Many Move-Ups and Congratulations!!!

With MDHT II behind us and August FHI within sight it seems like a good time to share some congratulations on the most recent BCE move-ups and accomplishments!! If you read the last blog, 'Worth the Wait', you know I was excitedly waiting for MDHT II to move Favian up to Prelim- I am so thrilled to say that it really was worth the wait and it couldn't have gone any better!!! We finished 4th in our division, within 1 rail of winning it. Unlike previous years, before the 1 and 2 stars were running along side the other divisions, this was NOT a move up course and Fave handled it extremely well! I wasn't pushing him for time but his stride is so huge it just swallows up the ground. I couldn't be happier with him after MDHT II and am looking forward to building on our success at FHI this weekend. Looking to the fall, I hope to get his first CIC 1* in at Plantation and then possibly a CCI 1* at Kentucky! There is so much to look forward to with this horse!!

Fave didn't seem to mind that his Prelim course shared numerous fences with the CIC 1*!

Dewey Square also deserves lots of praise and attention after his successful introduction to eventing the same weekend with a strong finish in 2nd place! Dewey continues to impress me with his willingness to learn; first a race horse, then a year with the hunter/jumpers and now an eventer! He took it all in stride as a classy horse does! He definitely knew he was at an event and he puffed himself up and rose to the occasion for all 3 phases. Check out his SJ round below! Dewey is going to keep the momentum going at FHI this weekend as he tackles the novice!

Huge shout out to Mckenna O'Neill, who won her training division with Boomer and looks to make it 3 blues in a row with Boomer at FHI this weekend! Also, to Alex Peterson who conquered her SJ demons from the 1* this spring and put in her first clean SJ round at Prelim with Willie Wiggins! She finished her division in 2nd place within just a few time seconds on an awesome XC round to make it the icing on the cake!! Mckenna and Alex are both back off to college in just a few short weeks and we will miss then dearly until we are reunited this winter!

Alex and Willie Wiggins

Mckenna and Boomer

Cary and Game On also had an awesome weekend as well, completing their second CIC 2* at MDHT II on a very challenging course! Cary also just wrapped up a successful weekend at Millbrook with Game On.

Awesome ride through a challenging combination in the dressage arena!

Allison and Fling moved up to novice at MDHT II and looked strong in all 3 phases but unfortunately Allison got her yellow and white squares mixed up on XC! She will be looking for redemption at FHI! And the last (but far from least!) congratulations is for Elyse, who has now caught the eventing bug, and had a super debute with her adorable horse, Poncho! Congratulations to all! I am so lucky to have such a talented and lovely group of horses and people to work with and we can't wait to see what Fair Hill has in store for us!

Worth the Wait

Recently, I had the realization that good things really are worth the wait.
So, why is the wait so hard to endure?!

It took me months to find Favian; really, it took me three and half years
if you want to get technical. Let me assure you, I was looking hard,
leaving no stone unturned. I experienced numerous let downs and dead
 ends that left me thinking I might never find the right horse. Just when
 it felt like I was never going to get my prize pony, the stars and dollar
signs seemed to align and finally I found Favian!


From the moment I had Favian I just wanted to hurry up and do
everything I had been waiting for, for years! I want to shout out a
HUGE thank you to Jann Byyny who talked some sense into me very
early one morning during a lesson when she helped me remain
patient and assured me that the talent is there- but it takes time to
 a partnership develop. It's a partnership that is worth the wait to take
my time and make sure I develop right, with a strong foundation
and trust.


From the beginning Favian has been amazing, already exceeding many
 of my expectations! After successful outings going training at Virginia
and Waredaca I was on the fence about whether or not he was ready
to go Prelim at Surefire two weeks ago. Of course, I want to hurry up
 and have an FEI horse again, but I decided to wait until our last cross
county schooling the Wednesday before Surefire to make my decision
 about moving up or not.


Luckily, I woke up and realized how stupid I was being! Was I going
 to wait for something disastrous to happen to make my decision for
me?? We ran around the training that weekend and he was foot perfect!
PERFECT! The feeling of now knowing I have a horse ready to move
 up is so much more fulfilling than running around a XC course at a
higher level wondering what to expect at the next combination.
Debating between the direct route or the option as you gallop down to
it is never a good feeling!


