Early Morning
“This is a very very very difficult horse to ride, she does an unbelievable job with this horse. I don’t think there are many riders in this field tonight that would be able to ride this horse or do a better job than Sami does...”
– Jimmy Torano
at the
Altech National Horse Show World Cup Qualifier
A Kids Dreams
I fell in love with the jumpers at a very early age, the speed, the height, the athleticism, it was what made my heart skip beats. I remember finishing up in the pony division at WEF and sprinting to the Grand Prix Field, now known as the international ring, to watch the riders in red coats jump in the Sunday Afternoon Grand Prixs.
It was an ongoing joke, if you couldn’t find me I was at the Grand Prix field or getting Chinese food from the China Hut. Many times, on my drive home I would just talk to my mom about the Grand Prix, but most importantly I couldn’t wait until one day that it would be me in that ring. As I aged through my junior career my dream never changed. I was determined that one day I was going to be in the Grand Prix's. I had my dream horse already pictured in my head. A mare who is absolutely stunning, on the wild side So wild only I could ride her, most importantly she had to have a BEAUTIFUL TAIL! The tail was was by far the most important part. One day as I was sharing my dream horse, someone looked over at me, chuckled and in the same breath “Ya, that’s definitely never going to happen, you don’t ride well enough to have a horse like that.”
The Moment
Many years passed, horses came and went in that time, I had a successful junior year and now focusing on my AO career. I had shown in my first Grand Prix on my horse Naloubet and was winning in the jumper divisions. Divisions I only had dreamt of winning. Unfortunately keeping Nali in showing shape was a bit harder than any other horse I had previously owned. Nali had bruised her navicular bursa and none of the treatments were working. Which resulted in my vet finally suggesting 6 months off. I had lost my fire with riding and I started coming up with life options that didn’t involve horses. Alan, being the best coach, promised me I would always have a horse to ride and show. So, as I contemplated my future, I continued to go out to the barn and ride. One day I was sitting on the trunks in the aisle, waiting for one of my horses to cool off. Then fresh off the trailer walks in this horse, as I looked up simultaneously my jaw dropped. There she was, the horse I had been waiting for my entire life. She was this beautiful dark bay, thick neck, perfectly made mare. When our eyes met it was a feeling I still have yet to feel to this day, it was like lightning hitting my soul. I remember practically stuttering “who’s that?” One of the girls working at Castlewood at the time said, “that is Early Morning, don’t even think about it, that’s Alan’s new Grand Prix horse.”
Stalker Phase
The obsession was real. I remember going home after seeing this horse for the first time and telling my mom how gorgeous this horse was. It was like she was made in a factory. My mom just listened and never really did much other than nod. That weekend was going to be the first weekend Alan was going to show his new horse. All week I had heard talk about how nuts this horse was but never actually watched her go. So, I made it my mission to make sure I was at the show ring to watch. Alan entered her in the training jumpers, which I thought was odd, being his new Grand Prix horse, I figured he would have at least done the meter ten or meter fifteen. At the time, little did I know the reasons behind his choices. I remember getting off a horse and sprinting up to the ring to watch. As I sat there, I kept hearing “Alan four out” in the count but didn’t see him in the schooling area. Again this was odd, he always is jumping by four out. When Alan was one out he appeared at the in-gate on this horse and ready to walk into the ring. I remember wondering how could I've missed the schooling. But, I quickly brushed that thought off as I was about to watch this horse go for the first time. After Alan picked up the canter, I very quickly realized why he chose the training. This horse grabbed the bit and just ran, the jumps didn’t even phase her. She just cantered over them and at the same time was bucking in between every jump. I was in awe. The next day Alan did the same class, this time he warmed up in the schooling area or at least tried to. This horse wouldn’t even trot a jump. She sat in the corner stomping, pawing, swinging her butt in every direction other than forward. I found it comical, Alan not so much. Alan went in the ring and it was a repeat of the day before. The horse running, bucking, and leaping in every direction. I was in love. As I was leaving the ring I happened to walk by Alan and Kirsty talking. I just remember Kirsty saying, “Well then let Sami try it!” I glanced towards them trying to figure out if I heard right and smiled. A BIG SMILE. I just kept walking like I didn’t hear their conversation, deep down inside the little girl in me was doing the happy dance.
