Welcome to the Family, Wesley!

Photograph by Zoe Macbeth

SO excited about this announcement! My parents have been gracious to take the next step and purchase Wesley!! I am so grateful for this opportunity to own such a talented young horse and I am so excited to continue to learn and grow with him. Additionally, we changed his name from “Edesa’s Wesley” to “Wesley’s Theory,” sticking with the Wesley name. Huge thank you to Krystalle Glosser, Tanya Loverchick, Quinn Partridge, and John Turner for making this sale possible and for connecting us with Wesley.

Can’t wait to see what’s to come!!!

HMI Equestrian Classic 2020

In all honesty, I didn’t want to write about this show riding-wise. I don’t know if it was nerves or I got into my head but this show didn’t go very well for me. We started in the jumper ring, doing the 1.10 classes to get into the ring before the weekend. In our first class, we had four rails, 16 faults. I kept making the wrong decisions to the jump and asking my horse to take off in places where he should never have to take off from. Of course, my horse was more than amazing and saved me more times than I can count which I couldn’t ask for more from him. Anyway, the next day in the jumper ring it went a little better, we only had two rails as opposed to four the day before. Nonetheless, that’s two more rails than I would like to have. The WIHS Jumper Phase was on Friday, which was set 1.10 in the jumper ring and boy was I nervous about keeping the jumps up. We did the 1.10 class before the equitation class and we had two rails, great... Going into the class, I wasn’t expecting to go clear given our history at this show. Somehow, the stars aligned and we went clear, it was our best round of the show so far.

Even though we had just had one of our best rounds of the show, I was still having anxiety about keeping the rails up and making the right decisions. I was getting jumped loose over the jumps a bit in the 1.10 so I shortened my stirrups and that was a game-changer. Oh man, I felt like I was in a whole new world, I could stay with my horse easily and stay with the motion of the horse so much better. With shortening my stirrups and working one-on-one with my trainer, my confidence was slowly coming back. My rounds were getting better and better and from my first round on Wednesday to my last found on Sunday, there was a huge difference not only in my mindset but also in my riding. This has been one of the hardest horse shows for me mentally and I feel like it showed me a part of the psychological aspect of riding that I haven’t had to face yet.

On a note unrelated to showing, I got the privilege of working for Casey Sorita and Ross Alexander of Therapy Corner Store. For those that are unfamiliar, Therapy Corner Store is an equine therapy company that works to make our horses feel their best with therapies such as Equitape, Multiradiance Laser, Bemer, Aromatherapy, and Deep Muscle Stimulator just to name a few. I worked for them throughout the week after I was done riding and learned valuable information about the work they do. I was able to do basic tape patterns with the Equitape and learned about the releases and what those releases mean. I look forward to working more with them in the future and learning more about how I can make my horse feel better.

Once again, a big thank you to Casey Sorita of Therapy Corner Store for the opportunity to work with her. Of course, thank you to my trainers John Turner and Quinn Partridge and my mom for making this week possible. Now back home to Evergreen!

Gladstone Cup 2020

After a long hiatus from showing due to COVID-19, what better way to jump into horse shows than my first equitation final? All jokes aside, I was ecstatic to be able to compete in the Gladstone Cup this year and get my first equitation final under my belt. I was lucky to be able to continue riding through quarantine since I am an employee of Thumbs Up Farm so I felt fit and more than ready to get back in the ring. No doubt I was nervous about this show, I hadn’t shown in eight months, and this would be only my second time showing in California.

Nerves aside, I drove down to Sonoma with my mom on Wednesday to find our horses stabled in a quiet, shady corner of the showgrounds, perfect for the mid-day heat. I was intimidated at first by the size of the grounds but after the first few days of exploring, I became more comfortable and relaxed. This show was different than most not only because of the COVID protocol but also that there were only four horses so we were all able to get quality one-on-one time with our trainer. The warm-up days came and went and I did the two warm-up classes with Wesley to get into the Grand Prix ring before the Gladstone. Initially, I was worried about how spooky the jumps were and Wesley may hesitate at them but he proved me very wrong by confidently jumping everything without batting an eye. Him being so good and so ride-able gave me a boost of confidence going into the class on Friday.

Friday came, the big day of the class and I went middle of the order for the Gladstone, perfect. I was able to watch a handful of rounds and see how the course rode before getting on. I liked the course a lot, it was more of a hunter style course since this was a hunt-seat medal so there was nothing too tricky which I appreciate. I got on and could feel the nerves creeping in but I knew I had nothing to worry about, my horse was schooled and I was prepared for this class. We warmed up well, we didn’t need too many jumps before feeling ready to head in to the ring so off to the gate we went. At this point I was really feeling the nerves, I don’t know what it was, I am typically a confident rider but the combination of it being our first show back and an equitation final in California was getting to me.

