United States Eventing Association

Part 1|Part 2|Part 3

Following up on my “Road to Badminton” series of blogs, my horses and I have had some ups and downs this year; Things are looking up and I have a positive outlook for the future.

I am excited to report that after sustaining an injury this spring that canceled our trip to Badminton, Cavaldi, (Joey) is back in work again! He had a contusion that was nearly as severe as a fracture, when viewed on the bone scan. It came up after Southern Pines, literally from pounding the ground. The vet said it’s common in racehorses but rare in eventers, and we were lucky that it was just trauma rather than an actual fracture. Joey has been walking an hour every day and we have the word from Dr. Kevin Keane that it is okay to put him back into work.

Ecogold, Mushroom Matrix, Haygain, Five Star Tack and County Saddlery have been wonderful sponsors who stood by me even when I had to withdraw from Badminton, so I’d like to thank all of them for their support!

Between the setback of not going to Badminton, which was so much work emotionally and physically and then Castle Jordan (George) getting hurt at the Fork, both my upper level horses were out. It was a lot to take in, especially since my two-star horse Ballylaffin Bracken (Rox) was still recovering from an injury as well.

I got home from Aiken with not a lot to do except regroup and think about where I want to go with my riding and my career. All of that has almost given me more motivation to take things to the next level. I am trying to find a group of supporters who can help me find and maintain horses that can be competitive at the international level. There was a time of feeling down after all these setbacks but then it kind of lit a fire under me to get moving and make a difference in my life. Joey is 16 now and can’t do this forever so it’s time to find some horses that will help me move forward!

Rox also back in work and aiming to compete at the end of June. Our plan over the summer is to get him ready and hopefully be a contender for the Pan-American Games. After Fair Hill last fall we are qualified, but we may need to compete at Rebecca Farms this summer; I need to chat with Capt. Phillips and develop a plan. My goal beyond the Pan-Ams is to move Rox up to the advanced level.

George came out of The Fork with a slight injury, and though he will make a full recovery and should be back to a hundred per cent by fall, I don’t plan to compete him at the Advanced level again. I think he can give another rider some great experiences and has a lot to offer someone wanting to go up the levels, but I no longer plan to take him to the four-star level.

This has really given me the motivation to look for a new prospect, and a group of supporters to help me take my riding and career to the next level. Hopefully expanding the people behind me will give me the opportunity to branch out in my business and find at least one more horse with world class potential.

Learn more about Kristin at http://www.kristinschmolze.net/Home.html