There’s one moment that will always stand for me at this year’s Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals (see p. 38). And, as thrilling as it was to see Maggie McAlary ride her way to the top, what I’ll remember is a ride that didn’t earn a ribbon and a trip that few probably noticed.

Sarah Tredennick entered the ring as the 261st rider in a starting field of 271. I’d watched almost every round before her, and, to be honest, was a bit numb to the excitement of the day. Watching 250 trips over the same course does that to you. And it became apparent right away that Tredennick wasn’t going to have the round she’d hoped for. Her horse, a big, striking gray, was obviously unnerved at the atmosphere of the Farm Show Arena. On her opening circle, Tredennick was barely able to get him to canter, since he was so ‘googly-eyed’ looking around at the stands and colorful jumps. But she gamely kicked on.

Her round wasn’t going to win. Her horse was tense, tentative and ran-out at the narrow coop at the end of the ring. His obvious greenness didn’t allow Tredennick to show off her polish, position or style to the judges. She just had to ride to get around. And that she did. Tredennick gave her unsettled horse a tactful, positive ride, never punishing him for the blatant green mistakes he made. She never lost her temper or her patience but consistently kept her horse going forward as confidently as possible. And he, despite being obviously unnerved, made a huge effort to please her.

As they rounded the corner by the in-gate for the long approach to the last oxer, her horse broke to the trot again, but she just kept her leg on and made the turn. I sat behind that last oxer, and as she landed over the jump, was able to see the wide smile that graced her face and the big pat and long rein she gave her game horse on her closing circle.

She showed no sign of frustration at her long year of qualifying and practicing for that one trip being all for naught. She simply accepted that her horse had been green but had tried hard to be good. It was a refreshing sight, because, to be honest, there weren’t many other riders who had the same attitude.

Everyone always talks about how intense the pressure cooker of these fall finals are for the junior riders, as Jennifer Berol Bliss discussed in her Horseman’s Forum (see p. 45). But it’s just as much a challenge for the horses, and not every rider is going to have the blessing of sitting on an experienced, seen-it-all campaigner when they walk in to tackle the Medal Finals course. Every year, there are many horses who are blatantly impressed by the ring and the occasion. And every year, we see riders robbed of their chance to shine by a horse’s nervousness or green moment.

But this was one of the very few moments I’ve seen where a rider handled that situation gracefully and with impeccable sportsmanship. I’ve seen riders whip horses who stopped simply from self-preservation from a bad ride. I’ve seen riders spur, overflex and overbend their horses on the way out of the ring, obviously displeased with their performances.

But Tredennick is one of the very few that I’ve seen accept that horses–even equitation horses at Harrisburg–are just horses and fallible. It was a moment of pure horsemanship that didn’t earn any recognition at a horsemanship final, but it certainly made an impression on me.

Molly Sorge