I appreciated going back to Surefire and schooling the Prelim and
 knowing that I probably could have had a clean round. I hope that
when we move up at Loch Moy I find out it was worth the wait!!
Knock wood as I know you need luck just as much as anything else
 in this sport, however, I'm feeling excited and prepared, not just
lucky.

For more information on XC schooling at Surefire click here: https://youtu.be/m-NCWEEJztg Another amazing horse in our barn, Dewey Square, reminds me to be patient with horses that are career changing into eventing. Dewey was such a successful and talented racehorse and he was used to doing everything everything his way- and doing it well! I appreciate how willing he has been to learn new things, most recently, how to bend right! He hadn't done that in 6 years and it never seemed to be a problem as a willing and winning horse on the track! XC schooling him has been incredibly rewarding. Going slowly and breaking things down into their most basic pieces is the way you seem to progress the fastest. XC schooling cannot be likened to a dress rehearsal; attempting to do the entire combination from start  to finish several times does not necessarily teach your horse anything! You don't teach a horse FEI 2* Test B by just attempting it everyday! XC must be looked at the same way. Dewey seems to dig this mentally as he has taken to XC schooling so quickly, which is so exciting! He seems to enjoy the grass and hills after spending his early years on a flat dirt track!

As I look forward to Loch Moy this weekend, I feel obligated to post  a public service announcement. I want to take a moment to talk about one thing that is NOT worth the wait- entering an event! Mary Coldren helped inspire me to write about this. Do you know how Mary spent her 4th of July holiday?? Trying to sort out roughly 500 entries for MDHT II as fairly as possible. The Sunday before closing there were 125 entries total and only 2 days later there were now over 500 entries!! That's just not believable! She had to go through the entries and figure  out literally to the minute who entered when in order to make a fair wait list. I assure you, this is not what she is getting paid to do! Just like the rest of us eventers, it's not for the money :) Just think about that the next time you wait until the last minute to enter an event! I will admit I am guilty of this myself sometimes, not sure what the future will hold for each horse, but imagine if just one person from each barn does that! We all know Mary is amazing at what she does but let's try to make an effort to let this start to be the exception rather than the rule! Thinking along the same lines, I feel strongly that each competitor  should have to be involved with volunteering at a recognized competition. I remember when I was first taking all of the classes  to get my judge's license. The one thing I questioned early on- why on earth does anyone want to organize an event?! What a massive and often thankless undertaking! I don't think riders are trying to be rude, I think they just don't really have a clue  as to all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Try volunteering- just once, just for half a day even! You would be amazed at what you can learn. Scribe for a dressage judge  or the show jumping judge, you will learn exponentially! My hope is that competitions make this as pleasant an experience  as possible. I've definitely seem some people wanting to help and not organized or guided properly. It's a nightmare when they  put a kid out at the SJ in gate- we need good volunteer coordinating  decision that make it a positive experience for the volunteer as well! Thank you ALL at the MDHT II ahead of time for a fantastic weekend that was totally worth the wait ;)

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!

Tyler and Chip showing off their ever improving dressage!

We are looking for 2 additional working students to work with Tyler. Email of text me for more details.

Sudley Farm's XC Course is almost open!

Hay is ready to be cut 
(if it will ever stop raining)!

If this pesky rain will ever go away our cross county course will be opened for schooling very soon after! For those of us lucky enough to know Sudley Farm it's common knowledge that our beautiful cross county course and galloping fields also doubles as our hay fields. This dual purpose functionality of much of our 130 acres at Sudley Farm is testament to the numerous partnerships that have flourished at Sudley Farm over the past several years. Sudley Farm and BCE are committed to supporting our event horses and their success at every level, and as every eventer knows, nutrition is an extremely important aspect of that success.  I feel so lucky to work out of and manage Sudley Farm for it's wonderful owner, Elizabeth Bonner.

 The water complex is highly versatile and has something
for everyone with multiple drops and a large inviting bank!

The Collinson Family Partnership manages and implements the paddock seeding and fertilizing as well as the transition from the original crop fields to a lovely alfalfa/grass mix for our hay. The Collinson's work directly with the Nutrient Management Plan Program through the University of Maryland Extension branch where they receive individualized recommendations on nutrient and fertilizing applications through soil testing. The successful results of this hard work and planning is evident in our happy healthy horses who enjoy this hay year round. 

