United States Eventing Association

USEA Member Story #31

This is the 31st entry in the USEA’s Member Story Series. Help us reach our goal of over 300 stories – email your story to Leslie.

So, the USEA wants to know about me . . . my tag line here and in Facebook is I am an Amateur Owner. I work a full-time job and manage to ride five days a week I make mistakes, pick myself off the ground, dust the dirt from my shoulders and I try again. Life is good!

I was a true barn rat as a kid. No one in my family (immediate or otherwise) had any interest in horses, not one bit. My passion must have been inherited from my Irish ancestors, lost for just a couple of generations. So, at 11, I hunted horses down, did almost whatever anyone asked me to do for the pleasure of riding their horse. Looking back . . . at some barns, I was slave labor but I did get to ride!

I went to watch the Essex Horse Trials sometime in the mid 80's. Everything about it captivated me . . . the roads and tracks, the vet box, the cross-country course, the sweaty, elated competitors and their amazing horses. Now, that was a sport that I wanted to be involved in . . . elegant dressage, wild and free cross-country, and powerful show jumping. So the dream began.

A million years later, at age 44, I just happened to return to riding and the barn was primarily an Eventing barn. Dreams do come true.

Eventing, for me, is my football. I follow the upper levels like the most passionate football fan. I am lucky to keep my horse at a barn where the owner does the same. If we had the equivalent of baseball cards for the horse/rider pairs, I am sure that the two of us would collect and trade them.

I also follow my friends - those that compete here in Area I and my growing number of Eventing buddies on Facebook. We cheer for each other . . . Live Scoring rocks!

Who am I? My outerwear is a 50-year-old Insurance Consultant covering the heart of a 16-year-old horse crazed girl. (Luckily for me, I have the income of a 50-year-old 'cause horses are not cheap.) Giving back to this sport I love is important, I volunteer as often as I can and I make small donations to the Young Riders, USEA Foundation, Area I and to some Horse Trials. In order for Eventing to continue, we must do what we can to support its future.

My horse, Fame and Frolic (aka Sugar), is a 16.3H registered Oldenburg NA mare (by Hall of Fame/DWB out of Four Frolic/TB). I bought her from the breeder at age five. She was born and trained to be an Event Horse. As I learned this sport, she was competed by professionals through Preliminary and with me, Beginner Novice and Novice. We do everything - Foxhunting (first flight), Dressage, Hunter Paces, and I have been known to take her on vacation with me. For the last six years, we have made a perfectly imperfect team.

Dreams do come true. This year, as our season begins, I have some: Area I Novice Championships (Qualified), Area I Team Challenge, American Eventing Championships (Qualified), move up to Training and, then who knows? The possibilities are endless.

Want to learn more about Suzanne? Follow her on her blog at: http://confessionsofanaaer.blogspot.com/