all in Horse Country

It took two days of preliminary competition and a Saturday filled with nearly 50 horses competing in the 10-discipline Finale at the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, but when the dust settled it was She’s a Bold One who took home the title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, sponsored by Churchill Downs.

Somehow, in the blink of an eye nine months have passed. When I think back on our first rides this winter over snow-covered muddy ground, it feels both like yesterday and like a faraway memory all at the same time. When I sat down to write this last pre-Makeover blog I had plans to detail our last two shows and map out our final 30 days of preparation but instead, I found myself truly overcome with emotion as I think back on what this journey has been like and the big takeaways that I have learned. So I hope you will indulge me a bit for this month’s blog.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to show at the Virginia Horse Center. It’s about two hours away from our town and such a beautiful facility. I was so excited to discover that the Virginia Starter Horse Trials were being held there and offered just dressage tests in addition to the horse trials. Fin had conquered being stalled last month, but I also did not want Kentucky to be her first overnight show experience. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get Fin in a bigger environment, practice our dressage tests, and practice our traveling skills! 

“Did you experience any events that caused a significant setback in your training plans?”

This blog has been a little hard to write, because actually typing it out means that we have made a hard decision, but we know it is the right one. We have decided to withdraw from the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover.

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