My trip to Aiken was amazing and it gave me the confidence and courage I needed to take on this new year. That said, it was also a very condensed and focused blip of time. I was in Aiken for just over two weeks and we rode almost every day. But it was JUST two weeks. And again, it was focused…I didn’t have work. I didn’t have appointments. I didn’t have any woodworking to do. I was there TO RIDE….and RIDE we did! We had minimal distractions and no obligations.
At home I returned to the typical day to day. Riding 2-4 times per week at best. Work. Woodworking. Appointments. Random other obligations. The toughest part is to stay focused and committed to your goals. This is life as an adult amateur rider, the reality is that we are pulled in many directions and we have to just figure it out sometimes.
I have not been able to organize another group riding day with Andrea yet this year, but we have been very fortunate to have a local eventing trainer come to us regularly. Between her and our dressage coach I have been getting the help I need and to stay focused and committed to our progress. Having the regularity of weekly (or biweekly at the very least) is what I desperately NEEDED to keep going. I get lost without my trainer(s) to guide me and act as a north star.
At the very beginning of this year, I made a list of horse shows and events I knew were coming up and made a soft plan for how I wanted to progress. For the most part I have been pretty much on schedule. I’m slightly behind where I wanted to be, but I am honestly happy with the choices I’ve made so far this year.
For example, I had planned to step up to beginner novice at the recent combined test run by ENYDCTA and hosted by Winterwood Farm. It was a rainy day on the grass and if I had stepped up this time I would have been overwhelmed. We had a tough enough day for other reasons ( see last week’s article here: Messy Middles).
My list of events included a slow progression from starter to beginner novice with my goal on competing beginner novice by the end of the season.
Before we get to beginner novice, however, I want another three phase horse trials under our belts. We tackled a fantastic two-day schooling trials in Aiken (Aiken: Week Two). For our debut in Area 1 I chose to go to a familiar farm. If you remember in 2025 my best friend and I participated in Adunt Eventing Camp at Hitching Post Farm in South Royalton, VT (Horse Camp: Unlike Trix, It’s Not Just For Kids). The adult camp is the second week of June and commences with a schooling horse trials. I couldn’t attend camp this year, but I knew some friends who were going back…what a great way to reconnect!
The timing was perfect. Since April 2026 Stanley and I have now done 3 combined tests and an arena derby together plus the lessons and the trail riding. We’ve had a great build up this season.
On Friday afternoon we loaded Stanley into the horse trailer and made our way to Vermont. It’s about a 3-hour drive from our farm. We were able to unload and get Stanley settled into a stall; it was hot, so he got a mash of electrolytes. The cross-country course was posted so we walked the short starter course before meeting our friends for dinner at Worthy Burger.
After dinner Stanley had settled in and was feeling a lot better about his circumstances. I took him out for a bath which he thoroughly appreciated after a very hot day in the trailer.
Friday night we camped in my trailer for the first time since I purchased it. The mattress was luxurious and comfortable! It was warm but with our Ryobi fans it was perfect and pleasant.
Saturday morning we woke up early. I took Stanley for a walk to stretch his legs and get some grass in the cool morning air. Stanley ate part of his breakfast before the real excitement began. We went to walk my stadium course.
I tacked up and got on at around 8:30am, my ride time set of 9:01am. The warmup area was already stirring and buzzing with riders of all ages on their horses and ponies. This is one of my favorite parts of eventing. It’s for everyone!
We began the day with a calm but unfocused Stanley. He was anxious but not unmanageable. The moment I got in the saddle he channeled himself and I could feel the anxiety melt; distracted still yes but there was a calmness about it. He knew what we were there for as well as his role in it, and he took comfort in that.
I struggled to school Stanley on the left lead, but by the time it was my turn I had gotten a few correct departs. It was as good as it was going to get and I was worried I was beginning to harp and drill.
