Apr 07, 2011

USEA Member Story #31

Suzanne and Sugar. Photo courtesy of Connecticutphoto.

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/

Mar 06, 2025 News

Weekend Quick Links: March 8-9

Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered!

Mar 06, 2025 ATC

USEA Adult Rider Program Hosts Team Challenges Again in 2025

Are you an Adult Rider looking to set new competition goals for 2025? Do you want to experience the excitement of team competition while connecting with fellow riders who share similar life experiences? Consider competing in a USEA Adult Team Challenge this year! Build camaraderie and gain valuable competition experience at your Area’s Adult Team Challenges. Then set your sights on the ultimate eventthe USEA Adult Team Championships (ATC) at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds (AEC).

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Aiken Awaits: The 2025 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships are Almost Here!

The 2025 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships are officially two months away! Collegiate and IEL athletes from across the country are gearing up for what has been coined the “Happiest Horse Trials on Earth,” and the USEA can’t wait for the fun to begin. This year’s championships will again be hosted by Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, and will now be hosted across three days on Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4 to give the students even more time to enjoy all that the event has to offer.

Mar 04, 2025 News

Exciting Finishes at Twin Rivers' First Horse Trials of the Year

Entering the 25th year that the Baxter family has owned Twin Rivers Ranch, the 2025 eventing season in California’s wine country kicked off with the Twin Rivers Winter Horse Trials from Feb. 28 to March 2—the first of five USEA-recognized events to be held in Paso Robles, California, this year.

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Official Forage of the USEA

Official Supplement Feeding System of the USEA

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