The First Ride
The following week, my prayers were finally going to be answered. Tuesday morning I walked up to the ride board and under my name in a blue dry erase maker, was her name, Early. I was so excited!! Alan asked me to ride Early last, we had to wait till the ring was completely empty. Finally, the time came, I walked up to the ring, as I entered, Alan said, “you can’t canter, you can only trot her. Also, we can’t jump her at home, but we can try.” I picked up a trot, it was the most springy trot I had ever felt before and the most forward! After a bunch of laps trotting, left, right, circle here, circle there. Alan told me to trot the X at the end of the ring. I came through the turn and Early stopped in the corner. She started pawing at the ground, like as if she was throwing a tantrum. I exploded with laughter, I didn’t kick, didn’t growl, just laughed, and she carried on. Early finally stopped, then like it never happened trotted forward and right over the X. Little did I know the rathe I was about to receive on the backside. Early bucked and bucked and bucked until I pulled her up, of course I was laughing the entire time. Alan being slightly amused, told me to trot the X again. The same thing, tantrum, jump, buck, buck, buck, buck, buck. It was most definitely safe to say I was in love.
Build the Bond
After one show, Alan offered me the opportunity to buy Early. Of course my answer was YES and it was the BEST DECISION I EVER MADE. My love for riding was restored. I was excited to show again, I was getting up before my alarm, arriving at the barn early and staying late to be with my girl. Early didn’t flat, so we went on trail rides. We toured all of Wellington together, there wasn’t a trail we didn’t go on. Showing was another story, because we couldn’t school at home, the only time I jumped was in the show ring. I taught myself how to ride her off of show videos. It took me a good six months and reins with handles to FINALLY get it. We figured out a few things in that six months. Don’t do more than three classes a horse show and only one class a day. The schooling area, totally different story. I got on when we were six out, not a horse more. Sometimes I would get on at six out at the barn and trot her to the ring as our warm-up. I trotted until we were two out and only did three jumps all verticals. If early stopped and parked herself in the corner, that was her telling us she was ready for the show ring. Early loved the sound of me talking. I constantly talked to her. I talked around the ring as well, “good girl,” “last line,” “easy mama,” and of course lots of “whoa.” Before our rounds would start, right after the buzzer went off, I would lean over and talk to her. Ninety percent of the time I told her how much I loved her, but my go to line was “It’s me and you mama, just me and you.”
One day standing at the in gate with Early. I started singing songs by Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber wasn't my first choice, but I had one of his songs stuck in my head. Early perked up. she started swinging her head left and right. Her ears listening in on my not so great singing voice. When Alan heard me singing, he was so embarrassed, he just looked at us said “Good Luck” and went up to the ring to watch. I walked into the ring and went double clean in my first high AO class. From then on singing at the in-gate was a must for Early. Even Alan would say "okay, start singing!" I sang at the in-gate to her EVERY CLASS we EVER DID! Only Justin Bieber too. Eventually she got her own iPod and listen to music as she was being tacked up for the show ring.
Trusting Early was easy, the mare felt like she could jump the moon and more. I knew she was extremely talented but I didn’t completely understand how talented she was. The mare bucked, leaped, flipped her head, and ran me at jumps regardless of what distance I was trying to get us too. I figured out it was Early’s way, or no way and I was just along for the ride. One horse show, I was entered in the AO division and someone protested me in the Amateur division. So instead of fighting it, Alan said, “you know, what, we'll just put you in the Welcome Stake and if that’s good the Grand Prix.” This was a REAL horse show, with a REAL Grand Prix and a REAL Welcome class. I was flattered he thought we could do it, but I had never jumped that big before. As I was getting ready for the welcome class, I was pretty freaking nervous. What I did know was that Early would get me from one side of the jump to the other and knowing that put me at ease. The course was built a very solid meter forty some jumpers were a meter forty-five. There was a giant oxer coming off the left turn and the left was our worse lead. That’s the lead we bucked the MOST on. I remember the course going realitivly well, Early was flying. As we were coming up to the big oxer on the left lead, six strides out, Early let out this massive buck! A buck so big that she tripped broke into a trot. I remember thinking about circling, but it was Early’s world and I was just on for the ride. Early never broke focus, she looked that giant oxer in the face and basically told me to hang on. The mare trotted the biggest oxer on course and CLEARED IT! I was in awe, I remember just smiling from ear to ear. It was from that moment on that mare had my trust and all of my heart.