We walked into the class and picked up our canter to the first jump, single oxer off the right lead, a weak spot for us. We found the jump well and continued the course, finding all of the jumps relatively well. I came out of the round relieved and happy with my round, my horse was awesome and I felt like I rode well. We made it into the handy round! The course for the handy round was a lot of fun and we walked in confidently, I was less nervous than before. The course went well, I was short out of one line, causing me to be long out of the next line but other than that I was happy. We didn’t get a ribbon but I was thrilled with how it went, Wesley was phenomenal and I couldn’t have asked better from him. We finished the weekend by doing the junior hunters since it was open to anyone this year. We had a whole lot of fun in Sonoma this weekend and I’m excited for the next week of showing!

Also a BIG shout out to barn-mate Emily Steckler! She was Overall Grand 3’3” Junior Hunter Champion and Older 3’3” Junior Hunter Champion with her mare Wonderland!! SO thrilled for you Emily! Thank you to everyone who made this weekend happen including Quinn Partridge, Efrain Gandara, John Turner, and my mom! Can’t wait for what’s to come!

Julie Winkel Clinic 2020

A week after the Bernie Traurig clinic, I was lucky enough to attend the Julie Winkel Clinic within the Northwest Equestrian Expo hosted by Burkwood Farm. The Northwest Equestrian Expo was inaugurated this year at the Lynden Fairgrounds and hosted dressage, hunter/jumper, and western clinicians. Throughout the weekend, it was very fascinating to watch other clinics focusing on topics such as colt breaking, saddle fitting, dressage, and more as well as ride in the Julie Winkel Clinic. This expo was made possible by the ever hardworking crew of Burkwood Farm and their head trainer, Paige Wagter.

Wesley and I participated in the 3’6” section of this clinic, which was mainly focused on jumper style riding. I had never ridden with Julie before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first day we focused on primarily flatwork with an emphasis on longitudinal exercises such as collecting and extending. These exercises really engaged our horses and set them up to jump well. Wesley felt great at the end when we ended by cantering up the center line and jumping a series of jumps that were set on an angle up the center of the arena. I really enjoyed how Julie taught us, the information she gave was simple and effective with an emphasis on thinking like the horse.

Day two was focused more on course work with some flatwork at the beginning consisting of side passes and shoulders in and haunches in. This led to work over fences on changing our track to either take the early track and save room on either side of the fence or take the later track to create more room before and after the fence. We incorporated these exercises in our course work as we jumped a jumper style course and had a mini competition based on time and touches of the fences, rather than rails. Wesley jumped great throughout the weekend and I am very lucky to learn with him as a partner.

Overall, I really enjoyed Julie’s teaching style and how she made things simple but effective. Additionally, I enjoyed watching her teach the green horse group and how she broke things down for the horses and progressively make everything fit together in a way that makes sense to the horse. I hope I can ride with Julie again in the future and I look forward to incorporating what I’ve learned from her in my every day riding. Once again, huge thank you to Burkwood Farm for hosting the Northwest Equestrian Expo this weekend. I look forward to attending this event again in the future. I’d also like to thank KC Cordell for making this weekend possible!

Bernie Traurig Clinic 2020

After attending the Bernie Traurig clinic in November at Farpoint Farm, I was eager to sign up for another session with Bernie in February. Once again hosted by Farpoint Farm, Wesley and I attended the three-day clinic in the 1.15+ jumpers section. Although I compete in the equitation, I have aspirations of competing in the bigger jumpers and more education on any aspect of my riding improves how I ride and how I think while on course.

Additionally to riding with Bernie, he was kind enough to agree to meet with me on Friday during the lunch break to discuss some questions I have about pursuing my professional career. I may as well take advantage of the knowledge of someone who has been in the industry for his whole lifetime. He was very insightful when it came to answering my questions about how to manage the financial side of becoming professional as well as what the best educational path would be to become the most well-rounded professional I can be.

As for the riding part of the clinic, Wesley was fantastic and jumped better and better throughout the weekend. I particularly enjoyed how Bernie had us play mock horse show on Sunday and let us think for ourselves in the warming up process of schooling jumps before the course. Furthermore, Bernie let me walk the course with him and walked me through step by step how he walks courses and how his method is simple and timely in the event of having a quick course walk. Historically, I’ve been confused while walking the course even in the equitation and his method really made sense to me and I’m excited to use it this season.

Once again, on Saturday night there was a Q&A hosted by Denise Youll. We discussed many topics including my question about how to manage finances as a professional. Many people had input on this topic and it eventually led to discussions on how the sport has gotten more financially difficult for the typical equestrian as well as discussions on the Thoroughbred horse and how we can make the sport more financially doable.

