United States Eventing Association

I got Je T’aime Opera, or "Minko," a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare (Je T'aime Flamenco x Foxy Cleopatra R) in 2024 as I was retiring my previous horse due to medical issues. From the first trial she felt like my heart horse, and while being fancy enough to go up the levels, she also was safe enough for anyone to ride. She’s smart and knew who was on her and how much sass they could handle.

After a slight steering blip our first show we then won five straight shows (recognized and unrecognized) at Beginner Novice and Novice, and considered going to AEC in 2024 if I hadn’t been defending my thesis a week later.

Our good luck continued into the fall until we went to Terranova (Myakka City, Florida), and she dumped me by spinning before the start flags in show jumping. Then began amore than a yearlong road to figuring out what she needed to be happy again.

What started out as treating ulcers and working on saddle fit eventually led to the day that she tested positive in a neurologic test. She got a CT, and we discovered she had narrowed nerve pathways at C5-C6, so in July and August 2025 she underwent two foraminotomies at Ocala Equine Hospital (Florida) to widen the pathways on either side. Then began the process of rehabbing her and seeing if she would be willing to do the job again.

There were definitely ups and downs in this, with moments seeming like she wanted to dressage and jump again and moments where she was reactive and spinning. That led to seeking help with groundwork with her and also adjusting her lifestyle to find what truly made her happy.

First was figuring out that she primarily would like to live out 24/7 in a large grassy field with other horses (preferably mares). She also prefers to be barefoot behind; something we decided to try but still don’t know for sure the reasoning behind it.

Over time through the winter and into the spring we rebuilt our partnership and trust in each other both on the ground and in the saddle, on the flat and over jumps until May 2026 when we decided to tackle our first event together at Majestic Oaks (Reddick, Florida) and hoped to end on a number.

Despite some moments of questioning both in show jumping and cross-country, she went around and did everything on the first try and finished fourth! We decided to next go to the Area III Championships (Ocala, Florida) and do the championship division since I thought the order of the two days for show jumping and cross-country would play to her strengths in terms of where our partnership currently was.

She ended up second! Going into showing her again, I just wanted to see if she was open to doing the job again, and she answered whole heartedly by getting us a qualification to the AEC; something I had no plans for and wasn’t even thinking about. She’s still definitely more cautious, questioning, and sassy than when I first got her, and I know there will still be ups and downs, but I’m so incredibly proud of everything she has overcome and grateful to everyone who helped to get her to this point.

About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2026 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held on Aug. 25-30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The AEC is a registered trademark of the USEA.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsor: Bates Saddles, Marshall+Sterling Equine Insurance; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Gallagher’s Water, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartEquine, Standlee; and more!