One Last Thing

Looking back 2013 was a hard year for all Area 6 young riders. We had unfortunately low levels of participation in all of our events. Well, we want to change that!

From Kelly Loria:
This was my third year returning to the horse park for NAJYRC and I have to say it was my favorite. The camaraderie between all of the Area 6 Event Team was impressive. The combined Areas of California and Hawaii are extremely large and we have struggled to raise enthusiasm for the Young Rider Program in recent years.

Not only is NAJYRC one of the most fun times you will ever have it is one of the few competitions that gives young event riders a taste of how it feels to represent something greater than yourself and ride on a team. Olympic coach, David O'Connor, has spent a lot of time working to improve the quality of American riders. This weekend DOC held a conference along with Show Jumping's Robert Ridland and Dressage's Robert Dover and emphasized the importance of fostering young talent in structured programs. (Link to Conference Coverage) He stressed the importance of increasing the expectations on young riders to use competitions like NAJYRC to prepare them for careers as professional athletes. He highlighted some of his new programs such as the U25 and 18/ Advancing Athletes Program, however all the competitors at NAJTYC were already working towards those goals. 

(http://eventingnation.com/home/new-eventing-18advancing-athletes-program.html)

Area 6 is very lucky to have many gifted horse and rider combinations, however it seems that lately we have had trouble pushing these riders to dream bigger and strive to represent their homes at this prestigious championship competition. Being a young rider, I understand all to well all the difficulties associated with qualifying and actually getting to NAJYRC. However, as the current young rider representative I also realize that we are the only ones who can make it easier and more accessible. 2013 was a great year and I am very proud of both Brynn and Natalie but I am disappointed that we lacked a full team. 

We are determined to make 2014 even better! But we need some help! 

Area 6 will be increasing its fundraising activities and we urge all you riders out there to share any of your ideas! (Facebook) (email: area6youngriders@gmail.com) It is our wish to not only have bigger team for 2014 NAJYC but a closer knit area which helps riders of all levels improve and hopefully achieve their goals of competing in NAJYRC.

And again ALL of us here in Area 6 owe a huge thank you to all our show organizers that not only tolerate our social events but donate event entries and so much more!

Teran and James Atkinson of Copper Meadows 

Robert Kellerhouse of Galway Downs and Woodside 

John Marshall of Fresno County Horse Park

The Baxer Family of Twin Rivers Ranch

The Sexton Family of Shepard Ranch


Tammy and Randee Hallinan of Meadows of Moorpark


Flintridge Riding Club and Wendy Wergeles

The Hisken Family of Eventful Acres

All our other Sponsors THANK YOU

Western Saddlery

Professional's Choice Sports

Grand Meadows

Kerrits Equestrian Apparel

Dover Saddlery

Ariat

Scoring Chix


Capstone Farms


Southern California Equestrian Sports Inc.

Ride on Video

Horse Lovers Jewelry

Show Jumping!

Sunday really rolled around faster than any of us could have expected. Eventing is such an addicting sport because the ending is always bitter sweet. Though all sports require hard work and determination, Three Day Eventing pushes us by relying on that one score to received on the first day of dressage, then testing our determination for two more nail-biting phases. 

Luckily the show ended very well for Area 6, both riders jumped lovely rounds with Brynn and Michael successfully completing their third one star on their dressage score!

Brynn and Michael:

Today was  surreal. We woke up bright and early to be at the barn by 5:30 to start getting the boys ready for the final jog. Natalie and I were on our way to the Rolex Jog Lane when we felt a rain drop and then another...before we knew it we were drenched and no one could tell that we groomed our horses. Michael passed the jog with flying colors and even though Michael has been looking great, the relief one feels when the ground jury says accepted. We then rushed back to the barns to change into our show jumping outfits, including our gorgeous Ariat Monaco jackets. Natalie and I met Dayna to walk the course. 

Brynn is clearly very excited about her Ariat Jacket

The course was beautiful including a brick wall, liverpool, and triple combination. As I watched a few rounds, the butterflies slowly crept into my stomach. I felt much better once I was on Michael. Michael felt surprisingly full of himself and I am so glad I increased my fitness program in preparation for this event. Walking down the tunnel to the Rolex stadium Michael jigged the whole way, between the two of us there was probably enough excitement and nerves to power a city. I rode in to the stadium, took a look around and a deep breath and just started working my way through the course. 

It was a lovely ride! Michael was very responsive and everything seemed to flow out of stride. We jumped double clean to finish on our dressage score and 7th individually! I cannot express what an amazing experience this was and I hope to come back next year. 

