United States Eventing Association

Now On Course: Abby Hamblin and Silver Flash

In 2008, a sweet-faced gelding had his 41st career start at Suffolk Downs. After three years on the track and over $40,000 in earnings, this cheeky Thoroughbred seemed to already have a lifetime’s worth of experiences. No one expected that only a few years later he would ascend to the upper levels of another sport entirely.

Silver Flash (Fabulous Frolic x Enough Approval), known around the barn as “Brighton,” made this successful career switch thanks to a little bit of love and a lot of hard work from his current owner, Abby Hamblin. This formidable pair have been learning and climbing the levels of eventing together for the last six years.

Hamblin and Brighton at their first CIC3*. Photo Courtesy of Abby Hamblin.

Hamblin and Brighten made their Advanced level debut in the spring of 2015, and later that summer they also made their CIC3* debut as well. “He’s one of those horses that drags you to every jump,” Hamblin said. “It honestly wasn’t until we moved up to Advanced that he finally backed off the fences a little. He usually just wants to go for it. He’s so brave.”

Hamblin met Brighton when she was fourteen. Having gone through training level with a more experienced horse, she decided it was time to find her next partner. Thanks to a friend’s suggestion, she visited Margaret King’s barn to see an ex-racehorse who had lived relatively quietly since being picked up by the CANTER program two years before - when he was found abandoned at Suffolk Downs.

Hamblin and Brighton at the 2014 NAJYRC. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.

The first time she visited Brighton, he reached his head out of the stall and cocked it sideways to greet her and ask for a treat. This is a trick that Hamblin says her first horse exclusively did, so at first sight, she knew he was the one.

Once the papers were signed and Brighton went home with Hamblin, she began introducing him to flatwork and jumping. “The first few times I tried to jump him, he was actually kind of naughty,” Hamblin recalled. “I would set two or three cross rails in a row, and he would stop and be like, ‘wait a minute that’s too many,’ but he didn’t even bat an eye at his first cross-country school, and that’s the kind of horse he is. He’s not looky; He doesn’t question; He’s one of those horses that’s going to drag you to the jump.”

Hamblin and Brighton at NAJYRC in 2014. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.

They took on their first horse trial at Pine Top Farm in the fall of 2011, and they never looked back. She moved Brighton up to training level the following spring, and in 2012 they took on the Area III Championships, U.S. Pony Club Championships and the American Eventing Championships. By this point it was clear that Brighton could be a suitable upper level partner for Hamblin. “I’d always aspired to move to the upper levels, but when I got him I had only gone through training level on an older, more experienced horse. Once I got him my goal was just to do a Prelim, and then Intermediate happened, then two-star happened, then Advanced happened, and now Rolex [Kentucky Three-Day Event] has been talked about. I really can’t believe it,” she smiled.

Hamblin and Brighton won their last event, the Advanced at the CHC International at Chattahoochee Hills, and now they look to the future. The pair’s spring plans got a bit derailed as Hamblin worked to finish her college degree, but now that graduation has passed, they are getting back in gear. “I’m going to try for Fair Hill [CCI***] this fall. I’m really going to dig in – Get my flat together, get my jump together and give him a really solid run in the CCI,” Hamblin said.

Photo Courtesy of Abby Hamblin.

Hamblin’s first priority though, is Brighton. “I want to make sure I do right by him. He’s 13 this year, and he has raced a lot. I don’t want to push him past his limit. Fortunately, I haven’t seen any signs of his limit yet,” she explained. “This horse has definitely made my career.”

You can keep up with Abby and Brighton on their Facebook page.