It’s been a busy few weeks for Mia Farley, so it’s no wonder that she needed a long nap on her way to England. 

“It’s the first time I’ve actually paid for Wi-Fi on a flight, and then I fell asleep for the whole time. I wasted $30 and didn’t catch up on anything,” Farley, 24, said with a laugh by phone from England. “I need to make a public apology for how bad I’ve been with communicating with everyone.”

Farley and her longtime equine partner Phelps (Tiznow—Boom Town Gal, Cactus Ridge), an 11-year-old off-track Thoroughbred, will fulfill a dream this week when they compete in the Defender Burghley CCI5*-L. The first horse inspection happened today, followed by dressage Thursday and Friday, the roughly 4-mile cross-country Saturday, and show jumping Sunday.

Farley and Phelps will be one of 66 horse-and-rider pairs competing in the five-star, and one of six riders traveling from the U.S., along with Jennie Brannigan, Cosby Green, Hannah Sue Hollberg, Andrew McConnon and U.S.-based New Zealand rider Monica Spencer. All of their horses passed the first horse inspection, though there were a tense few minutes for McConnon when his mare Wakita 54 was held for re-inspection. 

Farley and Phelps are no strangers to the five-star level. They electrified spectators, both in person and on the web, with their double-clear cross-country rounds in both of their previous five-star starts, in April at the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L, where they finished 13^th, and in October 2023 at the Mars Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, where in their five-star debut they were the only pair to finish inside the time cross-country and earned fifth overall. 

Farley, a California native, traveled to Burghley two years ago but not to compete. Instead, she was cheering on her boyfriend, U.S. eventer Woods Baughman, as he competed with C’est La Vie 135.

“I’m excited to be the competitor now,” she said, adding that she’s been relishing every moment since she woke up to her plane touching down in England. It’s been an adjustment, having only Phelps to think about instead of the multiple horses she rides at a typical horse trials back home. 

“I’ve been going the last three weeks at Mach 10 with everything and then got here, and I’m going, ‘What do I do?’ ” she said. “It’s nice and relaxing. I think it’s the best way to do it at big shows. It’s nice to be able to sit and think.” 

Indeed, it’s been a busy few weeks for Farley. She competed three horses at the Fair Hill International Horse Trials over the weekend of Aug. 10-11, including Phelps, who did the open intermediate division as his last prep run before Burghley. On Aug. 23, she packed up the gelding and sent him flying across the Atlantic Ocean with groom Sophie Tullar, so that he could settle in overseas while she headed to Fairburn, Georgia, to ride two horses in the Bouckaert International Horse Trials CCI4*-S. From there, she headed to the USEA American Eventing Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park to ride a few more. 

It’s all in a day’s work for Farley, although the days look slightly different now. She grew up riding hunter/jumpers in California, then eventually headed east to work with Karen and David O’Connor six years ago, after riding in a clinic in California with David, who also owns Phelps.

Farley recently branched out on her own, starting her own training and competition operation out of the same Kentucky facility where Baughman is based.  

“We’re figuring it out together,” she said of she and Baughman, 28, who will be at Burghley this week to cheer her on. She said she loves the challenge of running her own business, managing her own barn, and finding and working with her horses’ owners.  

“I’m learning things every day,” she said. “I never knew how many small things you need around the barn, like tape or nails or whatever. It’s hard but fun. I like to stay busy. If I don’t, my brain starts thinking weird things. I like thinking about hay and grain.” 

She said she still calls David and Karen “every day” for advice. David often helps keep her grounded when she, like many elite athletes, has a day of “crazy” before a big competition. Last Wednesday was her crazy day, she said. 

“In the lead-up to Burghley, I was a little mentally unstable, to say the least, but David makes me feel like I’m not alone,” she said. “I had a little hiccup with my young horse … and that was just the start of it. I like to sweep things under the carpet and say, ‘Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine.’ Until I have one thing happen, and then it’s all not fine. 

“It was just a little steering problem. It was nothing bad. It was something that, probably on a normal [day], would not have started the tears. But it did, and they just went on and on. Come Thursday, I was totally normal again,” she said. “You just have one day where you just are not productive. And then, in about 12 hours, I’m fine.

“I’m still learning about myself at this level,” she added, explaining that while she does get nervous, “Once I get to the property, and it’s all real, everything becomes so much more calm. It’s like, ‘OK, we’re here. Let’s give it our best shot.’ ” 

Until several weeks ago, she thought she might not make it to Burghley this year, she said. The cost of traveling and competing in Europe is steep, and she wasn’t sure she could afford it. However, Brannigan, a close friend, wouldn’t let her give up on her dream. She encouraged Farley to ask people for help, namely by starting a GoFundMe to fundraise for the trip. 

“I was really reluctant to make a GoFundMe. I wasn’t sure if it’s socially acceptable,” she said. She’s raised approximately $14,000 thus far. “Once that shot off, I was like, ‘OK. We’re going.’  

“I’m so excited and really thankful,” she added. “I wouldn’t be here without everyone’s help. He really is the peoples’ horse.” 

In their six years competing together, Farley said Phelps has continued to surprise her. She never thought he’d even make it to the preliminary level, much less rise to the highest level of the sport. Now that they’ve arrived on the historic grounds of Burghley House, she said she’s trying to take it one moment at a time. 

“I’ve avoided thinking about it, to be completely honest,” she said of her Burghley debut. “I don’t want to overthink it. We’ve done all the preparation we can; we’re here because we feel ready; and I can’t worry or think much more about it.” 

And as long as Phelps is content, so is she. 

“He’s happy and feels great,” she said. “He certainly loves the English grass. He’s just in a new place, and the grass tastes better.  

“We haven’t had huge expectations for him,” she added. “We’ve never really made long-term plans. We just went from show to show, and we never put any kind of pressure on him. It says a lot about him. It’s a big part of who he is. He’s like an old friend. I get on him, and we just know each other very well.” 

Running orders and results from Burghley will be available here beginning Thursday.