I remember the first Olympics I watched with goosebumps. Between the smile of Mary Lou Retton and the stamina of Ben Arthur, the Los Angeles Games were the beginning of a dream for me.
Now, 20 years later, the Games in Greece are both an end of that dream and the beginning of many more. I pursued three-day eventing tenaciously since I watched the television, glossy-eyed and eager, to ride at age 7. This year was the culmination of those years of hard work: I competed at Rolex. I did a four-star! I am still saying “yippee!” inside with a girlish giggle.
I may not have wowed the selectors with my not-really-there-yet dressage and my nervous show jumping, but I had the ride of my life cross-country. I was equally as gratified to be at the competition as to see my friends and family who had traveled from every direction to support me at this Olympic selection trial. I knew all too well that the chances of doing well enough to be in serious consideration for the team were slimmer than slim, but it really piques the interest of non-horsey people to mention the possibility of the Olympics. Suddenly, they begin to understand the level you have achieved and the years of sweat and tears that have brought you to this point.
The Kentucky Horse Park has been the scene of most of my phases as a rider. I visited Rolex first during the retirement of Bruce David-son’s Doctor Peaches and was in awe at the sight of a horse from the magazines. (Yes, I read every horse book and magazine and ran around on all fours longer than I care to admit.)
As a member of the Tennessee Valley Pony Club, I competed in countless regional and national rallies. I polished tack for turnback inspections, answered horse management questions for knowdown, and attended several clinics on my way to becoming an “A” Pony Clubber.
The park was also my beginner novice debut with my horse Crescendo, who would give me the first taste of the upper levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
Several horses gave me the confidence at the intermediate level to know that I could go advanced, but then one thing or another seemed to go wrong before reaching that last step. In 2000 I watched Rolex before heading to the Camino Real CCI** (Texas) with Lord Archibald, and I knew I could do a four-star one day. Archie was a fantastic horse who crossed my path when I was a senior in college, riding an $800 Thoroughbred at a barn where I taught a few days a week.
Sweet as he was, Archie kicked me in Texas, and I had to fly home for knee surgery after dressage. I recovered quickly, and headed to Bromont with stitches still in my knee. We finished respectably with a clean cross-country round, although it was still a struggle to bend my knee. Archie seemed ready to go advanced, but his hind leg looked like a banana when I got home from Canada. After recovering from the bow, Archie took a bad step in the field, shattered his stifle, and had to be put down.
Finally, in 2002, I went advanced on a horse named The Alchemist, a horse bought from Peter Green by Sharon Martinache. This 17-hand giant made me feel like queen of the universe cross-country, but he continually humbled me in dressage. He, too, succumbed to soft tissue problems, despite giving me a thrilling ride at the 2002 Foxhall Cup CCI*** (Ga.). I always thought he would be the one to take me all the way, but it was “Cooper’s” barnmate, Faraday’s Hope, who was my steady eddy partner through the finish flags at Rolex.
Faraday was a goofy 5-year-old when Martinache bought him through Darren Chiacchia, and I struggled to canter a 20-meter circle with him. Despite his greenness, he kept doing what I asked of him, so I kept moving him up. I was still a little astonished when he was going advanced as an 8-year-old, because he seemed like the most unlikely one in the barn to do a four-star. His flatwork came along slowly, but every year his jumping style got better, and my confidence in him multiplied.
I came home from Rolex still grinning and forever grateful for the opportunity my sponsors and many helpers gave me to compete at the four-star level. So now, what next? I would love to do Rolex 10 or 20 more times, but I would also love to hike the Inca Trail in Peru, start (!) saving for retirement, and publish some of the writing ideas spinning in my head.
I headed to Spain at the end of May and hiked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago by myself. It was an amazing experience and gave me plenty of time to think about what to do next. When I returned from my hike, I packed up every last thing in a rickety moving van and sped out of horse country and into a new beginning.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is frightening, because I’m not sure exactly what is next for me, but I am excited to explore the dreams that have taken second fiddle to riding. Rolex was the thrill of a lifetime, but horses are going to have to sit on the shelf for now. I get teary-eyed every time I stare at a riding picture, but I know I am on to an exciting time in my life. I am positive I will ride again; I just don’t know when and how. But, I am ready to drink up all that life has to offer, and I know every minute spent riding has been well spent.
I take for granted some of the things riding has taught me. As I look for a new job, I keep hearing about how hard it is to find hard-working, reliable employees. This seems like such an imperative quality in life that I’m baffled to think everybody isn’t wired with this feature.
Anyone who loves competing horses is branded with a strong work ethic. Sure, you don’t always have a boss breathing down your neck if you are running late in the morning, but your best hope at achieving your dreams will be galloping happily around his pasture waiting for you to arrive. He doesn’t realize his superficial is about to blow, or he’s about to step in a hole. With horses, every second counts and no detail can be overlooked.
I feel a little silly that my resume is covered in riding experience, but no business person can tell me that the things I’ve learned riding won’t help in a new realm. We all run three-ring circuses to get to our competitions and then have to find the seren-ity to compete, despite the 100 things that can and do go wrong around us.
Riding has absolutely made me who I am and who I will always be. It will give me the strength and confidence to tackle other aspirations. Thank goodness for that Olympic flame; it really does stir every little-girl dream inside me and push me to grab life with gusto.
Jessica Shuler, 27, grew up in Nashville, Tenn., and now lives in Charlotte, N.C. A graduate ‘A’ Pony Clubber, she graduated from The College of Charleston (S.C.) with a French degree. She is now freelance writing and working on a children’s book.