I recently attended my good friend Lynn Symansky’s wedding in November. I was lying on the beach in St. Croix listening to Hannah Sue Burnett tell a funny story to Jennie Brannigan. Lillian Heard and Ryan Wood had just walked back up to the house and Danny Symansky, Lynn Symansky’s brother, and my husband [Tik Maynard] were swimming in the ocean.
The whole drive I had been chugging Red Bull and giving myself pep talks about developing a thicker skin while anxiously surfing my XM radio. A few weeks earlier I had been having some conversations with peers about our need to cross-country school more often and in more “uncomfortable” situations. It’s pretty easy to set everything up to go according to plan while schooling, and often that is important, but if you’re looking to sharpen your instincts for a championship competition there’s only so much trotting back and forth over a ditch that’s going to help you.
I was in a field in Germany cursing myself for the wrong choice of shoes because the ground was very, very damp when I was introduced to a well known German eventer from times past. The greeting smile had not left her face when in perfect English she said, “I was there at fence 5 in France.”
I froze. She continued, “He was a bit fresh and in my opinion a bit fast.”
I honestly have been trying to write this blog for a few days and it seems every time I try, I have a mixture of emotions that I struggle to put into words. It seems crazy that last week I was in France representing my country at the World Championships. The result—not optimal, and the experience I am still digesting.
I was paired with the five best teammates I could imagine, a phenomenal coach and a horse-of-a-lifetime, seemed a recipe for success. But a comment made by veteran teammate Phillip Dutton stood out in my head at a pre-game chat.
We’re moving right along in team training session season, and as you may have heard or read on Monday, we learned some new information in the recent vet evaluations that’s altered our spring competition plan for Tate. While he’s still in full flatwork and continuing on with the training sessions, our previous plan to do Rolex again seems an unnecessary risk if it could complicate the big picture plan for Team USA and the 2014 WEG in Normandy.
I haven’t worn any type of jewelry for the past month.
After spending six months out of New Jersey last year, between our Florida stint and the summer in Europe, I decided that we should stay in N.J. for January. This would, first and foremost, allow me to earn back some of the money I’d spent on our summer adventures, as well as reconnect with the community that had supported those adventures (one of those people being my wonderful fiancé, Tik).
This seemed like a great idea. Until the temp started dropping below the 30-degree mark.
I rang up my good friend Rebecca Howard the other day, knowing she was at the Boekelo CCI*** in the Netherlands, watching the Nations Cup. I wanted to get the scoop on the performances of our American contingent as well as her impressions of the rest of the field.
If you watch closely at Boekelo, you’re bound to see some of the likely contenders for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Rebecca, like most of our North American riders, did not have a stellar Olympics this year.
I walked around the cross-country warm-up trying to stay calm and focused. I felt at home on the familiar four legs that were carrying me, but there was a smell of nerves and of the unknown so thick you could almost see it sifting in and around the red and white flags.
Every morning when I wake up, the first thought that crosses my mind is: “I am not going to the Olympic Games.”
Then I start my daily pep talks (to myself), and normally by the time I reach the barn I can get a smile on my face. But it’s very difficult in my situation to keep growing as a person and accept the lessons that need to be learned.
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