United States Eventing Association

Bringing the Fun Back to Eventing has 2024 USEA Adult Amateur of the Year Arden Wildasin in the Right Headspace for First Five-Star Attempt

Adult amateur Arden Wildasin’s 39-page long competition report with the USEA began in 2005 when she completed her first Beginner Novice with Mr. Fox. If you would have asked her then if she ever imagined she would be prepping for what she hopes to be her first five-star outing 20 years later, she wouldn’t have believed it was real.

“Anyone who knows me, knows I love going fast. I’ve always loved the adrenaline rush, but I have also always been very much of the mindset that I need to take it one step at a time,” shared Wildasin as she drove home from Bruce’s Field in Aiken, South Carolina, where she was kicking off her season with some show jumping rounds to knock the dust off.

“Sure, I thought it would be cool to go five-star, but I never had a goal of, ‘In this year, I want to go five-star,” she continued. “For me it has really become about harnessing the enjoyment of the sport and since doing that, I can see myself possibly going around the five-star at Kentucky this year.”

Wildasin began preparing for her five-star at the start of 2024 when she sat down and made her competition goals for the year. She knew she needed to successfully navigate two CCI4*-Ls to earn her five-star qualification, so she laid out a season with her beloved, long-time partner Sunday Times, and her other horses, that would set them up for success.

In 2024, Wildasin galloped out of the start box at an FEI event 16 times, competed at the Advanced level three times, and brought home 11 wins, all which contributed to her ultimately winning the title of 2024 USEA Adult Amateur of the Year with an impressive 195 points.

But for Wildasin, her 2024 season is much more than just the results on her competition record.

“The results are much more than a score to me,” she said after some contemplation. “They really are a belief in myself and a belief in my horse. Yes, absolutely, winning something or having a podium finish is amazing, but I am more focused on keeping the enjoyment and the happiness— I want to continue to love this sport.”

She has spent the past couple of years operating under this new mindset after taking a step back, reevaluating her riding and her goals, and going back to the basics.

‘“In the spring of 2022, I had a bit of a rough patch,” reflected Wildasin. “I needed to figure out where I was mentally and physically and what I was and was not capable of.”

Part of that evaluation was making a switch in her program. She connected with fellow Aiken resident Heidi White who helped Wildasin focus on the fundamentals to build up her strength, both in the saddle and in her mind.

“If you look at my record, you can see I went all the way up to Advanced at one point, and then I dropped way back down. I have gone up and down through the scale because when I went up there, I realized I was missing something. I needed to get stronger, and I needed to learn to believe in myself and that I can do it,” she noted.

“I don’t really care what level I am at with a horse anymore,” continued Wildasin. “I care about what they feel like underneath me, and if we both feel confident together. I think people should really understand that if all you do in your life is compete at Novice, then hey, you are one step above Beginner Novice! Or if you only ever do Beginner Novice, then you are one step above Starter. You need to do what is good for you to keep the enjoyment.”

With this fresh perspective and a new coach behind her, Wildasin found herself working her way back up the levels again and seeing new goals become reality. Once she checked the boxes on her 2024 goals, she could turn her attention to her big goal for 2025: prepping for the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event with her partner of over a decade, the 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Sunday Times (Cult Hero x Lackagher Crest).

“I didn’t know if ‘Mumbles’ would ever actually be a four-star horse,” reflected Wildasin. “I didn’t know if he wanted to compete at that level or that height, but he kept coming back from these shows with this mentality of ‘I like this; let’s do this!’ So I kept telling him, if you want to do it, then I am going to learn. I am going to get better, and I’ll be the monkey on your back. He’s a very cool horse, and I am really hoping that this year he continues to be strong, healthy, and fit, and if he wants to leave the start box at Kentucky, then that is up to him. I am very lucky to have the privilege to ride him every day and enjoy this sport with him. He is so very special to me.”

One focus that Wildasin thinks has helped shift her riding over the years was the practice of putting her nerves to work for her, rather than against her.

“I view nerves as something that is not entirely negative. Nerves can be a positive thing because they will heighten your senses and your awareness, if you allow them to help you,” she noted. “Rather than allowing the dragon in your head to overwhelm you and cause you to start second-guessing yourself, you just have to find that balance where you take a breath and understand, ‘Yes, I am nervous, but this could really help me!’ ”

Having the confidence in herself, her skills in the saddle, and her horses, has allowed her to use her nerves for good. As an example, if she finds herself nervous in the start box, she reminds herself that she would never let herself leave that start box if she wasn’t fully confident in her horse and if she wasn’t aware that she was capable of accomplishing what was out there in front of her. It’s all about the balance she has worked so hard to achieve throughout her years in the sport.

“If you think you have to win, you start putting the pressure on, and you forget that you have to learn and you have to embrace it and enjoy it,” said Wildasin. “So yes, the results are fantastic, and when it's meant to be, it's meant to be. But for me it's truly about when the hard work, the dedication, the focus, and the desire to improve all falls into line—that is when it feels like a work of art."