Overall, I’d like to thank Denise Youll once again for hosting Bernie Traurig as well as her assistant Sophie Geantz for making this weekend possible. As well as thank you to Bernie Traurig for coming out to rainy Washingon this weekend and for being kind enough to lend me his time and meeting with me on Friday. I’m looking forward to Bernie coming to Thumbs Up Farm December 4-6 and being in his clinic once again!!

Odlum Brown BC Open 2019

Fresh off the last week of horse showing, I was excited to take off where we left off! This was my first time showing two consecutive weeks with the same horse, and it was beneficial. I came into this week with a calm demeanor and with even more confidence than the week prior. This week was very similar to the Canadian Premier, except our rounds were much more consistent. As our confidence grew, so did our window to take risks, which took our rounds to the next level. I found that as the weekend progressed, the small details in our courses would improve and become more consistent. My trainers have done a fantastic job schooling Wesley, and I couldn’t be happier with how he’s been helping me learn around the ring. Outside of the show ring, this show was enjoyable hanging out with the amateur crew from Thumbs Up! As well as watching the jumpers in the beautiful grass ring. I even got to watch a Nations Cup for the first time, and it was spectacular!!

I had a lot of fun at this horse show, and I feel as it was very productive as well. We are progressing faster than I anticipated, and although it’s not perfect, it gets better and better each time, and that’s what matters to me. I’m excited to be back in Thunderbird at the end of June and until then, work, work, work at home. Huge thanks to John Turner, Quinn Partridge, the Macbeth family, and my dad for making this week possible.

Canadian Premier 2019

After a month and a half of hard work at home, Wesley and I were ready for our second show, Canadian Premier at Thunderbird Showpark in Langley, BC. Personally, this is one of my favorite shows because of how it’s run, the constant big jumpers to watch, and the beautiful footing in all the rings. I was much more confident going into this show than the last. We did a month of no stirrup work and more schooling of Wesley and me over more complicated tracks. Sure enough, the jumps came more natural, and I gained confidence in our step, causing the fences to flow and connect more effortlessly. Of course, our rounds weren’t perfect. On account of our greenness, we got a little long, a little short, and a couple of rails. Those mistakes will fade away as we gain miles and more experience. I was super proud of Wesley for stepping into the Hunter Derby on Thursday evening and jumping all of the spooky derby jumps without even a hint of a spook. I was also proud of myself and Wesley for placing second in the WIHS Jumper Phase!

I don’t have much more to say about this show as I am delighted with how it went and how we improved every day better than the next. I’m excited to come back to Canada next week for the Odlum Brown Open! I want to thank John Turner, Quinn Partridge, Jessica Friedman, and my mom for making this week possible. Also, a great job to all other Thumbs Up Farm riders for putting in beautiful rounds throughout the week!

Welcome Wesley!

A story I’m super excited to share. I had the fantastic opportunity from an amateur at my barn to show her horse at Thermal week 6 in the equitation. I was thrilled as it would be my first time down in Coachella Valley, and I was so excited to watch some big names I’ve only seen on my computer. While there, I was also looking for horses to try as I had just recently leased out Danner to another junior in my barn. Throughout the weekend, I tried several horses, which were all a thrill to sit on, but the last day came around, and John told me about a young horse that he’s excited to look at. Not having much luck led up to this, I was still enticed, but not quite as hopeful as I was at the beginning of the search. We were then introduced to Wesley, presented to us by Tanya Loverchick and Krystalle Glosser of Logan Hill Farm. He was beautifully turned out and had a big presence, standing about 16.3. He had been recently imported and was doing the adult equitation for the first time as a six year old. Trying him was cool. We could tell he was green and had much to learn, but he aimed to please. We decided to have my trainer, Quinn, ride him again the next day. I didn’t get to watch Quinn ride him, but I heard it went well. We watched him show with the adult later that day in the equitation and decided to put him through a pre-purchase exam. Sunday had come too quickly, and I had to go back home to go to school, patiently waiting for his pre-purchase exam that coming Thursday.

Thursday came and went, and we decided to do a further examination of Wesley before deciding to bring him home. He went back to his home farm and then hauled out to a clinic nearby to be entirely sure he was sound and healthy. Sure enough, he passed the vet and was set to come home to us the following Sunday!

That wait from Tuesday to Sunday was probably the longest six days of my life. I am so excited for my next year lease on Wesley! I’m ecstatic to step into the 3’6” equitation, now having a horse that can take me there. I’m incredibly grateful to my trainers, John Turner and Quinn Partridge, for finding this talented horse and, of course, to my parents for the continuous support in this crazy horse world. I’d also like to thank Krystalle Glosser, Tanya Loverchick, Liz Smith, and the Macbeth family for making this weekend possible and for allowing me to pair with such a beautiful young horse.