training
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How did you get started eventing? “I have been riding for as long as I can remember (my dad says 3 years old!) My aunt Kim Stewart runs Glenwillow Farm out of Jefferson, Maryland, that specializes in hunter/jumpers. I rode with her on the A/AA show circuit until I was eleven, when I decided to start Eventing. I had been a member of the Seneca Valley Pony Club for a couple years with my 13.1 hand pony, Tater Tot, and had my first cross-country clinic with current trainer Packy McGaughan when I was ten. I began training with him regularly and bought my first real Eventing pony, “Cinderella” in August of 2010. I started in Beginner Novice and competed with her until she got kicked and broke her splint bone in the middle of the 2011 Eventing season.”
“That is when we bought “Biz,” my current event horse. We found him through equine.com. My previous pony, Tayhill Glass Slipper, had just broken her splint bone and I was just browsing through horse ads and there he was! He had a fabulous trot and was well schooled on the flat, but not a lot of cross-country experience. However, he was a quick learner and only a couple weeks after we bought him, he did his first HT at SVPC, scoring a 26 on the flat and going clear except for massive speed faults on cross country! Oops!”
“We competed in Beginner Novice for three events, to get qualified for the 2011 American Eventing Championships in Georgia. Then moved up to Novice, and we never placed below second at any novice event in the 2011 Eventing season. I moved up to training for most of 2012.”
Tayler & Biz at the AEC's with their ribbon (photo by Mike McNally)
“For 2012, we moved up to Training level early in the season with several wins and almost always in the points. I managed to get an age exception from USPC (USPC age requirements run one year behind USEA) and was allowed to compete at Training level at the USPC Championships East where our team finished 2nd overall with a good concerted effort. Moving into the fall, Biz and I were 5th at the 2012 American Eventing Championships in Junior Novice, as well as third at the Area 2 Championships in Junior Novice.”
Tayler & Biz on XC (photo from the USPC)
