United States Eventing Association

Horses have so much power over us. They don’t know that, of course, but, unwittingly, they expose our personal weaknesses – and bring out our hidden strengths. This is something Allison Smith, a 28-year-old from Warrenton, Va., knows very well. Her passion for eventing and the pressure she put on herself to succeed in this many-layered, ultimately demanding sport exacerbated her anxiety and perfectionist tendencies. Yet one horse has changed her life in a way she never could have anticipated.

International eventer Daryl Kinney has produced several horses from unbroke to Advanced through patient, systematic training with an emphasis on education. With a commitment to a positive, confidence-building approach, Kinney demonstrates that with horses, hard work and patience go a long way towards achieving one’s goals.

My mother and father moved to Woodside in 1958 when I was 3 years old. Unfortunately for them, since they were not horse people, Woodside was horse country, and my sister and I soon became horse crazy. We saw them all the time in town, at local riding stables, even bars! Eventually, we began taking riding lessons. In 1963, my mom found a home on 4.75 acres in town with a barn and the die was cast.

Born of the Irish Sport Horse stallion Balda Beau and Irish Sport Horse dam Cathy’s Lady, Cambalda was bred by John Irish in Ireland and born in 2002. Jayne Wilson purchased Cambalda and brought him to England, which is where Kelli Temple came across him while on a horse shopping trip.

My longtime companion/teammate Fernhill Cayenne took me from Novice to Intermediate in a little over two years. He has been the absolute horse of a lifetime. He may not be the fanciest, bravest, or most athletically capable horse out there, but I wouldn’t trade him and the experience he has given me for any horse.

It started as a dream – cliche, I know, but it really did. Like most little girls, my Aunt Marianne always dreamed of owning her own horse and riding every day and showing across the country. However, throughout life, her dream kept being put on the back burner and now at age 50 is as close to impossible as it can be.

Neville Bardos is a horse that needs no introduction. Born in Australia in 1999 at the famous Woodlands Stud in Scone, New South Wales, Neville was sired by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Mahaya and out of an Australian Thoroughbred mare, Zambia. Although bred to race, Neville was a bit of a dud on the track.

My name is Tayah Fuller and I’m 14 years old. “On course” to me is a phrase that makes my heart pump fast and my excitement go wild. There is no better feeling than galloping through a field or flying over cross-country jumps with my heart thrumming along, especially when it is with my best friend. You see, I was born with a congenital heart murmur. While it has never really affected my athletic abilities, the one time that I notice it is when I am riding through a cross-country course with my horse.

Confidence is a funny thing. While I have run into trouble with my confidence in the past, I feel like I have had more students recently struggling with confidence in their riding. I have a not-so-secret secret to tell you - everyone struggles with confidence.

William Tatton Winter was a British painter who lived from 1855 to 1928. Sue Broughton, Winter’s granddaughter and a Thoroughbred breeder in New Zealand, named one of the foals from her 2000 crop for her grandfather. That foal, sired by the New Zealand Thoroughbred stallion Drums of Time, went on to compete at the upper levels of the sport of eventing with four different riders on two different continents under the name Tatton Winter.