The Fair Hill International guest blogging series presented by SmartPak gave riders who are entered to compete at FHI the opportunity to tell their tale and lay all their hard work on the table prior to the event. Allie Blyskal and her mount Sparrows Nio will compete in the CCI** this year.
Allie & Neo at Plantation this fall, photo by Samantha
Hello all! My name is Allie Blyskal and I am writing this to bring you the story of Sparrows Nio
and I, who will be competing in the Fair Hill International 2* this fall. I am an “A” graduate of pony club
and have been actively competing in eventing for about twelve years now. We are both very excited
about this opportunity, well at least I am….Neo is probably more excited about the treats and getting all
the attention!
Sparrow’s Nio (Neo) and my story started a little over two and half years ago. I can’t tell a tale
about Neo without first mentioning his half-brother Marshall. Marshall was a Connemara quarter horse
cross. My aunt found him happy, living the good life, in a field and I bought him for a dollar. He was
going to be a fun project horse, seeing as he was as fat as a cow and he was only 15.2 I never
planned on keeping him. The first time we jumped him and he cleared not only the jump but also the
height of the standards my mind began to change.
Fast forwarding a few years I decided to aim for the Fair Hill 2* in 2009. Marshall was a lot of
things but dressage horse was not one of them. Getting qualified for Fair Hill was a task in itself. But we
did achieve our qualifying scores and we were off on the long road trip…….ten minutes down the road.
I often joked that it is easier for me to hack over to the show grounds then load up in the trailer. Amidst
all the excitement I never saw the other passenger in the trailer; a massive nor’easter that decided to
come in and rain on our parade. I do not need to mention to my fellow eventers the misery that being
cold and wet all day brings. Alas this would be the event where the law of averages would come and
bite me with a hard lesson; a simple galloping oxer caused a minor tumble and our first Fair Hill came to
an inglorious and slightly muddy end. Neither Marshall nor I were any the worse for the experience and
came away from the incident with no more than bruised egos.
Allie & Neo at the Hagyard Midsouth CCI1* last fall, photo by Samantha
Our 2009 season ended after Fair Hill but I was more determined than ever so I doubled down
on training throughout the winter and spring. It was in the next spring that I met up with Neo; a lady I
knew owned him and she had sent him down to me for another horse to ride. Like many of the Grange
Finn Sparrow offspring he was known for his tendency to have an exuberant buck and this was causing
issues with his current owner, but I was excited for the challenge.
About a month after Neo had been at our farm, my family and I were out at dinner when a really
bad May thunder storm rolled in. It was a really low storm and I could see very serious lightning was
hitting. We did not get home till after the storm was over, but I was consumed by a strange feeling and
decided to go out to the barn to check on everyone. I could see Neo running in his field and that was
unusual for him since usually he is only focused on one thing…eating. I knew when I saw him running
something was not right. I started looking for Marshall. I could not find him and my heart was pounding.
I saw this white object lying in the field and although I couldn’t clearly see what it was for sure my heart
started to sink. We walked out in to the field and my world came crashing down around me. It was
Marshall laying there. He had been struck by lightning. Needless to say those next couple weeks were
really hard, but there was this very cute pony (I say pony but he is 15.3) in my barn that would always
nicker at me when I came out to feed. If you know the Connemara breed you know they have those big
marble eyes that are just so sweet to look into. My mom and then boyfriend (now fiancé) convinced me
to get back in the saddle and go ride again.
That spring I sat down with my grandparents and they were gracious enough to lend me the
money to buy Neo. We had just developed this connection and no amount of cajoling on anyone’s part
would convince me to look elsewhere for another horse. I just knew that Neo and I were right for each
other. I bought Neo in the spring of 2010 and shortly thereafter we did our first event at Olde Hope
unrecognized horse trials.
Allie and Neo, photo courtesy of Double Clear Photography
I was also so excited because Neo could do dressage! In all my years of coming up through
the pony club ranks and later the levels of the eventing world I had never had a horse that could really
do dressage and allow me to be competitive. I knew from the start that we were beginning a vastly
different journey than any of my previous mounts through the years. He possessed all the sparkle and
flash to post good scores. Because of this we have progressed right up through the levels. Naturally he
has his green moment every now and then, but when he is good, he is really good. We made the move
up to Intermediate this spring. Overall he has not seemed phased by too much. I sometimes forget to
keep in mind that he has only been actively competing for two and half years and that he really has not
seen that much. We ran the Plantation Fields CIC 2* and I was pleased with our results, but I am
looking to put an even better performance in at Fair Hill.
After my forced hiatus from competing at the upper levels after Marshall’s death I am truly excited
about once again riding at Fair Hill. As I said before, the event is literally in my backyard. I have actually
done all my fitness work preparation on the Fair Hill property.
As I have been going to watch this event since I was 10, and now that I get the chance once
again to ride at the big Fair Hill, it just gives me tingles all over. My goal for this year as with anybody who
participates in the wonderful sport of ours is to finish with a happy sound horse. I am excited for the
challenge that will come this year but I am optimistic of a solid outing. It is hard not to get wrapped up
in thinking of dressage score goals and double cleans and leaving all the sticks up, but I am just going to
take the weekend step by step and phase by phase. Sam (my fiancé, 2008 Olympic pentathlete) always
says, “focus on the journey and steps to victory, not the actual victory.” So if anyone is out at Fair Hill on
XC day and see the black and blue colors on a little grey horse that is Neo and I having the time of our
lives!
Allie & Neo on XC, photo by Double Clear Photography
SmartPak is proud to power healthy horses and happy riders who are working to achieve their goals (whether aiming for Fair Hill, simply hoping to back their youngster this year, and everything in between). VisitSmartPak.com today to see how our smarts can support your goals!
