116 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Marissa’s team at the awards ceremony: (left to right) Cassie Thomas, Marissa Degner, Jackie Flynn, Michaela Wood and Connor
Siegel.
Photo by Tricia Booker/USHJA Archives Photo
horse fairly well by now, and I was excited for the Nations Cup
the next day. Peter emphasized the fact that you can never be
perfect, but that you should strive for excellence by making a less
than ideal situation work in your favor. This piece of advice stuck
with me throughout the clinic.
The afternoon ended with setting the course for the Nations
Cup. Peter walked the course with us, pointed out tricky spots,
and encouraged us to think about our horses’ strengths and
weaknesses and how these parts of the course would need to be
ridden.
That evening, all the riders and Horsemanship Quiz Challenge
participants, along with family, attended a banquet. Each team of
four riders was given a name, my team’s being Touch of Class,
after Joe Fargis’ 1984 Olympic mount. A drawing was done to
decide the order of go for the teams in the Nations Cup the next
day. My team ended up drawing to go second.
Sunday morning came too soon
.
As I dragged my mother out of
bed before the sun was up
,
I couldn’t believe it was the last day.
Once I arrived at the equestrian center, I focused on completing
my chores. My team came together to talk about the course and,
before I knew it, it was time for me to get on. My fantastic groom,
Kelsi Okun, was right by my side as I warmed up Ace. With mixed
emotions of excitement and anxiety, I headed up to the ring.
Ace felt a bit fresher than the previous few days, but with the
hectic atmosphere I wasn’t surprised. When my time came to
show in the Nations Cup first round, I remembered Kip’s tricks
for warding off nerves in the show ring. As I prepared to begin
my course, the buzzer sounded. Apparently Ace knew what that
buzzer meant, because we took off for the first jump before I knew
it. With his true jumper side really showing through for the first
time in the week, I was a bit surprised that his agreeable, polite
self had been replaced by a true fighter whose only goal was to
get across the course as fast as he could. During the course, I
remembered many things Peter had said throughout the clinic,
like bending the horse when half halting to get a better result.
Though the course didn’t ride quite as expected, I was excited for
a second chance in the second round.
After walking Ace around the warm up ring for a while, I handed
him to my groom, Kelsi, and was able to watch the rest of the
riders in the first round. For the second round, Ace was much
more like he had been the previous days. I was very happy with
our improvement and was pleased to end the weekend on a good
ride. I really enjoyed the opportunity to apply the skills that I’d
learned over the past two days in my courses.
A tie for the silver medal resulted in a jump off between my
team and another. Connor Siegel secured the title of silver medal
for our team, Touch of Class. During the awards ceremony, I was
extremely proud of myself, my team, and all the other riders as
well.
Participating in the EAP National Training Session was such
an honor, and I am extremely grateful to have been able to learn
under so many incredible professionals in the industry. Saying
goodbye was hard, and though our time together was short, every
person left an impression on me that I don’t think will ever fade
away.
About the writer: Doris Degner-Foster lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma and rides with
Harvard Fox Hounds when she is not interviewing interesting individuals in the horse
sport. She also enjoys writing fiction and is working on a middle grade book series
about teenagers who ride horses and solve mysteries. Doris also writes the “Notes
From The Field” blog on the Sidelines Magazine website – don’t miss it!
