Lower-Level Event Rider Profile

Somehow this profile got buried in my inbox.  A lot has changed in this reader’s life since then, and that will be detailed in an upcoming post.  But let’s meet Carrie and Chester now, as they were when she emailed me back in April.

 

FEATURED RIDER:

 

 

JumpingChester.jpg

 

Name: Carrie Braff                      

Age: 29 (and I have 2 years of experience saying that)

Location: Cobourg, Ontario, Canada (An hour East of Toronto)

Primary horse’s name: Sippin’ On Sunshine (Chester…or S.O.S, depending on what we are schooling.)

 

Age, breed, pertinent info: 

I have had Chester since October, 2009, he just turned 9 on January 14 (but he is going on 5), Chestnut TB, 16’3 (at the wither), blaze, 3 white legs, 4 white feet (WTF was I thinking??!!!), just started jumping about 8 months ago, has never evented in his entire life (again, WTF was I thinking?), cutest little baby face I have ever seen, has the best personality anybody could ask for and is one of the smartest, most inquisitive and eccentric horses I have ever met. His intelligence, desire to please and consistent ‘light bulb’ moments scare me to death and I have been known to say on numerous occasions that I am worried I won’t be able to keep up with him. What is worse is that he has everyone wrapped around his little finger INSTANTLY…the bugger…it drives me bonkers…

 

Level currently competing:

May 29thwill be Chester’s first everfull event, he has done a couple short courses.  We’re starting with Entry – or in the US, I believe that is Beginner Novice?!  I PROMISE to send in some updated pictures of him at his first event ever!!  I am so excited for Chester!!!

 

Short term goals this spring/summer:

Move up to Pre-training (US Novice, I think) in June, qualify for the Ontario Horse Trials Championships in September at Dreamcrest Equestrian (home to Ian Roberts and Kelly Plitz).  Learn how to deal with Chester’s ‘tourist’ mentality.  He is definitely spooky, definitely looky.  My coach/boss, her name is Joyce Hutchinson, has already drilled it into me that I need to keep his attention at all times, NOT look at what he is looking at, and keep him moving forward…easier said then done right?
Year-end goals: Finish out the season at Pre-Training and consistently improve each time we go out.  I would love for us to be happy and confident and finish xc with smiles on our faces.  Prep for the Bromont 3-Day in June 2011 at Training Level!  I KNOW we can do it!!

 

Overall goals?

Make Chester a confident and happy Preliminary horse, compete successfully at the CCI* level.  My stretch goal would be to hit Intermediate…It is not a question of Chester’s ability to hit that level, it is a question of if I am able to grow the necessary body parts to be able to do that level.  What’s the best thing you’ve learned recently?  If I had to pick only ONE thing (because there are so many)…it would have to be the newly found confidence I have as a rider and the confidence I know Chester has in me as his pilot.  (Sidebar – I grew up with horses, evented through the levels, hit university, had to sell said horses, took a 10 year break, decided to come back to it, just completed my first season back last summer and managed to qualify for the provincial championships!! Yay me!!)

The past 2 months have been absolutely monumental to me in terms of my growth as a rider.  I owe that to The Boss for drilling it into my head that the more quiet I am, the better Chester will be.  He is a super sensitive guy who has taught me a lot about riding with my body, legs and weight and NOT my hands.  The quieter I am, the more I ask him (and not tell him), the better he goes, which makes my confidence in my ability skyrocket.  With this horse, it is my job to ask him (properly I should add in here) what I want him to do then literally, stay out of his way…and he rewards me by trying his heart out for me.  


Any big epiphany or light-bulb moment? 

CORE STRENGTH makes a BIG difference….so does no stirrup work on a weekly basis…
I think my biggest strength is my dedication. I commute 225kms (I guess that is about 140 miles) round trip to work every day.  By the time I get to the barn, it is usually pushing 8:00 p.m. …but, you can ask anyone that I will be there at least 4 times a week in the middle of February when it is pitch black, freezing cold and there is 3 feet of snow on the ground…and 6 times a week during show season. 
I think know my weakness is how tense I get.  When I ride, I concentrate so hard, that I just freeze up, loose the feeling and it goes downhill from there….fast.  The Boss has been heard on numerous occasions yelling at me to relax because “I can see him getting more tense by the second underneath you! Stop right now and get it together!” (I absolutely adore her!!)  Her last words of wisdom to me before turning up the centre line/leaving the start box/going through the flags are “Just ride it and REMEMBER TO BREATHE!”  Trust me, I am working on it.

 

Favorite eventing moment/story? 

I think my favourite moment was when Hinrich Romeike and Marius took the Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  Why?  Because very much like myself, Hinrich, is an amateur.  He works as a Dentist during the day then rides at night and has achieved the ultimate in winning double Gold at the Olympics.  I work in Human Resources during the day, ride at night and usually don’t get home before 10:00 p.m.  I have BIG dreams to achieve on a small budget, one horse and limited riding time.  To know there is someone out there like me who has in-fact accomplished that goal/dream is more motivating then I can put into words.  That said, if anyone wants to be my sponsor, SPEAK UP!

 

Link to blog or website, if applicable: http://carriesembarcadero.blogspot.com/

ChesterBoy2.jpg  ChesterBoy.jpg

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