PrintBuck Davidson has always been a great rider, but in 2009 he seemed to truly come into his own. Davidson’s year was headlined by being the highest-placed U.S. rider at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** on My Boy Bobby and finishing 11th at the Burghley CCI**** (England) on Ballynoe Castle RM, but he achieved success with virtually every horse in his large string.
“I’m probably riding fewer horses, but riding those horses more successfully. That’s great for me,” Davidson said. “Riding good horses reconfirms the good things that you do. They make me believe in myself. That helps me believe in them, and then they believe in me, and it all starts spinning the right way.”
Davidson believes everything improved for him in 2009. “I’m better; the horses are better. I can’t say it’s one thing, but it’s all the people in my barn who help me, and it’s all the sponsors that give me the best equipment,” he continued. “It’s the owners who send me wonderful horses to ride, and it’s having the best vets, the best farriers. Everything is sort of coming together and, hopefully, we’ll have a run for a while.”
When he walks into the barn, Davidson said he has the luxury of seeing “some good horses,” which always helps a rider. “You’re only as good as what you’re sitting on,” Davidson said. “For so long, people said to me, ‘You need better horses.’ But I was just trying to survive financially, and that’s why I was riding all different kinds of horses. This year I was very lucky that all of the horses were good. Most of the horses in the barn won at least one event, and I’ve got great owners who provide me with great horses.”
But it’s not just the horses that made the difference according to Davidson’s father, legendary event rider Bruce Davidson.
“If you look at Buck, his life is more in order. He’s matured, and he’s serious about what he’s doing. He’s physically fit and in a position to ride that much better,” Bruce said. “I think he’s hit the point where he understands his abilities, and he knows that he can make a living and that he can attract owners and he can produce a horse. With all of that comes a lot of confidence.”
When Buck struck out on his own six years ago, leaving his father’s farm to build his own business, he had a five-year plan. He knew he’d have to concentrate on supporting himself at first, but he eventually wanted to shift to focusing on his riding. That transition happened this year and was a turning point.
“I used to ride in an event, get on a plane on Sunday night, teach Monday and Tuesday, fly home on the red-eye, and ride Wednesday and Thursday, then go to an event and do it all over again. It was crazy. I think I was just basically tired,” Buck said. “I still probably teach a lot by most people’s standards, but much less than I used to. I’ve learned to say no. If I don’t have time, I say I can’t do it. I still need to [teach]—I didn’t get rich all of a sudden. But it’s not as intense. I literally used to go and buy a bale of hay at a time, because that’s what I could afford. Now, I can at least buy a tractor-trailer load and go figure out how to pay for it later.”
Buck’s challenge still remains balancing his lesson and clinic programs with his own riding. “Buck is dedicated to whatever he’s doing,” said Bruce. “He’s in the barn first thing in the morning, and he’s the last one out at night. He doesn’t leave one part of it to anyone else. He knows what it takes to do each job, and I’m very proud of that because all of my kids had to work to grow up.”
