PrintThe local rider pulls off a brilliant one-two finish in the championships.
Tera MacDonald’s short drive home from the 2007 Wellpride American Eventing Championships was tinged with bittersweet disappointment, but the sense of satisfaction she felt after this year’s competition, held Sept. 9-14 at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill., was twice as strong.
This time MacDonald, Chicago, Ill., pulled a one-two finish in the novice horse division with a pair of horses at vastly different ends of the experience spectrum. Savvant, a 13-year-old Trakehner gelding with a preliminary-level past, won on a dressage score of 23.2, but MacDonald’s up-and-coming horse, the 5-year-old Thoroughbred-Hanoverian gelding La Tee Da, was close behind with just 25.8 points. Both horses are owned by MacDonald’s mother-in-law, Cheryl Quick.
“He’s a once-in-a-lifetime type horse for me,” MacDonald said of La Tee Da, nicknamed “Miro.” She helped breed the gelding herself. “It was kind of an experiment, and it sure has turned out well so far.”
At last year’s AEC, MacDonald was winning the open beginner novice division with Miro but switched her status to hors concours on the final day after learning that, having ridden at the preliminary level with another horse, she was technically overqualified for the division. More specific qualification guidelines and separate divisions for horses, amateurs and juniors were added at this year’s competition, but MacDonald said she still double-checked her entries.
“I made sure to enter the novice horse division,” she said with a laugh. “I feel very proud of all the effort I’ve made. It feels good. I guess I came back with a vengeance!”
In the young horse championship held on Tuesday, Miro also claimed his second reserve championship in as many years (see sidebar). MacDonald, who showed hunter/jumpers for 10 years before transitioning to eventing, originally had dreams of competing at the four-star level. But now she’s discovered a particular penchant for young horses.
“I’m just proud of the fact that Miro completed,” MacDonald said. “He had quite a few baby moments on cross-country, and we’re kind of still experimenting with bits. I’m so proud of him, basically because I’ve raised him since he was born.”
MacDonald decided to use the AEC as a tune-up event for Savvant, who was bought as a schoolmaster for her mother-in-law.
“I have a tendency to steal all [Cheryl’s] horses,” MacDonald said, laughing. “He’s probably my favorite horse to ride, but I’ll be handing the reins back over to her eventually.
Tera MacDonald’s short drive home from the 2007 Wellpride American Eventing Championships was tinged with bittersweet disappointment, but the sense of satisfaction she felt after this year’s competition, held Sept. 9-14 at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill., was twice as strong.
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This time MacDonald, Chicago, Ill., pulled a one-two finish in the novice horse division with a pair of horses at vastly different ends of the experience spectrum. Savvant, a 13-year-old Trakehner gelding with a preliminary-level past, won on a dressage score of 23.2, but MacDonald’s up-and-coming horse, the 5-year-old Thoroughbred-Hanoverian gelding La Tee Da, was close behind with just 25.8 points. Both horses are owned by MacDonald’s mother-in-law, Cheryl Quick.
“He’s a once-in-a-lifetime type horse for me,” MacDonald said of La Tee Da, nicknamed “Miro.” She helped breed the gelding herself. “It was kind of an experiment, and it sure has turned out well so far.”
At last year’s AEC, MacDonald was winning the open beginner novice division with Miro but switched her status to hors concours on the final day after learning that, having ridden at the preliminary level with another horse, she was technically overqualified for the division. More specific qualification guidelines and separate divisions for horses, amateurs and juniors were added at this year’s competition, but MacDonald said she still double-checked her entries.“I made sure to enter the novice horse division,” she said with a laugh. “I feel very proud of all the effort I’ve made. It feels good. I guess I came back with a vengeance!”
In the young horse championship held on Tuesday, Miro also claimed his second reserve championship in as many years (see sidebar). MacDonald, who showed hunter/jumpers for 10 years before transitioning to eventing, originally had dreams of competing at the four-star level. But now she’s discovered a particular penchant for young horses.
“I’m just proud of the fact that Miro completed,” MacDonald said. “He had quite a few baby moments on cross-country, and we’re kind of still experimenting with bits. I’m so proud of him, basically because I’ve raised him since he was born.”
MacDonald decided to use the AEC as a tune-up event for Savvant, who was bought as a schoolmaster for her mother-in-law.
“I have a tendency to steal all [Cheryl’s] horses,” MacDonald said, laughing. “He’s probably my favorite horse to ride, but I’ll be handing the reins back over to her eventually.
