Valerie V Eventing: Spring Summary

Spring is quickly passing us by at Sudley Farm! Despite the incessant rain we are as busy as ever with lots of great news and updates to share- especially as we pack up for the big spring finale at Virginia this weekend! Before I start talking about all things Blue Clover Eventing though, I want to congratulate Michael Jung on his impressive win at Rolex. I was lucky enough to be at Rolex and watch him as he is well on his way to the eventing grand slam. Our sport is so demanding of both horse and rider and to feel good and perform well in all 3 phases is an incredible feat. To do so at the 4* level is the wildest dream of many. And then there is Michael Jung who does it consistently- three times consecutively, amongst numerous other wire-to-wire wins! What an incredible athlete, rider, trainer and horseman he is. May he be an inspiration to us all and a shining light for eventing during some tough times, especially of late.

Michael Jung's dedication and attention to detail are inspiring and I look forward to continuing to make that a priority in my own program. I am lucky to share Lorenzini as a sponsor with Michael. It's clear by Michael's success that his horses love their Lorenzini products, as do my horses. Favian has been making huge progress in developing a better connection in his Lorenzini snaffle. Kitty Smith-Garrity not only provides BCE with all things Lorenzini but also our lovely L'Apogee saddles. Favian feels fantastic and is quickly gaining strength and confidence in his Lorenzini and L'Apogee wear!

Favian showing off his Lorenzini and L'Apogee wear at the Loch Moy schooling CT!

I am so thrilled to say that Favian and I are rapidly continuing to develop a partnership. We went to the Wednesday evening Loch Moy schooling CT last week where he scored a 27 in his dressage test. He also had some absolutely beautiful SJ rounds! Fave is so athletic and eager to please, and has such a big forward stride- it has been so fun getting used to him!

We have also cross county schooled at Fair Hill and Windurra where it is was more then obvious that cross county is his favorite phase! I'm hopeful that after a successful Training level debute at Virginia we will move up to Prelim at Waredaca in June- stay posted after Virginia for the final decision!

Schooling the FHI water complex for the first time.

Favian is happily getting used to life out of the desert! He had never been turned out on grass or had the same kind of large turn out fields we are so lucky to have at SF. To help get Favian acclimated to life in Maryland he was given super-pony, Tatanka, as his new BFF and life coach!

I could talk about Favian all day long but there are many deserving and talented horses at Sudley Farm that deserve to share the spot light with him! Dewey continues to have a great attitude, trainablity and rideability- which are such important and frequently overlooked qualities. Dewey is doing a lot of cavaletti work to build strength and understand how to work through his back. He is also working on half halts (a very important tool when riding such a fast ex-racehorse!) and leg yielding to improve suppleness and learn to move away from the leg.

Lastly, with Virginia just a couple of days away I want to wish the best of luck to all of the BCE riders, especially Cary and Alex, who are riding in FEI divisions. Cary and his 7 yo super talented horse, Game On, are tackling their first 2* season! This horse is an incredible jumper and Cary continues to give him confidence. Alex and her fantastic horse, Willie Wiggins, are a dream come true partnership. Alex and Willie had a super season at Training last year, winning the PRO Scholarship and then moving up to Prelim. With my help last fall when Alex went off to college she was able to keep rolling this season, competing their first 1* at The Fork this spring and finishing just outside the top ten.

Alex and Willie looking ready for this weekend!

Handling all of the behind the scenes craziness at Virginia this weekend will be our recently promoted barn manager, Tyler Held. Tyler demonstrates uncompromising dedication and enthusiasm for the sport and BCE program, which made me want to reward all of her hard work and feel confident entrusting her with a greater set of responsibilities. She has revolutionized the level of efficiency in the barn and spends long hours taking care of our 16 horses, giving them each personalized attention and treating each one like her own horse. Tyler's positive attitude is contagious and inspires us all. Now more than just a barn manager, she basically handles all of the BCE operations and we look forward to her being a super star in her new roll!