Aspire Eventing

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July 2024 Update

 

 

What a whirlwind these last few months have been! In late April, Bravio (Jos Bravio) and I took our second shot at the legendary Kentucky Three Day Event in the 4* Short division. Last year, Bravio came off of cross country not feeling 100%, so we withdrew before show jumping, but this year we came back determined to finish! We put in so much hard work this past year to prepare for this event and it was truly incredible how perfectly everything came together over the course of that week. Bravio had a beautiful dressage test, scoring a 33.5 in a large and competitive class, and he was utterly brilliant through the very tough cross country course. He truly had never felt better! We finished the event with a double clear show jumping round and tears of joy as we landed in the top 10 amongst all of the US Team members. It was truly one of the most rewarding and pivotal moments of my career. It was incredible having so many of my sponsors and supporters there to cheer me on ring-side and to feel the love pouring in from back home and all over the country. What an unbelievable experience – one that reminds me why I do what I do! After coming off of such a high from Kentucky, I felt prepped and ready to tackle the 4* Long at Tryon with Bravio. Sadly, he pulled his two front shoes on the cross country course and we just couldn’t safely finish the course without the traction. It was certainly a disappointment, but we left the East Coast feeling determined and grateful. After Tryon, we headed back home to regroup and fine-tune for the remainder of the season.

Rey (RR Simple) and Baral (Baral Triumph) finished their time on the East Coast competing in the 2* Long at the Ocala International Festival of Eventing in mid-April. Rey was phenomenal through and through. He had a stellar dressage test, scoring a 25.9, a double clear cross country round, and just one rail in show jumping. He finished 2nd, just behind the US Team Coach, out of a class of 42. He proved that this really is his sport and that he is truly a competitive eventing stallion. I am so excited for this talented horse’s future and I’m honored that I get to be his rider! If you’re interested in being a part of this world class stallion’s future, there are still a few shares of his syndicate left. Please contact me if you are interested! Baral was super at Ocala as well, putting in an excellent dressage test and cross country round, but show jumping proved to be his achilles heel once again and that being a proper upper-level event horse may not be in his best interest. Once I was back home in Colorado, I made the difficult decision that in order for him to thrive, Baral needed a job with a little less pressure. Thankfully, one of my clients fell in love with him and purchased him to be her lower level event horse. He is truly such a wonderful horse with a ton of talent, it makes my heart happy to see him loving his new life! The early summer months were jam-packed with amazing training opportunities for me, my horses, and my clients. We did several local jumper shows and events, did lots of cross country schooling, and have been nailing down our dressage skills at home. I’ve been able to lesson with my incredible dressage trainer, Sue Martin, and had the absolute pleasure of hosting Buck Davidson for a three day cross country clinic here in Colorado. The entire Aspire Team has been growing leaps and bounds this summer!
A couple weeks ago, Bravio, Rey, a couple of client horses, and I traveled to Montana for the Event at Rebecca Farm, one of my very favorite events of the year. Bravio competed in the 4* Long and I was sopleased with how he performed. He did, unfortunately, lose another front shoe at the 2 minute mark on the cross country course and had to run another 9 minutes without that shoe, but he dug in deep and we got it done despite one error at the coffin complex. He is such a stoic guy and tried his heart out for me! I am bummed about the issues on course, but the finish was important and he jumped like a champ the next day in show jumping. Rey competed in his first 3* Short and felt like an absolute beast on cross country and really proved he was ready for the new level! Sadly, I was not the best pilot that day and decided to call it a day and retire him out on course. I am disappointed with myself for not giving him a better ride but am so thrilled with how he felt. I was honored that my show jump coach, Mariano Bedoya, made the trek out to support and help me over the weekend. He reminisced about his past eventing glory days and enjoyed walking my courses with me. It was a pleasure having him there! In addition, I am grateful that Bravio’s other owner, Carol Mavrakis, and my farrier, Steven Ellitot, made the long drive up to be there as support and help! It was a huge effort and I am thankful everyone made the sacrifice. I am also tremendously grateful to the Broussard family for all of their support and funding and for opening up their world class venue each year for one of the best competitions in the country. I was so lucky and honored to receive the Rebecca Broussard Travel Grant to aid in the cost of travel to get there this year. It wasn’t the week I was hoping for, but a great experience nonetheless! Now that I have a short break before more competitions in the fall, my focus will continue to be getting myself, my horses, and my clients in tip top shape. I will be working hard to prepare Bravio and myself so that we can conquer a CLEAN 4* Long this fall at Morven Park in October.

