United States Eventing Association

USEA Member Story #49

This is the 49th entry in the USEA’s Member Story Series. Help us reach our goal of over 300 stories – email your story to Leslie.

My name is Liz Lund, and I am a 23-year-old living in St. Michael, MN. I currently own and operate Liz Lund Eventing LLC and Trophy Hill Farm, both located in Cologne, MN. Eventing is my life. I live and breath for eventing, and have been fortunate enough to be able to turn my passion for riding into a business. I have successfully competed through the CIC2* level and hope to reach the Advanced and FEI 4* levels someday, but as with all aspects of riding, the journey toward these goals, rather than their attainment, is most important to me.

My journey began in 1993 at Heiland Hills Training Center in Jordan, MN. I started riding a pony named Dino Pony and an old horse named Mastered Profession (MP for short). I did my first schooling shows and fun classes within months after I started. I then moved on to a Hunter/Jumper barn in Wisconsin called St. Croix Equestrian Center where I learned more about that world. I went to my first recognized show, the MN Fall Harvest H/J Horse Show, in 1998 on a Trakehner gelding named Mercury. I then decided to move on from H/Js and found a horse to lease out at Jacqurie Oaks Stables, a farm in Maple Plain: Remember Show Biz, a tall thoroughbred gelding. He took me to my first recognized event at Brightonwood Stables in 1999. After Biz I found Lucky Shamrock, who was my faithful partner for a number of years. We successfully competed at the Beginner Novice and Novice levels, winning a variety of ribbons and awards. It was on Lucky Shamrock that I also began to move up the ratings in the United States Pony Club.

As the years passed, my involvement with horses grew. I began riding other people’s horses, giving friends lessons, teaching through pony club and exploring any other type of riding I could. In 2004, I stumbled about T-Oaks Farm in Hamel, MN and began working there mainly as a groom. After I ended my lease on Sham I had a few short term leases. Liz Turnquist, the owner of T-Oaks had a mare, Hannah, on the farm that needed to be sold. Since I didn’t have my own horse, I began working with Hannah, and took her to a variety of clinics and shows in 2004 and 2005. After I graduated from Edina High School in June of 2005 I wanted to move out East to work in the horse world - so I decided to purchase Hannah in the fall of 2005 and we packed up and moved to Connecticut. I worked for a private amateur dressage rider, Julie Solomon, six days a week. After Thanksgiving we moved down to Wellington, FL for the winter season. Wellington was a world I never imagined, with farms nicer than any house I had seen!

Feeling the need to experience more of the eventing world, I decided to pack up and move north to Ocala and work for Darren Chiacchia. After a brief experience as a working student I moved back home to pursue a college degree. I attended the University of Wisconsin – Stout in Menomonie, WI to get my degree in Service Management. I boarded Hannah at Otter Creek Farm, a beautiful facility with USEA Events through the Intermediate level, USDF Dressage shows, and USEF/USHJA Hunter/Jumper shows. Working hard to finish college while maintaining a part time training business on the side kept me more than busy!

In January 2010 I decided to head back to Ocala with trainer and friend Philippa Humphreys. There we kept our horses at a leased farm and attended the FL events including Rocking Horse, Ocala Horse Trials, and the HITS Ocala circuit. It was a great kick start to the season. I headed home in the middle of March, arriving in Minnesota to an early spring and that’s when I decided to start my official business, Liz Lund Eventing LLC.

LLE’s first season was very successful. Lady Hannah B finished her first CIC2* and I moved Juliette the wonder pony, owned by Katy Bloomquist Holub, up to Preliminary. Through the spring and summer my client base began grew rapidly. In April, I began leasing a 10 stall barn and teaching lessons there. A lot of the kids in the Rider Development Program I teach through a local pony club began taking regular lessons and then through this winter LLE added a few more adults and dressage clients. I also made a new addition to the Liz Lund Eventing Team, with the purchase of Rhine Maiden from Alison Larson with Larson Sader Dressage. I hope to have her going on the eventing circuit during the 2011 season. I now operate a full barn, and full schedule! My business continues to grow and expand and I look forward to my future experiences.