In 2012, Arden Wildasin was on her way to checking all the boxes she could in eventing—having already contested a CCI** and competed at the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships several times.

But then she took nearly two years off of eventing, focusing on dressage and show jumping. With her horse Mystery Whisper, who competed at the 2012 London Olympic Games with Phillip Dutton aboard, she competed in dressage at the 2014 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (Ky.). She also spent some time focusing on pure show jumping with trainer Scott Keach.

Now she’s back in the sport of eventing, most recently finishing second in an open preliminary division at the Ocala Horse Properties Winter II Horse Trials with Watch Out on Feb. 6-8 and third in the Full Gallop Farm January Horse Trials (S.C.) at training level with Mystery Whisper. She also has Kineo, Il Vici, Dusky Shadow, Chit-Chat, Luyu and Sunday Time competing in the training and preliminary levels.  

Wildasin, 21 and based in Aiken, S.C., is training with Keach and Tom Noonan for dressage, and she’s also working as a junior whipper-in for the Aiken Hounds as she pursues her eventing goals. 

Why did you decide to step away from eventing?

I wanted to pursue dressage and show jumping, and I knew I needed to become better. I needed to take a hiatus, kind of, and drill down and push my limits and understand the basics there. I was very lucky to have the opportunity because I love dressage. Whisper could kind of teach me the three- and four-tempis.

I always loved eventing, and I knew I would get back to it. I told myself “Two years,” and after that, Scott [Keach] said, “If you still love it, get back to it.”

What did you learn from doing dressage at the Prix St. Georges level?

It was just unbelievable how collected and through a horse needs to be. The transitions have to happen so quickly. It’s more about being very present about what’s happening underneath you.

Going to Young Riders was an amazing experience. I loved being on a team. When I fist said, “OK, let’s go to Young Riders in six months—get up to Prix St. Georges,” it sounded like a joke. But Whisper had the talent, and we decided to pursue it full force, and we got there.

How about the show jumping?

It was amazing to get in the ring again and again, and it helped me become more confident. It was another world to me. Then it became like, “Oh, it’s just show jumping.” I was jumping all the horses I have now, so we kept the bond together.

I learned so much more about seeing a distance and rideability, and it just became so much enjoyable. You know what’s happening. You become more in tune with what’s happening underneath you. 

What is your plan going forward with the eventing?

My plan is to take it one step at a time, try and re-qualify myself [for the FEI levels] because I’ve been out for two years. It’s getting qualified for preliminary, which I have done, and it’s getting back out in the groove and the rhythm on cross-country. It’s a completely different feeling when you have a very fit horse that wants to work with you, and it’s cool.

So it’s one step at a time and seeing where the horses want to lead me. It’s always about listening to the horse. I can’t make the decisions.

Was Mystery Whisper excited to be back eventing?

He was so excited! I did the dressage test, and we had a lengthening down the long side, and I’m like, “OK, this is going to be fun. I’ve done so much dressage with him.” But he did a squeal and a buck, and I was like, “Great, that movement has gone out the window.”

He was so playful and so happy. He wanted to do the threes and fours, and I was like, “No, we can just do the trot and canter circles.”

We went into the show jumping, and I’d never felt him so happy. Then he’s jogging around the start box [before cross-country], and he was like, “I’ve got this.”

It was actually my first time ever competing him eventing, and the last time he went eventing was at the Olympics. But he had so much fun. He tore the course up. We knew each other so well from doing the dressage and the show jumping that it was like, let’s go out and just have fun.

How did you get involved with the foxhunting?

I’ve always loved foxhunting, and I’ve done it since I was young kid with my first pony.

I’m going out Tuesdays and Saturday with the Aiken Hounds, and that’s a huge family to be part of. Eventually I’ll be hunting my eventing horses, but since I’m a whip, I’m still getting my horses used to the whip.

Some are getting better at it, and I think maybe in a month or so I will take the eventing horses. They all go into the woods, so they know the territory, and it’s just more about the actual whip and the cracking noise.