The first quarter of 2024 has come and gone and there is lots to be proud of for the Aspire Eventing Team! At the beginning of February, I made my annual migration to Florida with my three boys – Bravio (owned by Carol Mavrakis and me), Baral (owned by Stacy Hougland and me), and Rey (owned by the Aspire Eventing RR Simple Syndicate); my super groom Molly Wafle and her horse Volu; and two client horses, Bling (owned by Annabelle Hait) and Luc (owned by Julie Pawlak). Everybody handled the trip well and settled in nicely to Buck Davidson’s farm to enjoy a few months of sunshine (… and rain) and eventing bootcamp. It’s been go, go, go since we got here and all of the horses are growing leaps and bounds!
Our first event was Ocala Winter I where the boys started the year off on a great note. Bravio felt better than ever after his winter vacation and landed in 6th place in the Advanced/Intermediate after a lovely dressage test, double clear show jump, and just a bit of time on cross country. Baral was so impressive from start to finish, placing 7th in the Preliminary division, and despite a hiccup on cross country, Rey was his usual confident self and handled the first outing like the champion he is!
In early March, Bravio and I had an experience of a lifetime and were invited to compete at the Eventing Grand Prix Showcase at Bruce’s Field. This was an invite-only, prestigious charity event where I competed on Team Orange, representing the nonprofit organization Tri Development Center of Aiken County, with Liz Halliday, Buck Davidson, and Shannon Lilley. Bravio was beyond incredible the whole weekend, giving each phase his undivided attention despite the huge environment. The cross country course was intimidating to say the least, but Bravio did not miss a single beat and we had an amazing ride, landing in 15th individually out of 37 riders and 3rd place as a team. I was lucky enough to have my husband, Jeff, and owner, Carol Mavrakis, there to support us and cheer us on the whole time. A huge thank you to the two of them!
Next up was Bouckaert Farms CCI where Rey and Baral competed in their first ever 2*. They both rose to the occasion and handled the new level like pros, with Rey finishing in 6th and Baral in 13th. It has been so fun to develop these boys and bring them up the levels together, with each of them impressing me with their completely different but completely amazing personalities and talents. Bravio had a lovely dressage test in the 4* Short but we had a bit of a steering issue on cross country, and as the saying goes, “if you aren’t winning, you are learning,” which couldn’t be more true! We are gaining invaluable experience and learning all the intricate details to be a truly successful cross country team. It was wonderful having owners Stacy and Sam Hougland there as well to cheer on the boys and, of course, bring donuts!
At Ocala Winter II, my boys took the weekend off while I competed some of the client horses. This was Volu’s first ever event and he most certainly did not disappoint! He had an amazing dressage test, scoring a 24.7, zero cross country or show jump faults, and ended the weekend in 1st place. I am so proud of him and so proud of his owner Molly for all her hard work getting him to this point. Luc was fantastic in dressage and was in 2nd place going into show jumping. However, he was a little less than impressed with the show jump course and had a few rails. Despite that, he went around cross country like a champ and was super brave and confident, ending the weekend on a high. Bling has grown leaps and bounds on this trip and is figuring out that he isn’t the one who gets to make all the decisions! He kept it together in dressage, despite not liking his new bridle set up, was a machine in show jumping, and was great on cross country except for a tricky fence that caught him off guard. It was a great training experience for both horses and I was honored to pilot them!
Last weekend, we competed at Bouckaert Farms again where Rey and Baral had one of their best shows to date in the Preliminary division. Rey had a super dressage test (even scoring a 10!!!) and had a clear cross country and show jump round, earning him the blue ribbon. His brother Baral was not far behind him, landing in 4th place, and was phenomenal in each round. Once again, it was a big learning weekend for both Bravio and I, as we had a bit of a steering issue again on cross country. Despite that, he had a wonderful dressage test, which was a great opportunity for us to keep working on our clean flying changes. We also had the opportunity to train after the show to really figure out where our mistake was happening on cross country and how to fix it. We came away from the weekend in top form and ready for the next BIG show. It may not look like it on paper, but it was an excellent weekend for us to fix our mistakes and come away better.
In mid April, Rey and Baral will be competing in their first 2* Long at the Ocala Festival, and at the end of the month, Bravio will be competing in the 4* Short at the famous Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event. We’ll also have lots of invaluable training time with Buck Davidson in between before we head home for a busy and fun summer in Colorado.
I want to give a special thank you to my “remote” dressage and show jump trainers, Sue Martin and Mariano Bedoya, for their numerous phone consults, video lessons, and for always checking in and reviewing films with me. Their guidance has been beyond helpful! Plus, a big shout out to my groom, Molly Wafle, and her huge heart for
tirelessly caring for the horses here in Florida and keeping me on track. We couldn’t do it without her! I could not be more grateful for the endless support from ALL of my owners, sponsors, trainers, grooms, clients, friends, and family. Thank you for everything you do and for making all of this possible. I’m so excited to have you along for the journey and can’t wait to make you all proud as we head into the heat of show season!
– Dani Sussman