In addition to quality hay, our horses enjoy Cavalor Feed. It's important that our horses have energy, but not be crazy, and I want to thank Cavalor North America (locally distributed by Myers Grain) for perfecting this recipe and keeping our horses healthy and happy. We feed performix and pianissimo specifically, and they have done wonders for our ulcer prone horses and hard keepers. For more information don't hesitate to contact me and check out Cavalor's website which can be accessed here: http://www.cavalor.com/int/products/category/2/feed

Anne Arundel County has long been in need of a world class cross county course for schooling purposes and it has been my pleasure to help provide this not only for my riders and clients but the local community in general. We have been lucky enough to employ the services of Morgan Roswell, an experienced internationally licensed course designer who has designed through advanced and internationally recognized levels. He is well known for his impressive work at Rocking Horse, New Jersey Horse Park and locally at Seneca Valley. Morgan is also brining back the event at Essex in time for the summer of 2017, so be sure to look for it on the Area II calendar next year! For more information on Morgan and all of his work and services his website can be accessed here: http://www.rowselldesign.com/. Morgan not only designed our course from the beginning but he routinely comes back and moves the jumps around to create different courses so there is always something different! For more information and pictures of our course country course and schooling click here: http://www.blueclovereventing.com/Facility/Facility.html 

Our course currently boasts BN- T level jumps and combinations, and with Morgan's guidance
we plan on adding technical preliminary combinations later this summer! 

Out of respect to our farmers and footing (which is our hay!) we are diligent about protecting our footing on both the lower cross county fields and the gallop terrain. The Collinson's will be cutting hay as soon as it stops raining long enough to allow them to do so and our cross county course will be open soon after. To protect the footing and our hay the course is open by appointment only!! Please email me (val@blueclovereventing.com) or call me (410-353-3813) to schedule an appointment. The XC schooling registration and liability forms can be found on the link to my website.

BCE Welcomes West Coast All-Star, Favian!!

I want to start this post by extending gratitude to all of the amazing people who helped make this possible- I couldn't be more excited to announce that I recently purchased Favian from Tamie Smith and Heather Morris (CA). Tamie and Heather have done an outstanding job of bringing this lovely horse along. Favian is an 8 yo big 16.2 black Oldenburg, well bred by Donnerhall Furioso Rubenstien. Favian has a dazzling record to date piloted by Tamie and then Heather as they brought him along at the lower levels. Favian has loved the spotlight from the beginning, winning the 2015 Nutrena AEC Novice Horse division with Tamie.

Favian soaking up the attention of winning his novice AEC division!

Of his nine starts he has finished inside the the top three all but once (with a 6th place at Copper Meadows in TH). His last start, with Heather, was his first trip around the green squares at Galway Downs in which he finished on his impressive dressage score of 28.9. Favian demonstrates all of qualities of a 4* superstar in the making!! I was lucky enough to hear about Favian and be first in line to try him, thanks to Liza Horan who went looking for me after a depressing winter with my search on the east coast turning up nothing viable. When Liza called me to tell me this horse could be the one I immediately vetted him and then hopped on a plane to try him for myself. I knew immediately I would be bringing this one home!

Trying Favian for the first time.

Of course, I can't wait to get out there with Favian and start building my partnership with him... but there are a couple of things he will have to get used to being newly acclimated to the east coast. He's never been turned out on grass before, something Sudley Farm boasts a lot of, and he will have to get used to the sometimes oppressing humidity of Maryland in the summer. My hope for this season is to build a relationship together at Prelim and end with a 1* in the fall.

Favian showing off his XC style!

I am so excited to get back onto the international scene, this has been a long time in the making! I truly believe this is the horse that will it happen. I am so thankful for the support of my owners, clients, and staff- this wouldn't be possible without them! Another HUGE thanks to Liza, Heather and Tamie for helping to make this opportunity possible!

There are still a few syndicate shares available- contact me if you would like to know how you can get involved!

Favian and I getting aquatinted at the KY Horse Park... where I hope we come back to compete in just a few years ;)

BCE Welcomes the Infamous Dewey Square to Sudley Farm!

