Here We Go

So sorry everyone for the lack of blogs! But lately I have been working my fingers to the bone and spending all my free time watching youtube videos of horses.
Why? You may ask?
Well! It's official Sasha and I did our first prelim! After our two awesome runs at Fair Hill, we competed at Seneca, Sure Fire, and Waredaca. We had awesome runs at all three and were feeling plenty pumped up, after some schooling, for the big day last saturday at Loch Moy #2.

We had a minor melt down in the dressage, but still ended with a good 40 in the dressage.

Our show jumping was surprisingly clear, Sasha and I's trouble area showed tons of improvement!

And then we had an awesome cross country round!

Our next event is Fair Hill International! See you guys there!

Emily






Photo Credit: Sarah Jeffrey

Spring has sprung!

It's finally the spring season and it has been crazy at Sunset Hill Eventing between grooming at Rolex, competing at Fair Hill, and getting a handle on a bunch of awesome blogs I haven't had any time to even reflect!
A few weeks after getting back from Aiken Kate, Cole, and I packed up and headed to Lexington Kentucky for Rolex! It was the experience of a lifetime! You can read about it here

Sasha and I also have had two amazing runs at Fair Hill International, with clear cross country and show jumping both times! She's jumping really well and I'm very excited for our event this weekend; Waredaca HT, followed by Seneca, and then hopefully a move up to the preliminary level if everything goes according to plan! We've been working on some more difficult and technical questions while schooling at home, and our confidence both on and off course has sky rocketed!

Wish us luck!
Emily

Aiken Part 2- Sporting Days Horse Trials

Well if you haven't already heard.... Sporting Days was a total success!
Sasha and I competed on saturday in the junior open training division where we finished second in a large field! Our dressage was consistent and steady, earning us a 34 (our personal best at the training level) and putting us in fifth place!
I was incredibly nervous going into my stadium round, but as soon as we got into the arena Sasha gave me the confidence that it would be okay! The first jump was a little slow, but I got her moving forward and the rest of the course went like a breeze (with the exception of a few whip smacks here and there! Oops ) We ended up having an awesome double clean round and I was ecstatic!

The cross country was equally awesome! Sasha navigated through all of the difficult combinations with ease! Her personal favourites:
The bank complex, a bank up followed by a large brush table two strides later

The water complex! First a ramp jump, followed by a jump in and a jump out of water! Sasha got a little excited and tried to run into the tree after the jump, but I got her back just in time to make the turn to the next one!

And here are a few odds and ends pictures!

All in all it was a great weekend and I'm so happy Sasha and I did so well! Second place is an awesome place to be, and hopefully we'll be able to do just that (or better!) at our next event Carolina International!
-Little One

Aiken- Part one

Well!
WE MADE IT
Aiken 2014 is going! We started the season out with Full Gallop Farm HT at the novice level. We didn't score as well as we had hoped in the dressage, followed by an unfourtunate run out at the first jump in show jumping and then an awesome clean xc round!
Two weeks later we headed to Paradise HT in the training level. After a winter storm preventing us to ride for two days, and only one day of preparation, we headed off to Paradise. Day one was the dressage, I scored a 35 which ended me around tenth and then a miraculous clear show jumping round bumped me up to somewhere around seventh. The second day was the cross country, the course was tough and Sasha and I set off to have an awesome clean round with the exception of a few time penalties. We ended fifth in the open, as the top placed junior.
Our next stop is Sporting Days this weekend! Wish us luck!

Looking Forward to 2014

2014 is sure to be an exciting year! With it beginning in Aiken SC Sasha and Emily will arrive on the 24th of January, and compete in four events. With the hopes of competing at the preliminary level, ending with a CCI 1* Emily and Sasha will be hitting some of the most difficult courses in the area. Then with the rest of the year we're planning the following:

• Move up to preliminary 
• Fitch's corner prelim
• Millbrook prelim
• a few more events
• Richland prelim
• Plantation CIC 1*
• VAHT CCI 1*

In addition to the exciting competition season I've joined the team at www.eventingnation.com as a guest blogger. I will be writing a riding log, as well as a style and trend report. I'm super excited to broaden my blogging horizons!
As well as Eventing Nation, I've joined up with two other young riders in Area 2 to write a blog called the Optimum Times! www.theoptimumtimes.wordpress.com This is a combination of riding logs, as well as inspirational posts, and helpful hints.
Lots of interesting things are ahead!

Little One

2013 with Sasha in review

Sorry for lack of updates lately people!
But I think you'll find it all for the right reasons.
After my last post I made the difficult decision to put Dobbin for sale and after rocking around a few more novices he found an awesome home with a little girl named Katherine from Eerie PA who absolutely loves him!!
Then began my search for a new horse, and after weighing my options between leasing and buying I finally decided that buying a new horse was the right choice! The second horse we went to look at was perfect! Mudville aka "Sasha" is a 10 yo OTTB mare who has been brought through the levels both by her owner and a small town professional. Competing only in Area I and III. She has a lovely dressage frame and great track record when it comes to the cross country! After buying her, less than a week later we made our event debut at LHPC HT and finished on our dressage score in the BN division. Then after several awesome rounds at the novice level we made the intrepid move up to the training level at VAHT. The course was awesome and really technical but I really liked it! Everything rode incredibly well and I really enjoyed the entire course. Not to mention the fact Sasha jumped it all with 3 shoes on! Finishing on our dressage score ended us in 6th place for a more than successful first training level together! Hopefully we'll be back there next year for the 1*

And it looks like Sasha and I will be headed to Aiken to hit four more training levels before we move on up to Prelim!

Thanks for reading
-Little One

The good, The bad, and The ugly

Wow! What a long time since my last post! I've been busy with lots of training working and shows! 

Before the beginning of the event season I took Dobbin to the Daniel Clasing Jumper Show and ran him in their novice and training divisions. Dobbin and I scores well across the board and were champion in both divisions! Even though I lost my stirrup!

We started the season off with Redland Hunt Horse Trials, going double clear, and finishing on fifth place at our first novice of the year. 

Then Dobbin and I headed out to the MCTA horse trials, going double clear and finishing tenth in a very large and competitive division. 

Dobbin  and I made the move up to the training level at Fair Hill international. I scored an average dressage test, had an amazing show jumping and great start at the cross country, but was eliminated at the water. 

The following weekend I tried again at the Flora Lea Horse Trial, I had a great show jumping and fantastic cross country until we reached the water complex, where I fell off!

Lets just say we will be schooling lots of water before we try again at waredaca this weekend! Because of all the success otherwise I am confident that Dobbin and I can do well! 

Wish me good luck! 

Little one