Dear Benji, this is one of those notes I wish I wasn't writing. But if I didn't get my thoughts to you in some (albeit cheesy) way, I might go crazier than the situation is already making me.
When Alexa Thompson (née Ehlers) looks back at her eventing career, she can without a doubt trace where she is now back to a little Thoroughbred mare she got when she was just 10 years old named Crystal Clear (Far Out Wadleigh x Rollem Katrina).
Ava Chase wasn’t quite sure what to think as she was handed the lead rope of Kingston, a 21-year-old New Zealand Thoroughbred, in 2021. The gelding’s owner had heard of Chase, who runs a boarding barn in San Marcos, California, and knew she provided good care.
Macyn Wolpert and her pony 18-year-old Sport Pony Hallelujah were set to attend the Pine Top Intermediate Horse Trials (Thomson, Georgia) on Feb. 11 with cross-county day happily occurring on Wolpert’s 12th birthday.
There aren’t many riders who can say they competed at five of the world’s seven five-star events in 2023, but the 2023 World Equestrian Brands USEA Rider of the Year Boyd Martin can. With nine starts across the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials (Germany), Defender Burghley Horse Trials (England), MARS Maryland 5 Star, and Pau (France), Martin earned five top-5 finishes.
Marley Bridges lived and breathed gymnastics. “I started at the age of 5,” said Bridges. “You always had to have the time and the mindset for gymnastics. You had to allow yourself to commit to it. You had to commit to working out four hours a day, five days a week, doing cardio every single day, train every single day. You had to stay committed to yourself, the team, and the sport.”
My victory lap around the Rolex Arena on my horse Snap Decision (“Geoffrey”) at the 2023 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds was the highlight of my equestrian career. Was I leading it? Nope. I brought up the rear with a 15th-place finish, but I was celebrating like I had just won a five-star. My joy was amplified by being surrounded by family and friends who were just as excited as I was.
Liz Halliday admits she’s not one to spend too much time in the past, but after a very “transitional” 2023, she’s taken the time to reflect on the changes in her life and the amazing horse power she has in her barn. Halliday topped the USEA leaderboard’s 2023 Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year standings with results on 13 different horses from Novice to the CCI5*-L level.
My story of me and horses started in 2016 when was 5, and I was diagnosed with leukemia. During treatment there were many times when my immunity would be so low that I would be quarantined away from my friends and couldn’t go to school to avoid getting sick. A common cold could have been really bad for me, and many times I was so sick I didn’t want to get out of my bed.
Molly Duda picked up eventing just five years ago, and when she did, she never would have expected to have the 2023 she had.
From the backwoods of the Bayou to Santiago, Chile, Sydney Elliott has certainly traveled far since her days riding with Pony Club in Benton, Louisiana. While the Pan American Games U.S. Team Member is “still Louisiana, through and through,” her recent move to Southern Pines, North Carolina, has helped prepare her for her latest experiences as a rider for Team USA.