We walked down the path towards the dressage arenas, a small hollow settled into the woods. Two arenas were set up here, I was bound for Ring 2. We introduced ourselves to the judge and began to prep. Once the whistle blew, we were trotting in at A. Through the beginning of the test I was disappointed with myself…I could tell Stanley was hollow and counter bent but I did my best to encourage him to come into the contact without pulling and fighting with him. We got our left lead canter! I forgot where my down transition to walk was…and came down to walk at C instead of M. This cost us a few points since the walk was late (but he was very good and obedient when I DID ask for it). For the free walk he had moments where he reached forward and down but he found himself distracted by the sights as we neared the far side. He was a bit better going to the right, our right trot circle was ok, but I realized too late that we were going far too big…and in the test comments the judge noticed. I am normally pretty accurate with my geometry, even if I think I did a circle poorly it often isn’t penalized as harshly as I expected. But my mind wandered this time, and it cost me a point or two. Our canter felt wonderful going to the right. We returned to trot and made our way to G to halt and salute our smiling judge. Instead of “Thank you have a great day” we were greeted with “That was Great!” I nearly fell off Stanley because I felt that it most certainly was NOT great….she then proceeded to tell me that the pony in Ring 1 bucked off his young rider, jumped the arena, and galloped away. We all had a laugh when I admitted that neither Stanley nor I noticed the incident.
In the video you can hear the commotion and the hoofbeats as the pony fled. Stanley and I had just completed our right trot circle and were heading away to the farthest corner just before the right lead canter depart at C. We were so lucky to have been focused and facing the opposite direction.
Later, after we received our scores, I was floored with getting a 33.8 (66.2%). My first instinct was that we won points for not balking at the boisterous bronco in the other ring…but we had earned ourselves a fair amount of 7s before the scuffle ever happened. If I had transitioned to walk on time and ridden more accurate circles I’d be closer to 68/70%. I’m quite pleased and proud of this.
We had a little time between dressage and cross country, so I untacked and let him settle back in. We had some food and stayed in the shade of the trailer.
As the time approached for cross country, I changed my shirt to the Kelly green base layer. We got tacked up…Stanley sporting the Kelly green Majyk Equipe boots and a Kelly green Ecogold half pad. I put on my vest, my pinny, and got on. There wasn’t fear present. I was focused. I knew my course. I knew my horse.
We warmed up for a little while and I once again practiced our left lead canter. I popped him over a few rails coming of each direction. I don’t over school the warmup…just a couple times at each warmup fence (a cross-rail, a vertical, and an oxer). He was game and ready.
We walked down to our start box cool and collected. I remembered to breathe. Ross counted be down from ten and away we went. I allowed Stanley to trot up to the first log and canter away. I expect him to be forward toward the barn and sluggish to move away from it toward fence 2 but he never hesitated. We cantered easily up to and over fence 2. We were on the right lead again and needing to turn left but chose not to use this time for that fight. What felt like forever we made our way to fence 3, then fence 4, then up the hill to the water.
At the starter level the water is an option…but I was determined to go through it because we need the exposure. Stanley threw on the breaks and stopped when he realized, but I gave him his neck and allowed him to stretch down to inspect it. He never stepped backwards (which would count as a refusal). Because I allowed him the courtesy of a look he willingly moved forward and into the water. We trotted out triumphantly and jumped a cabin moved further yet from the main farm. We traveled down some steeper hills where I heard Andrea reminding me that he needs his neck to balance himself. I gave him is neck and we trotted down easily. In the farthest field we jumped fences seven and eight…two logs. Finally we cantered up out of that lower field and back into the main pasture where the nineth and final fence waited for us halfway up the big hill. I allowed him to move forward and he bore down and galloped for a stride or two. As we approached the little cabin I picked his head up and we popped over the fence to finish.
WHAT A ROCKSTAR! Stanley was so happy and proud of himself and I was so happy and proud of us both.
There wasn’t much time to celebrate as we needed to move on to the stadium course.
In less than 5 minutes we were trotting around the stadium course listening for the whistle to tell us to begin. The course was set in the grass, the field had a slight grade to it…not steep by a long shot but enough to scare the weenie in me. I rode Stanley backwards through the course…we knocked down our first rail to start. I tried to adjust but we ended up knocking two more down.
Afterwards Suzie told me that he looked incredibly bored, he simply wasn’t picking up his legs for the stadium rails.
With all three phases behind us Stanley was untacked, sponged off, and given his favorite protein shake. While he slurped happily away, I wrapped his legs with poultice. I got changed and we prepped the trailer for our return home.
Stanley and I came in 2nd place even with our downed rails!
By around 1pm we loaded Stanley back into the trailer and made our way back home.
We are well on our way toward our goals this year; as long as there are no new surprises!
I don’t have any new shows planned until August 2nd. Until then I plan to continue my training. Getting to more cross-country schooling in particular. We will spend the next 6 weeks building our confidence over larger fences and over terrain…slowly growing my comfort zone. I finally feel confident enough to say that I am at ease at the starter level. It has given me confidence in myself and my horse, but now it’s time for me to have a push so that we can grow.
The Green Horseman 
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