One year ago I was driving down to Florida feeling pretty kicked down after Fair Hill. Everything was changing. I was a little nervous leaving True Prospect Farm, to say the least, and I was just about to start off training with Scott Keach to focus on my show jumping. I was definitely at a crossroads in my life.
Going off on your own is always a big jump for any rider, but I felt as though Phillip and Evie prepared me for it as well as I could have been. It turned out to be an interesting year for our country, in more ways than one, and my eyes were really opened by the people who stepped up to support me. I could not be more thankful for how this first year on my own has played out.
Eventing is indeed a very tough sport. As riders, we develop very strong emotional connections with the horses we’ve had for years, and those bonds are key components in the ability to succeed at the top levels. And yet at the same time, our sport requires you to set all your emotions aside at times—you have to be a very tough individual, mentally and physically, to go out and ride tough and get the job done.
By the time Fair Hill 2014 rolled around, I was feeling really confident in my ability to do all that with my two strong horses, Ping and Henry.
But come Saturday morning, when the two-star course is riding as tough as it was this year, it completely changes the air at a big event. Suddenly everyone bands together, in the sense that the riders who’ve already gone come back into the warm-up to tell everyone else how the striding turned out or why they fell or where they had a stop. And this is quite an interesting phenomenon, I think, because under this pressure people tend to show their true colors. And I can tell you from this and many other experiences that we have a strong core of sportsmanship and teamwork in this country.
My two-star boy Henry jumped around the track super and then had a very, very close call at the final water and was inches from a fall. In 2 seconds, you can go from having the round of your life to a horrible day. Luckily Henry is a class athlete and righted himself, not even thinking of stopping or running out. And the feeling of crossing the finish line at a big event like that is something unlike anything else.
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At Fair Hill you see a full range of emotions, from people looking like their world has crashed down all around them, to people beyond elated to have jumped around, to people literally reduced to tears when leading the victory gallop. And I experienced this range of emotion on Sunday myself, starting with Henry being not right to trot up. Fortunately he doesn’t have a serious injury and should be back next season, but when you feel a horse give his all out there and think of the hours you’ve spent jogging him, training him and galloping him, it’s heartbreaking to not get to finish.
Henry’s owner, Nina Gardner, handled it like she always does, with complete class, and we looked on to Ping. He’s a tough Irish horse and trotted up super.
So instead of show jumping in the two-star, I sat with Scott, whose advice and guidance has turned out to be invaluable to me over the course of this year. We watched and discussed and analyzed every round of the division, and he did a great job of keeping my head in the game—including later in the warm-up, when I started to worry that we’d been too late to start and weren’t going to be ready to go.
But everything was indeed just fine. Ping jumped his heart out, as he tends to do; I’m very lucky in that way. After our round I gave him a pat, got off, and walked to the corner of the warm-up by myself, with my back to the ring. I really didn’t want to watch Boyd’s round.
This is where I personally struggle: I really love to win. It’s no secret that I’m a very competitive individual—almost every eventer is—but at times this trait can lead to some serious self-loathing. I could never feel comfortable wishing a rail on someone else.
But even without watching or hoping for it, I heard the crowd groan when Boyd had one down… and I realized I’d just scored the biggest win of my career. And what was more remarkable than the win itself was how so many of my peers, friends and people I’ve looked up to while growing up in the sport ran over and hugged me, offering truly sincere congratulations. Boyd in particular was so awesome to me—I was really blown away by that. He and Big Phil have shown me what it takes to make it, and I appreciate that.
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It’s been a year of ups and downs, just like every year with horses will be. Yesterday morning I got an unexpected phone call informing me that despite my performance at Fair Hill, I wasn’t going to be included on the USEF Winter Training List. While I respect the selectors’ decision, I obviously believe in my horses and my program, and I’ll be looking forward to Rolex in April with Ping, who finished this season sound as a pound.
In the meantime, huge congrats to all my friends who did make the list, and huge thanks to my amazing staff, including Stephanie Cauffman, Jordan Crabbe, Emma Hartley and Erin Rose, who’ve been top-notch and an integral part of my success this year. And I have such a lovely group of owners who do the sport for the right reasons—I’m blessed in so many ways.
So here’s to another year of the rollercoaster ride… At least on this one, you get to pick the people who sit next to you. I think I’ve got some good ones!
Til next time,
Jennie
