Kalispell, Mont.—July 26
Jordan Crabo has known Over Easy since she was born, but she never expected she’d be competing the mare at her first Adequan North American Youth Championships.
Bred by her grandfather, Bo Crabo, “Easy,” a 13-year-old Swedish Warmblood (Quite Easy—Olivia Of GCF, Amiral 764), was brought through the advanced level by Jordan’s mother, five-star rider Barbara Crabo.
“When she came out and she was maybe a week old, I came out to see her,” said Jordan. “I was two, and I was just staring at her, and I looked at my mom and said, ‘I want to ride that,’ and she said, ‘Get in line!’ So I did, and I’ve waited my turn, and I’m really excited.”
Jordan Crabo and Over Easy. Lindsay Berreth Photos
Easy decided she wanted an easier job, so she was sent east to be sold as a hunter a few years ago.
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“Believe it or not she was too lazy to be a hunter, so now she’s back doing eventing,” said Jordan, 15. “I just started riding her a year ago, and we’ve just finally hit the last set of clicks and really started to get it together. She’s definitely teaching me so much. She’s kind of point and shoot, but I still have to have a lot of things very right because she’s such a different ride from the typical event horse. She’s a kick and lean back and go as fast as you can, but somehow she makes time, and she’s a great jumper.”
Jordan, Scottsdale, Arizona, scored a 27.1 this morning in the CCIJ2*-L.
“I thought it was pretty good,” she said. “She swapped in our first medium canter, and she was a bit sluggish and behind my leg. I felt like I was Pony Club kicking her around the way, but she can be like that sometimes. I’m bummed about our swap, but otherwise she was really good.”
Jordan, who trains with her mother, is excited to be at Rebecca Farm and is enjoying her team championship experience. “It’s very different from anything I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “I’ve been to Kentucky with my mom and got to see that, but the last time I went I was like 13, so I didn’t really understand it because I hadn’t been doing much eventing at a higher level at that point, so now that I’m here it’s kind of cool to be like, oh, it’s my own special thing.”
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Training with her mother was tough in the beginning, but now they both enjoy competing together.
“It’s really, really fun,” she said. “In the beginning it did not work out, and I had to go learn how to trot over poles from a jumper trainer because we did not get along, but now I think it’s better because I know her so well, and she knows me so well. She can really push me, and I love being pushed. Sometimes it might feel a little scary in the moment, but I truly love it. It’s so helpful that she’s ridden her because she’s such a different ride from my other one [Santino] who’s a Thoroughbred. My dad’s also my vet.”
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