In other exciting news, Rey is officially a breeding stallion! We hope to welcome a few of his progeny to the world next year and are so excited to have him become one of the country’s top eventing breeding stallions. If you are interested, you can visit his page on my website (https://aspireeventing.com/stallion/) or contact me for more information. THANK YOU to my incredible sponsors, owners, clients, coaches, teammates, friends, and family for your endless support throughout the year so far! I am so grateful for all that you do to help me pursue this dream and I am excited for what’s to come in the next few months!

– Dani Sussman

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April 2024 Update

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

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2023 Year In Review

Another exciting development for Aspire Eventing is the addition of two new team members, Daphne Litchner and Davina Warrener. Both of these ladies are excellent horsewomen, have the most positive attitudes, and are tremendous assets to the team. I was lucky enough to cross paths with both of them while in Florida, and am so thrilled to now have them here in Colorado. Welcome, Daphne and Davina!

Our longtime team member Ally Presicci will be cutting back her time at Aspire to focus on her aspirations of being a real estate agent. We are so grateful for all of her hard work and for everything she’s done for the two and four legged members of Aspire Eventing. We wish her the very best in her pursuit of real estate excellence!

I will be spending the remainder of the year training and prepping for another exciting trek to Florida in the new year. My goal is to get Bravio feeling strong and confident in the 4* level and eventually compete in our first ever 5*. I hope to continue moving Rey and Baral up the levels and be competing at the 3* level by next fall. I am so thrilled to have three incredible horses who continue to impress me day in and day out, and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together in 2024.

Instead of having our annual holiday party this year, we are going to do a “ring in the new year” party instead on Saturday, January 13th, 2024. In addition to a fun evening of coming together and celebrating the Aspire Team, we will once again have our traditional Make-A-Wish auction and fundraiser. Keep an eye out for an
invitation coming soon!

As we approach the end of another amazing year, I want to express my utmost gratitude to all of you who make this dream of mine a reality. Thank you to my clients who are such a pleasure to work with and who teach me so much in return. Thank you to my owners for trusting me to take the ride on some of the most talented, big-hearted horses I’ve ever come across. Thank you to my coaches, Buck Davidson, Mariano Bedoya, and Sue Martin, for helping me grow and giving me the guidance and wisdom I need to achieve each new goal. Thank you to my sponsors for providing me with the best products on the market and for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your amazing teams. Thank you to my employees for all your hard work and for taking such impeccable care of the horses, the barn, and of me. And thank you to my friends, family, and my husband, Jeff, for being my cheerleaders and supporting me every step of the way. I am endlessly thankful to all of you who make this journey such a joy to be on.

It has been an incredible year of growth and learning, and I am more determined than ever to achieve some very exciting goals in 2024. BIG THINGS ARE AHEAD!!!

Thank you all for your love and support, and cheers to a great new year!
– Dani Sussman

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2023 Mid Year Review

I can’t believe the winter season has already come to an end. It’s been an unbelievable last couple of months!

At the beginning of February, Jos Bravio, Baral Triumph, RR Simple, Bacana, my supergroom, Molly, with her horse Volu, and I made our way to Florida. We were fortunate enough to spend three months there training and competing with Buck Davidson. He has been an incredible mentor for me and my horses and I have learned so much from him. In addition to my horses, my clients Stacy Hougland and Samantha Brown were able to come join me for some fun in the sun with their horses Maria and Z (owned by Jessica
Maranto). They had the opportunity to school cross country, compete, and enjoyed some time out of the frozen tundra of Colorado.

