05/11/2026
Horse Park of New Jersey was a big day of highs and some lows for RWS.
First and foremost, a huge congratulations to our successful move-up riders — Cheyanne and Magical Mesa on their Novice debut, and Natalia and Phoenix on their Beginner Novice move-up.
I’m incredibly proud of both of these riders and all of the work they’ve put in to get here. Watching these guys grow from their first jumps into confident riders is one of the best parts of this job.
I’ve taught Chey since her very first tiny jumps (in her bright teal troxel and purple cowboy boots), and she has produced Mesa herself every step of the way. Mesa is a quirky, talented mare with plenty of large opinions, and Chey has done a fantastic job learning alongside her while developing into a strong, effective rider. Finishing 2nd in their first Novice together and taking Champion TIP honors was the perfect reward for all of their hard work.
Natalia has been with me since her first Greenhorn division, and it’s been amazing watching her turn into a scrappy, gritty, determined little rider. She currently leases Phoenix, Destiny Dale’s 20-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, and he has taught her a tremendous amount about tactful, soft riding. That hard work paid off with a solid 6th place finish in a competitive division and a very successful move-up.
Another huge shoutout goes to Ari and Sprout. Ari has also brought this pony along herself, and he is truly a pocket rocket with plenty of his own ideas. Finishing on their dressage score of 30.4 with double-clear jumping rounds was a great reflection of all the work she puts in behind the scenes.
Alycia and Tabby also had a great day, finishing 2nd and earning Reserve Champion TIP honors in their division. Alycia has worked incredibly hard to figure this mare out, and it showed in a beautiful dressage test and a double-clear finish on their score of 33.4.
One of our sale horses, Fred, went out for his very first event, where he finished 4th on his dressage score of 34.1. He was a little nervous in the big environment when he first walked in, but settled super quickly and handled the atmosphere like a seasoned horse by the end, and I’m excited to see him continue developing this season while he looks for his next person. You’ll see him out again at SAPC later this month.
Delaney and Regalian had their eventing debut in the pre-starter division, finishing in 6th place. These two will be back out for the rest of the season and I’m excited for their development.
I also brought Krill for his first-ever event, where he finished 4th in his division. Krill firmly believes that giving 110% every second of every day is absolutely necessary, so his emotions were running a bit high all day long. Despite that — and despite the pouring rain — he absolutely loved leaving the start box and gained a ton of experience. It was a really educational outing for him, and I’m excited to see how he develops as the season goes on.
And speaking of rain — of course it held off all day until the Starter riders were heading into show jumping. The skies absolutely opened up just as Beans, Annie, and Krill were about to go in.
The weather made things especially tough for Gabby and Beans, who had two very uncharacteristic stops in the show jumping and finished 10th. Ems and Annie put in a beautiful dressage test for a 32.7, but unfortunately picked up a TE after three stops in the show jumping. Ems was still able to continue cross-country for schooling and had a fantastic ride there.
It was frustrating timing and rough luck with weather for what was meant to be their Starter move-up, but that’s horses and eventing sometimes. I’m proud of both riders for handling the setbacks with maturity and putting their horses first throughout the day.
Unfortunately, Rachel and Hades also had some bad luck after a lovely dressage test and a strong show jumping round, picking up a technical elimination on cross-country after missing their down bank. They’ll be back another day for another crack at the Novice move-up.
