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I, Alyssa Barrett, am a Junior Beginner Novice Rider and Competitor. My horse Sam I Am (AKA Sammy) and I have been together as a fantastic pair for one year, 14 days, 12 hours, and 58 minutes.
It has been a long journey, even though I just started competing at the Beginner Novice level. This year, my instructor told me I was ready to start seriously competing in USEA Recognized Horse Trials. This was the most excited I’d been this year.
Sammy and I started doing gallop sets and cross-country schoolings at Beginner Novice height, with some Novice/Training level questions. I also joined the Keeneland Pony Club for my second year and counting.
I took my D3 Pony Club Rating in April and visited the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event for the second or third time. This got me pumped for my eventing season! My first Horse Trial this year was Spring Bay H .T. in Area VIII. Dressage and stadium were fantastic! I had the best stadium round I had ever had! I walked the cross-country course three times. The first time I freaked out at this massive brush jump, a roll top going completely downhill, and the third to last jump which was a weird flowerbox.
As I was warming up for cross-country, with my lime green, purple, and blue gear, I started to calm down. Three....Two....One....Have a nice ride!!! I was off at a gallop, and there was no turning back now. First jump, fantastic!! Okay, the second, going uphill. He’s going to get really fast, but Sammy knew that I was nervous and hadn’t done this before, so he was excellent! Next thing I knew, I was crossing the finish line, feeling like I was about to pass out. Loosening Sammy's girth with the official pulling my pinny over my head giving me a "congrats!" and a pat on the back, I realized I had just completed my very first beginner novice and finished in fourth place!! I was halfway to Nutrena/USEA AEC!! My instructor, Sarah Kleintop, and I loaded up and went home after a long, hard day of cross-country. I went home, took a shower, and collapsed in bed. I knew this was the start of some amazing things to come. Just a matter of time...
Thanks for reading.
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