For decades Sallie Morris has watched and cheered on her daughter, four-star eventer Colleen Rutledge. And it had been 14 years since Morris herself had thrown her leg over a horse at a competition, but on June 12, she changed that.

With the 13.2-hand half-Welsh pony Keep It Together, Morris finished on her dressage score of 35.0 in the beginner novice at the Waredaca June Starter Trial (Md.).

“I decided I needed a challenge in my age here,” she said. “I just needed something. You just lose perspective, and Colleen is always having so much fun, so I thought it was time for me to do it again.”

Morris, 66, is a small animal surgeon at Rocky Gorge Animal Hospital in Laurel, Md., and has been riding since she was a child. She’s only been without horses once in her life, when she and her husband were in the Army in Massachusetts.

“My husband said he would never live with me again without horses. I was very unpleasant,” she said. “What was I going to do with myself? It was only for a short period, thank God.”

Her goals aren’t as lofty as the Rolex Kentucky CCI****—she’s content to just watch. “As my husband says, I’m no spring chicken. I don’t plan on doing any four-stars, trust me,” she joked. “I can almost walk the courses, that’s about it.” But Morris is determined to put in the best rides she can.

“I did the beginner novice; I decided I needed to start somewhere. I wasn’t going to panic completely, but of course I did,” she said. “I went into the dressage ring, never ever turned right before, and I turned right! I’m like, ‘What are you doing, dummy? The other left! The other left!’ I had practiced the test 100 times.

“Now I know. You just get a little nervous, and I hadn’t done it in a long time. It will be better next time,” she continued with a hint of determination in her voice. “My goal is to get to novice. That’s not a very big goal for everybody, but that’s mine.”

While she might not have been competing, Morris has always been in the tack, though in a less serious capacity. When Rutledge is away at events, Morris is tasked with keeping the horses back at the home barn going.

Keep It Together, her pint-sized partner, has been a member of the family for years. They purchased the 22-year-old gelding nearly 17 years ago. Morris’ other daughter Sabrina competed “Kit” for a number of years up to training level before he became a mount for Rutledge’s daughters Cassie and Ciana.

“A couple of years ago Ciana started riding him; she was 6 at the time,” said Sallie. “He took care of her like nobody’s business. He would do whatever [for her]. She’d almost fall, and he’d get under her and catch her. He didn’t care if they went bat out of hell, he was fine, but he obviously took care of her well.”

That gentle demeanor helped Sallie decide Kit would be the one to partner with for her re-emergence on the competitive scene.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Why are you riding him?’ I’ve got all these choices, but the thing about it is, I can trust him,” she said. “I know that he’s going to do what I ask him, and I can’t afford to get hurt; it’s just not really smart of me to do that.”

Watching the Waredaca Novice Three-Day last October reignited Sallie’s passion. After a weekend of watching it, she knew that had to be her big goal. As she put it, “That’s my Rolex.”

Charged with a new goal, Sallie spent all winter working on Kit’s flatwork to make sure they were up to snuff. Sallie acknowledged their late start this season might prevent them from making their goal this year, but she’s confident they’ll be there before long.

“It’s the best thing in the world to have fun,” she said. “Get a passion and stay with it. I’ve always loved the riding.”