United States Eventing Association

My sister and I are quite the pair! We are from Canton, Miss. and have been riding for a long of time. Amber Curry, the oldest sister who is 18-years-old has been riding since she was 5 and I, Haley Curry, the youngest sister who at 16-years-old has been riding since I was 3. We started Western lessons with Mr. Larry on a horse named Baby, who was a chestnut mare, learning balance and basic movements of the horse for over a year.

We both enjoyed this easy-going sport very much, until Amber, of course, wanted more excitement than walking through a forest. She just didn’t have my imagination of us riding unicorns through fairyland like I did. She moved on to English riding (Hunters/ Jumpers), while I was still stuck at Western riding (trail riding through fairyland). I was so upset that she thought she was better than me; I mean I am obviously the better sister and the better rider, though she would disagree. With my new-found jealousy, I decided to take matters into my own hands, me being my own boss and all, and began taking English lessons. It took a little while to get used to the new saddle feel, but I got it. I definitely got it and was right with Amber at the competitions, and I loved it. Since I was still so young and naïve, I didn’t realize I was not actually going against her. My parents figured it would create some problems and tension between us so they kept us apart in the arena. When competing at our local hunter/jumper shows, we both became well known as the Curry Sisters who could ride the fire out of those stubborn ponies.

After many years of thrilling adventure among us, we decided, “Eh, this is too boring for us.” Finally, we found Eventing though Pony Club. We were both quite advanced in the games and show jumping division of the PC Rallies, but when Eventing was brought up, we had no clue what this so called “Eventing” was. We decided to experiment with it on our stubborn little ponies and found that we loved it. The nimble pace of Beginner Novice made our adrenaline pump throughout our veins and our eyes go wide in excitement. Since we changed disciplines, we needed a new trainer. After consulting with another pony clubber, we found Candace Bell and began competing with her since we loved our new discipline so much. Since Amber hit a growth spurt, she needed a new horse rather than that stubborn little pony. Amber’s new and improved horse Taylor MeA Rainbow (Beau) was bought from our trainer Candace Bell, while I still had my little black pony. Amber and Beau beat Salem and me in Dressage (although in separate divisions) every time because my little, black jumper pony, Salem, didn’t particularly like the slow pace of Dressage and the tons of circles involved in the tests. Although, when it came to Show Jumping and Cross-Country, Salem and I, we rocked it.

Amber and I soon moved up to Novice, the tension building between us since we were now allowed to compete against one another. After moving up, we were able to attend shows with divisions up to three-star. It was like I was in fairyland again, but instead of unicorns; I was surrounded with my idols Buck, Leslie, and Kyle . . . OH MY! My little, black jumper pony, Salem, unfortunately had a pinched nerve and we tried everything to help him feel better, but realized it was better to just let him be. I got my new horse Resolute Protector (Liam), from Julie Richards around mid-march 2014 with the help of my trainer. Together, we were quite the pair. Though, it did take a decent amount of time to transfer from a 14.1 hand Quarter Pony to a 17.2 hand Irish Sport Horse, I think I have finally gotten the feel. I continued with him in Novice and my sister and I were both able to compete at the Area III Novice Championships. (Haley: 1st; Amber: 2nd) where we both qualified for Novice AECs. There, Amber placed 3rd after Dressage with a 25.0 and myself in 13th with a 31.0. Unfortunately, Amber had one stop on cross-country and was knocked back while I moved up and finished in 6th.

After our banters and arguments at Novice about who was better, we moved up to Training. Stage 3: The Battle of the Sisters at Training. With the move up, we found that it didn’t particularly matter about the placing. I mean, sure, a blue ribbon is a nice reward, but knowing that you did your best or better than before is even more rewarding. USEA has helped that idea thrive in competitions wherever we go. Everyone, no matter what the situation, is always supportive and encouraging. At our competitions we did quite well, except for those few where the paint or wood on the jumps were new or the dressage grass arenas were too tantalizingly green and obviously needed to have a bite taken out of them. Not really those things, but like everyone else, those were our off shows. At Training, we once again qualified for Area III Training Championships (Amber: 3rd; Haley: 4th), which moved us onto Training AECs.

We are both thrilled to have qualified two years in a row for separate divisions. Last year, we brought bikes and were matching with dark skinny jeans, our Ariat jacket that we both won at the Area III Novice Championships with a white polo underneath, and our Dublin muck boots . . . benefits of having your sister as your best friend. I think we will have to go for that look again since we looked awesome wearing them together as long as Texas is nice to us, weather wise. Cold in the morning, hot at noon. Oh dear South, why so bipolar. We love it though.

My sister and I cannot express enough gratitude and thanks to those who have helped us along the way, whether it be coaching us or supporting us with smiles and cheers. The opportunities that have come our way in this sport amaze us. Never would 5-year-old Amber and 3-year-old Haley have thought that this sport would continue and take us where we are today with so much love and passion for it involved. We are always looking forward to showing with USEA at AECs or any of their venue’s for that matter. We both must say that we especially enjoy being able to go to any show and see four-star riders everywhere. Thank you to USEA for having a sport that not only motivates you to continually excel, but also provides an encouraging environment to all. We love it!