Thank you so much to Dayna Lynd Pugh and Shannon Lilley I would not have made it here without you guys. I am extremely grateful to my parents and friends for all of there support. Michael is heading home tomorrow morning for a well deserved break, but we will hopefully be back out soon. 

Shannon giving Michael a last minute pep talk.

Once again thank you so much, we really enjoyed this adventure. Goooo Michael and Area 6!!!

Here are Natalie's thoughts on how the day went:

I couldn't be happier with Casey's stadium round today. Riding in the Rolex Arena is an absolutely amazing experience and will leave an everlasting impression in my mind. Just being in that legendary atmosphere gives you a feeling of accomplishment and pride. Casey was such a good boy today, and had a picture perfect round. It was like riding on a cloud! He was soft, supple, and round to every fence. He was very tuned in to all of my signals and was absolutely amazing. It was a great way to end the weekend.

This past week here at the Kentucky Horse Park has been like a dream. Everything seems so surreal, and I can't believe it is already over. While grazing the horses tonight, Brynn and I commented on how it felt like we had just arrived again. At the same time, it will be nice to return to a less humid climate in California. Anyway, I couldn't be more proud of Casey. We have made so much progress since our recent move to Flying Tail Farms and we can only get better from here.

 This week has really inspired me to push myself, and go out there and give it everything I've got. Thank you so much to the officials and everyone who has put so much effort into putting the show together. David O'Connor, you designed an amazing course that pushed us to do our best, but also have fun. Thank you to Dayna for being such an amazing coach and putting up with us all week. I am so glad that I took a chance and tried out for the team, and I will definitely be back in the future!

All the Area 6 stuff getting ready to go!

Kelly making sure we have all the stuff we need for next year, or "Da Boom Bucket"

Good old NAJYRC fun!

Cross Country Day!

5...4...3...2...1 Have a Good Ride!

Brynn and Michael over the first fence

Thankfully our Area 6 Young Riders had very good cross country rides today! Natalie rode beautifully came in with some time faults and Brynn managed to finish on a amazing double clear ride! Natalie is currently in 24th place going in to show jumping and Brynn is in 12th, however the scores are so close we are extremely excited!

Brynn look pretty professional in her Professional's Choice Jump Pad

Bob casually photo bombing

Brynn in warm up

Brynn walking to the start box

Brynn over the last jump!

Brynn and Michael:

WOW! Today was just an absolute blast for me. It is such a joy to ride Michael cross country. He has this huge gallop that makes time seem irrelevant and is scopey that the jumps seem easy. I woke up this morning feeling really good about the course and not as nervous as I thought I would be. Because my nerves were in check my head was really there today, I could process my course as it came. I was able to change my lines depending on how Michael was riding, which is a huge step forward in my education.  Its amazing to think your galloping the same lanes that so many of the greatest riders in the world have. I aspire to someday ride at Rolex and once again enter the Head of the Lake, just maybe over a larger jump. A huge shout out to my vet box crew that were so efficient in getting Michael cooled off and understanding of his special traits (lets just say you must keep a carrot in the mouth at all times). Michael iced all afternoon and got his share of IV fluids along with carrots of course! We jogged for our vet Laura Werner and he looked great--knock on wood. Michael is now getting some well deserved rest while we head off to celebrate with some unorthodox dancing at the competitors party. Thank you for all the support! We will jump our hearts out tomorrow hopefully leaving all the colorful poles up.

Natalie doing some last minute adjustments

Natalie and Casey:

Today was absolutely amazing! I am so proud of Casey! He was an absolute rock star. The course rode very nicely and David O'Connor did not design a course for the weak hearted. Luckily, Casey is extremely fit from his months of conditioning at Gilroy's local county park. Although we lost a shoe somewhere in the course, the farrier did an amazing job on the new one. I never did get the old one back....the stewardess seems to think someone might have seen it as an interesting souvenir.  Despite this fact, Casey galloped around the course like a champ. His mom might have interfered a little more than necessary, but Casey did a fantastic job. The vets even complimented his amazing fitness. Personally, I loved jumping into the "Rolex Head of the Lake". There is something special about jumping into it and thinking about how many great riders have ridden in this same place. What made the experience even more Rolex-like was the little crowd that cheered you on once you had completed the area's obstacles. It was truly a memorable experience. I also especially loved the water combination farther back in the course. It was a half round brush to a skinny in the water. The jumps rode especially well and the splash was a cooling relief. All in all, the course was expertly designed and beautifully constructed. Today has really inspired me to try even harder in future events. It really was an amazing experience to ride on the Kentucky Horse Park course and I would definitely jump at the chance to do it again!

