Adventures of a Teenage Event Rider

Hoofprints On My Heart

2012-01-27T19:27:00.000-05:00

As a kid growing up with horses, I've had partnerships with many different equines - too many to name on this blog (thanks to lots of helpful and supportive friends, and, of course, my family!). However, up to this point, a few have stood out.

I got my first horse when I was fourteen: a sixteen year old thoroughbred gelding who had had a successful career in eventing despite a bad stifle. Fred was a big bay who, while one of the best horses I had ever ridden under saddle, could be difficult on the ground, owing in part to his untrusting personality. Eventually, though, we formed an unbreakable bond and Fred taught me countless skills as a rider and as a horsewoman. My time with Fred was too short, due to his stifle handicap and age, and so, shortly after I took my C2 Pony Club rating on him, I had to retire Fred.

Fred will always hold a special place in my heart <3

Fred was the horse who taught me to love jumping - he was the most honest horse I've ever had the pleasure to jump.

After I'd sadly given Fred to his forever home, I found Electra. She was a huge, fancy Dutch Warmblood mare who had just been rescued. At over 17.2 hands and only weighing in around 700 pounds when I got her, my first job after bringing her home was restoring her health. As her condition improved, though, her behavioral problems that had originally caused her to be left in a field unfed became apparent. She was a lead mare who had learned dominance over humans as well, turning her into a bit of a monster. Luckily, her marishness was a fairly straightforward issue to deal with, once I learned not to be cowed by her size. Starting with ground work to establish myself as the boss, I gradually moved to basic dressage work with Ellie, at which she excelled. I fell in love with her huge movement and smooth-as-glass canter. Unfortunately, when I tried to start jumping her, I discovered that she was naturally more of a dressage horse. Since she wasn't likely to be my next event horse, I decided to sell her to an amateur dressage rider who could use her talents better. Today Ellie is happily competing in USDF shows.

Ellie

After Ellie, came along a little thoroughbred named Indy. He has enough of a story that he will get a post of his own though....

A Wild Trip

2012-01-22T11:07:00.003-05:00

I've had the same start to riding as many of you have probably had: local lessons on old ponies (most of whom are truly saints, but won't work for a dime); gradually moving up to ride in small hunter shows; joining pony club and progressing through the rating system. I was fortunate enough to have enjoyed some small successes at this early level; I found that I enjoy performing in a high-pressure environment.

I sailed through this beginning stage of my riding career on a wide variety of leased or borrowed horses that I hardly ever got to ride for a consistent period of time. Often it would be a struggle for my family to support me through this financially, but in the end I always pulled through and ended up in the saddle (even if it was someone else's!). I started working at a barn when I was nine in order to pay for lessons and leases, logging many long hours as the resident barn rat. I'm grateful that I was able to learn early on how much work it takes to stay afloat in this sort of business. As I look back on those days now, I really was lucky to have had such a positive riding experience, especially since - looking back - I skipped learning many basic foundational skills.

When I started high school I was faced with a decision: to keep moving up in my riding (which would mean an alternative school situation for me so that I could travel) or to stay at the local level and have normal high school years. Honestly, this was never even a choice for me. I had long ago decided what I wanted as an equestrian, and so I didn't hesitate to move on and find new opportunities. Now all that I needed to do was figure out where I could be a working student, and what discipline I would choose.

As an inherent risk-taker and adrenaline junkie, eventing was the sport that I instantly fell in love with. Galloping at high speeds over uneven terrain and leaping terrifyingly high and solid objects was right up my ally - much to my parents' horror, I couldn't resist this siren call. I ended up taking a working student position in southeastern Pennsylvania, which was about three and a half hours from where my family lived at the time. My endlessly supportive and ingenious parents had already gotten me registered as a part-time homeschooled student at my high school, so I would be able to keep up with my classes mostly online.

This new lifestyle taught me a whole new level of discipline in my life, and increased my riding abilities tenfold. It was here that I went back to the basics and re-learned many of the foundational theories of equestrianism. At the time, it was tedious, often boring work, but soon I was able to reap the benefits and I started to jump up the levels quickly.

In my junior year, I came home to take a couple of courses physically at State High and run on the cross country team (which is the second best sport in the world!). One of the courses I was taking was AP Spanish, which is a language that I'm now fluent in and is an immense help in the horse world! I also took some time to complete a short exchange program in Mexico in order to cement my fluency. But after a couple of months of this, I was getting bored, and soon found another working student position, this time in Virginia.

At Seneca Valley HT, summer 2011

This is where my horse at the time, Wild Trip (known to his friends around the barn as Indy), started to get past his behavioral difficulties and various quirks, and blossom into what is turning out to be my first upper lever horse and a real competitor. So, all I can say at this point is... it's been a wild trip!

My Story

2012-01-20T13:54:00.004-05:00

This blog is one of the things I'm starting for the new year. Over the course of the next couple posts I'll tell you a bit more of my story - how I've gotten to be where I am now, where I am exactly with riding, that sort of thing. I'll go over the highlights of 2011, and then look ahead to the goals I'm going to accomplish this year. I've got a pretty good list of goals for 2012, too... it's going to be a year full of action. But for now, it's bitter cold and way below freezing, so what am I going to do? Go out and ride!! Oh yeah. Let's tack up and get started!

2012-01-19T20:32:00.001-05:00

2012-01-19T19:37:00.000-05:00

Hello world! Is anybody out there?

My name is Sophia. I am many things in life. I'm a sister, a friend, a student, an artist, a runner, a peer. But most of all, I'm an event rider.

Horses have been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. As a young girl, hoofbeats were the metronome to which my dreams were shaped. I wanted to ride, to form a partnership with a horse so powerful that I could test it beyond all possible boundaries in my sport of eventing, the equine triathlon.

Follow me on my journey to the Olympic rings. You won't be disappointed.