PrintAre you ready for Rolex Kentucky? Will Faudree is, and he'll be there with his Stetson firmly in place at the jog on Wednesday, April 21, showing off the talented and beautiful Pawlow. Will is well-known for his Texas heritage and his smile, but his ability to turn in an efficient, smooth cross-country round has taken this 28-year-old from team gold at the North American Young Riders Championships in 2001 to team gold at the 2003 Pan American Games to the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2006. Rolex Kentucky may be Pawlow's first four-star, but he and Faudree have gone from strength to strength with a win at the Southern Pines Horse Trials (N.C.) this spring and an 11th-placed finish at the Blenheim CCI*** (England) last fall. Will took some time out of his busy schedule at Gavilan Farm in Hoffman, N.C., to answer a few questions from blogger Three Days, Three Ways before he made the trek to Lexington.
Q. How would you describe yourself?
A. I don't know. I've always wanted, for as long as I can remember, to be a professional event rider. It's been my focus and my goal, and I love it. I am very passionate about the sport and passionate about the animals and feel very fortunate that I get to compete and do what it is I love to do.
Q. How did you come across eventing?
A. I grew up in Midland, Texas, which is west Texas. There's a small group of eventers out there now, but I started in the hunter/jumper world when I was 7 years old. I saw the '88 Olympics on TV and decided I wanted to jump the jumps. I drifted into eventing after I saw a movie called Sylvester about a ranch girl and her horse who end up going to Rolex, actually. It's an old western. I thought that was cool. A friend of my mom's told me about a Karen O'connor clinic in San Antonio. I didn't ride in it, but we went and watched. That was in '94 I think. It was my first taste of eventing and it stuck.
Q. What are you so passionate about when it comes to eventing?
A. The sport. The horses. I think eventing, of all the equestrian sports, demands horsemanship, and I think that's really important. I love every day that I get to get up and work with the horses and be with them. It's not just about the riding. It's not just the competition. It's the day in and day out routine that I love and am passionate about.
Q. How would you describe your teaching style?
A. I've been very fortunate in my life to work with some pretty incredible instructors. I was based with Phillip Dutton as a working student and worked a lot with Karen and David O'Connor coming up through the Young Rider ranks. I was fortunate enough to be named to the USEF Winter Training list starting in 2003 and so have been able to work with Mark Phillips over the last seven years.