Blue Clover Eventing couldn't be more excited to announce the arrival of Dewey Square at Sudley Farm. Dewey Square, who is on a mission to prove just how versatile and well rounded thoroughbreds are for multiple different disciplines, started his first career as an acclaimed race horse. Bred by Siena Farm (a first class boutique race horse breeding facility in Paris, Kentucky) Dewey Square is the son of Bernardini out of the multiple stakes winning mare Somethinaboutbetty (by Forestry). From the beginning it was clear that Dewey was a force to be reckoned with, winning his first 2 races by huge margins. There was even whispering of Derby potential. Dewey first started developing his huge fan base on the track, thanks much in part to his Facebook page.

Dewey Square winning hearts and turning heads on the track

As it turned out, Dewey was not destined to win the Derby and instead of sending him to claims races, Siena Farm decided to bring Dewey home. Instead Dewey would start a second career in the hunter/jumper arena with 14 year old Isabela de Sousa. Dewey and Isabela learned together and developed an inspiring partnership as they competed in the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover- winning the 2015 RRHP jumpers division and placing very well in the hunters. 

Dewey and Isabela competing in the Thoroughbred Makeover

Now, at just 6 years old, Dewey is beginning yet another adventure, proving once again just how versatile this thoroughbred is. Dewey has joined his new owner, Nicholas D'Amore, (grandson of owner/breeder Anthony Manganaro) to begin his eventing career in Maryland. Even though we have only had Dewey for hardly a week his potential and raw athleticism are undeniable. 

Dewey showing off his lovely gaits at Sudley Farm

I am so excited to bring this horse along and help Nick develop a relationship with him. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Nick to have the first green horse he has worked with be such a talented and kind one. Dewey may be a fierce competitor but he his also super classy and kind to handle and work with. Everything about this horse screams Four Star Superstar and I expect that that thanks to all of the people who have worked so hard on this horse in the past that he will advance through the levels quickly! Stay tuned to hear about all of Dewey's progress and events this season- we can't wait for him to make his debut as an event horse!

We can't wait to see what the future will bring for Nick and Dewey Square!

BCE is back from Aiken and ready to get this summer started!

After another exciting and non-stop winter in Aiken, Blue Clover Eventing is back home in Maryland at our lovely Sudley Farm and reminded of how lucky we are to work out of such a phenomenal facility!!

The lurchers are definitely happy to be home so they can do some ground hog hunting :)

Our last stop on the way home from Aiken was The Fork where Alex and Willie Wiggins made their big debut at their first CIC 1*, and placed just outside the top 10- I couldn’t be more proud of these 2 and how far they have come! Cary Chavis also deserves huge congratulations on his second successful trip around the red squares with Game On, his amazing 6 year old sport horse.  I can’t say enough about Cary and Game On- they are such a great partnership and have endless possibly together. They are gearing up for their first 2* together at Fair Hill next weekend which is especially impressive given how young Bo is and how quickly they have advanced!! Meanwhile, Cary is also building a successful relationship with his newer horse, Game On, as they compete at Prelim.

Poe and Fing also had a triumphant winter in Aiken as they cleaned up at the lower levels everywhere they went! Nick and George continue to build confidence together at Training level; they had a great run around Carolina International in March!

Alex and Willie Wiggins looking confident as they jump out of the water at The Fork CCI 1*!

Meanwhile back at Sudley Farm, our amazing barn manager, Tyler, seamlessly managed our transition from Aiken, to the Fork and then finally back home at Sudley Farm and has things put together and running smoothly as we gear up for a busy spring/summer season. We have several new additions to the BCE family including Tayler and her very cool 17 hand OTTB, Admiral, who I think will be running around the upper levels in no time! Savannah and Logan have also started riding with BCE on their lovely OTTBs, Fuhr and Forty, who have tons of potential to do great things!

Admiral checking himself out for the first time in the mirrors of our beautiful indoor arena!

As we gear up for the summer 2016 event season I am reminded of all of the things I have to be thankful for- such amazing horses to work with everyday, Tyler and Amanda keeping the program running smoothly, and outstanding and supportive clients. I’m hoping that in the next couple of weeks I have one more big thing to be thankful for, stay tuned for what I hope will be a big announcement!