Natalie and Casey in warm up!

The mobile Area VI cheering squad

Thanks for the flowers Hawley! 

Casey getting fluid treatment after cross country

Kissing Camels

The Area VI crew got to enjoy a low stress enviornment today as we prepared for the chaos of cross country that tomorrow will bring. When we got to the barn Natalie, Brynn, and Dayna headed off to take another look at the course, while Kelly did chores around the barn and Ainsleigh watched the two star dressage from the judges' point of view. The team then met up for breakfast and watched a few highly respected two star combonations ride their tests before riding their own ponies, and both horse and rider returned from their hacks with huge smiles on their faces. We Californians are thoroughly enjoying all the open space that Kentucky has to offer! Here we have the Area VI riders' thoughts on their hacks today and tomorrow's course.

Natalie 

I love hacking. It is one of those simple activities that just relaxes you and lets you forget all of the stressful parts of life you have been worrying about. Thank goodness we got to take an hour long hack this morning in the fields. The nice thing about the Kentucky Horse Park is, the hack trail takes you far  away from the barn and the stressful environment, but close enough that you can't get lost. Casey and Michael got to meet some foals around the property and enjoyed a little trot in the grass. After the hacks, I decided it was time for a well deserved nap. We walked the course earlier this morning and want to be alert for the big day tomorrow. The course looks absolutely amazing! I can't wait to go out there and see how it rides tomorrow. I am especially excited for the "Rolex Head of the Lake" and the combinations at the end of the course. David O'Connor definitely designed a course for competitive athletes and I am super stoked for tomorrow! Good luck to everyone!

Brynn 

Early this morning Dayna, Natalie, and I set out on our course walk before it got to warm. When it came to walking our water lines I was the lucky winner and was privilaged enough to take off my shoes and wade on in, woohoo! I then proceeded to walk part of the course barefoot, because there are multiple water complexes that needed to be measured. Overall the course looks amazing! The jumps are all beautifully decorated, and DOC put brush to good use, which we don't see much of in California. I feel really good about the course, there are combinations all throughout. Its quite twisty and turny in parts, which makes my job of getting Michael back much easier. The plan is to go out, ride forward and tough, but most of all smart. I am so excited! I would love to get some sleep tonight but I might be a little too excited for cross country for that to happen. I wish everyone the bestof  tomorrow and here is to a great cross-country day!

The team later went back to the house for some relaxation time, and Ainsleigh went down to the endurance riders' checkpoint with the FEI eventing veternarian Duncan Peters to experience another equestrian discipline, so different, yet so similar to ours. We noticed the comradery between these endurance riders is very similar to the tight knit community that eventing is so proud of. After reporting back her knowledge to the team, it made us realize how important it is to not only support other areas in eventing, but also to support other disciplines as well. We have adopted a new-found respect for the endurance world and their incredible horses and riders, who today alone travelled 75 miles! It makes our mere eight minutes of cross country seem pretty pathetic.

After Ainsleigh went on another tour of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute with the other girls in the mentorship program, and the Area VI crew had refreshed in some air conditioning, we all reunited at the final riders' meeting before cross country. The officials gave us a few helpful reminders about the dos and don'ts of cross country day, it then was off to Breyerfest for us! (Essentially a whole different world). Breyerfest is a celebration of the model Breyer horses, fully equipped with a petting zoo, dog diving tank, golf cart tours of the horse park, and horse demonstrations throughout the day. We saw some pretty interesting animals at the petting zoo and on our walk down there, the favorites being a very kissable baby camel and Lacey-someone's pet pig who was glammed out in pink toenail polish. The pig racing at the petting zoo also got pretty intense, with three teams of "thoroughbred racing pigs".

Post Breyerfest, an overwhelming experience for us all, Natalie and Brynn walked the cross country course once more while the rest of Area VI headed down to the Alltech arena to cheer on the endurance riders and the completion of their journey. We then set up our own vet box for tomorrow, complete with a "poncho tarp" that Brynn and Ainsleigh had some fun with. We went back to the house to eat and plan tomorrow's schedules, and after one last check on the horses we are finally ready for bed!

In addition, last night we had a very special opportunity to hear our country's three olympic equestrian coaches speak to the young rider community. Here is the link to the conference, trust us it is worth your time-enjoy! A huge thanks goes out to these coaches for making United States success possible!

http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/coverage.aspx?urlkey=2013NAJYRC&video=0_oe7mdq10&type=vod&channel=1_d2308brb