Our first show of the year was Ocala Winter I in mid-February. Jos Bravio, owned by Carol Mavrakis and myself, competed in the Open Intermediate where we placed 2nd. We had one of our best dressage tests to date, a great XC run, and a double clear show jumping round. Baral Triumph, owned by Stacy Hougland and myself, and RR Simple, owned by the RR Simple Syndicate, both competed in the Open Training and were incredible, placing 3rd and 4th respectively. My little mare Bacana, owned by Carol Mavrakis and me, was more than ready to show off her skills and placed 6th in a competitive Novice class. It was a fantastic weekend and such a great start to the season!

Next up was Rocking Horse Winter III where Jos Bravio and I competed in the Open Intermediate. He tapped into a whole new gear and we ended up taking 1st place. We had a lovely dressage test, a double clear show jumping round, and he felt like an absolute pro out on XC. Baral Triumph started with a 25.2 dressage score and stayed in first place throughout the entire weekend, winning his Training division. I am beyond amazed by this horse and how much he has improved over the last year! RR Simple and I had a small error on XC, but otherwise he felt phenomenal and was such a professional in each phase. Bacana was not about to let her brothers outshine her and had lots of fun showing off, running fast, and jumping big.

Later in March, Ocala Winter II had its highs and lows. Jos Bravio felt great in the Advanced; RR Simple had a stellar dressage test and continued on that streak to finish 3rd in Training; and Baral Triumph was incredible once again and stayed in 1st place throughout the weekend. Unfortunately on one of the evenings of this show, Bacana colicked and had to be transported to the equine hospital, where we ended up losing her in the early morning.

It was an incredibly unexpected and difficult loss. This little mare was truly something special and she blew me away every day with her talent and confidence. Our time together was far too short and she is and will continue to be dearly missed.

Although difficult to keep moving forward after the loss of Bacana, I knew Jos Bravio, Baral Triumph, and RR Simple all had lots more to prove during our stay in Florida. At the end of March, we continued on and competed at TerraNova. Jos Bravio and I competed in our first 4*-S of the year there and he felt incredible. We had a couple bobbles here and there, but overall he was great and we were both excited to be back at the 4* level. Baral Triumph and RR Simple had another great weekend competing at the Training level and were so impressive as they handled a new and exciting environment. Baral Triumph and RR Simple ended their stay in Florida after that and went home to enjoy a nice vacation.

After a few weeks of fine tuning in Florida, Jos Bravio and I made our way to Kentucky for the 4* at the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event. Being at the Kentucky Horse Park, in the company of the best of the best in this sport, and having the privilege of being one of the competitors there was like nothing I have ever experienced before. It was a dream come true to say the least! Jos Bravio had a great dressage test and although not everything went to plan on XC, he still tried his heart out and gave it his all. We can officially say we have completed the LRK3DE XC course! Unfortunately, Jos Bravio did not quite feel 100% on show jump day so we decided to withdraw just to be safe. It was not the decision I was wanting to make, but it was the right decision for my wonderful partner. A HUGE thank you to my vet Chelsea Luedke who made the trip to Kentucky to be there for Jos Bravio and me and to all of my clients, sponsors, owners, friends, and family who came to Kentucky to cheer me on and who rooted for me from afar. I’m so incredibly overwhelmed by all the love and support! I know some day very soon we will be back to complete the whole thing and will make you all proud!!!

While the horses take a well-deserved vacation, I am looking forward to getting back home to teach and take my clients to local shows around Colorado. I’m excited to get back to in-person training with my show jumping coach Mariano Bedoya and my dressage coach Sue Martin, preparing for an exciting rest of the year with my horses. Their guidance and advice throughout my time in Florida and beyond has been invaluable.

I am so thankful and grateful for my husband Jeff and his endless support, always being so wonderful while dealing with my crazy schedule of traveling and competing. Thank you to my owners for their support and letting me ride their most incredible horses – none of this would be possible without them. Thank you to my clients for all of the love, support, and encouragement. Thank you to my team at home for being so amazing and always keeping things running smoothly back at the farm. Thank you to my super-groom Molly who cares with her whole heart and keeps the horses and me safe and looking our best. And finally, thank you to my sponsors who have been so supportive and who let me be a very proud representative of their brands.

I hope you all know how much it means to me that you are a part of the Aspire Eventing Team. I am so lucky!

Cheers to a great summer ahead and lots of amazing moments to come!

With gratitude,
Dani Sussman