My Amateur Dream
Early's talent took me to where I wanted to be and then some. I was consistently in the top ribbons in the high AO division, the open meter forty classes, and always jumped great in the Grand Prix's. Our first real summer together, we went to Country Heir summer series held in Lexington, KY. We were champion two weeks in a row in the High AO’s and we also jumped our first sixty thousand dollar grand prix . That horse show is what got us on the radar for the 2011 Young Riders Championship. Walking into Young Riders I was really not well known, a few people had asked Alan who Early and I were. His response was “The horse can jump and the girl can ride. Oh, and don't worry about the schooling area, that's normal.” Day one of Young Riders was an open speed class, after Early and I went, people were amazed. The second day was the team day, you have jump the same course back to back at a solid meter forty some jumps being a meter forty five. On any day jumping one solid meter forty round is tough. Now make it two rounds back to back and in a championship environment made it very tough. Early and I jumped were one of two horses that only jumped both rounds clean. Helping Zone 4 clinch the Gold Medal. The real excitement was when it came down to Katie Dinan and I for Gold for the individual championship. We walked into the last round just separated by less than a point which was equivalent to one rail. Early and Katie’s horse both jumped an unreal last two rounds. Again it was two rounds at a meter forty, meter forty five and it was day four of showing, it was a really tough two rounds. Katie ended up winning gold and I was the silver medalist for the individual championship. I walked out of young riders on cloud nine, the horse show world knew our names. After young riders I qualified for all of indoors in the amateur owner division. Early jumped unreal all indoors, securing top ribbons. I truly couldn’t have been happier with her. Our Success in the amateur division continued for another year and that following summer we won our first National Grand Prix.
Playing in the Big Leagues
After accomplishing all the things, I wanted to accomplish as an amateur with Early. I decided it was time for me to put on my big girl breeches and become a professional. Instead of waiting to go professional December, I decided October to make the transition. So, instead of qualifying for the amateur divisions at indoors, I qualified for the open jumper division at the Alltech National Horseshow. It was my first time seriously competing against some of the best riders in the world. I was seriously honored to be amongst them. We took home the 12th place finish in the Welcome Speed class and we ended up competing in our first world Cup qualifier. After that show, you would have thought we had won, my confidence with Early was on a record high and that high continued through to my first WEF as a professional.
Alan and I were both very confident with Early. So first week of WEF we decided to put Early and I in the $8,000 G&C 1.45 speed class. Early jumped that round unbelievable. I remember coming through the finally turn with the biggest smile on my face. As I was landing from the last jump I looked up at the score board, I realized we had the winning time by 2 seconds. As exciting as that was, I was the one of the first fifteen horses with twenty left to go. The last rider to show was McLain, Alan looked over at me said “ugh, he is going to beat us.” As much as I wanted the win, I would have been thrilled to get second. Alan and I continued on with a conversation to distract us from the fact McLain was about to push me into second. As we watched McLain go through the timers a big old two was placed under the word Rank on the score board. McLain didn’t catch us that day! It was most definitely an exciting win! As I walked out of the ring from the winner presentation, Alan expressed how confident he felt with Early, that he wanted to enter us in the Sunday afternoon Grand Prix.
My dreams as a little girl were finally coming true, I was doing the Sunday grand prix at WEF. During the Grand Prix we had an unlucky rail which pushed us out of the ribbons by one-tenth of a second. I ended up being 13th, but that didn't rain on my parade, I was riding in the Sunday Afternoon Grand Prix like the ones I use to watch when I was a little girl. Early and I held our own throughout WEF that year, I completed in the WEF Challenge classes, just missing the qualifying for the Saturday night GP’s by one point or one slot. For example, if they were taking the top 20, I was 21st. After WEF we showed in a few Grand Prix's during the spring, giving us the confidence to take our on summer circuit. That summer I was second in the Atlanta Summer Classic's thirty five thousand dollar Grand Prix and won two Fox Lea Farm Grand Prix's back to back. Giving our amazing summer we qualified for a second year in a row, the Altech National Horse Show Open Jumper division. I was so excited to go back with all our new found confidence and was ready to take on the big dogs. Five days before we were supposed to leave the the unthinkable happened.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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