REPUBLISHED FROM OUR FRIENDS AT THE UNITED STATES EVENTING ASSOCIATION. I purchased my wonderful APHA gelding, JJ Spot, in February of 2016 when I was 31 years old – he was my first horse after a lifetime of riding and hoping for one of my own. JJ and I had been eventing together on a […]
I just got home from the USEA Area III Championships at Poplar Place Farm and it was definitely a weekend of ups and downs. Metaphorically, that is. I didn’t actually fall off this time. ;) A month ago, I went to Poplar to run the May Horse Trials at Novice to “prep” for this event […]
It’s been two and a half months since our last 3-phase, and I was excited to get back at it after spending a week at the LRK3DE vending my awesome Ride Heels Down apparel. <<< Shameless plug. ;) I was feeling pretty low-key about this event, a Novice Horse Trials, since I would be going […]
Although it was originally supposed to be our first Training 3-Phase, I’m happy to say that our second Training CT is in the books! The week before, coach Lauren Turner got the flu (poor girl!) and was laid up in bed during our usual Tuesday lesson. Thinking back to the last time I suffered the […]
Written by Susan Shu, observer-turned-eventer. After years of driving my daughter (the talented and lovely Catherine Shu) to the barn, shows, clinics, camps, AND learning how to handle horses, that dressage is very difficult and not just riding in circles, how to pick hooves, stand for the farrier and vet, give meds, drive a trailer, […]
After watching us have a particularly fun jump lesson back in October, Susan Shu, one of the barn moms at Beaumont Farm, approached me with a surprising (and incredibly flattering) question: she wanted to know if she could ride JJ in Poplar Place Farm‘s next “Seasoned and Sexy Amoeba Challenge”. Of course, my immediate response […]
Last October, my lesson buddy Mary Campbell of Mare Goods and I went to explore Georgia’s Dawson Forest on our first trail ride with our ponies. Long story short, we didn’t get very far and found out once we wrapped up that there was a waterfall we missed! So, we vowed to come back soon […]
Well, the day finally came – we made the move-up! It was only a Training CT to start (because reasons) but… WE SURVIVED! Leading up to the event, it didn’t stop raining. Ever. At all. It’s been raining in Atlanta non-stop for 37 years. I’m so tired of being wet… We hadn’t jumped in a […]
Now that I’m in my mid-30s (ugh) I’m noticing that I can’t shed weight quite as quickly as when I was younger. Plus, combined with the fact that my lungs suck at being lungs (I hate you, asthma) I figured it was time to focus on fitness if I’m going to get to Training… Normally, […]
After spending over a week in fabulous Florida competing, riding with greats like Buck Davidson, having epic flat lessons, and working on our weaknesses, it was time to put it all together with the grand finale with one last USEA Novice 3-phase event. When I was in Florida last January, I competed at Rocking Horse […]