A S P I R E E V E N T I N G
N O V E M B E R U P D A T E
As the Aspire Eventing Team starts to hunker down for the winter, I wanted to update you all on the amazing fall we’ve had so far!
After returning to Colorado from competing at the Event at Rebecca Farm in late July, we had a rare, quiet few weeks that I spent training with my dressage and show jump coaches, Sue Martin and Mariano Bedoya. It’s not always easy to find the time to have consistent training in-between competitions, so I took full advantage of this opportunity and am grateful for it! Under Sue and Mariano’s tutelage, Jos Bravio (Bravi), RR Simple (Rey), and I were able to hone in on our dressage and show jump skills and the three of us learned so much in this short time. We were able to dial in on what’s been holding us back during competitions, polish up our tests, and completely expand our skill-set. In addition to lessons, we did some schooling shows that allowed us to get the most out of our training and practice in the show ring while being able to make the necessary corrections.
In September, Bravi, Rey, my head FEI groom, Molly Wafle, and I traveled to Pennsylvania for six weeks. We stayed with Buck Davidson at his father’s Chesterland Farm in Unionville, PA where we had the pleasure of training with him and preparing for Plantation Field International Horse Trials and Morven Park International Horse Trials. At Plantation Field, both Bravi and Rey competed in the 3*S. Although the scores may not have reflected this, both horses felt incredible and it was a great outing, giving me a better idea of what we needed to work on with Buck before heading to Morven Park. At Morven Park, Bravi competed in the 4*L and Rey competed in the 3*S. Rey absolutely blew it out of the park in dressage, however, the cross country proved to be extremely technical early on in the course. Although he felt amazing and was jumping out of his skin, we sadly decided to retire after a couple of refusals in a very challenging combination. With that being said, I am still so proud of his efforts and I am more motivated than ever to get him back out this winter and have a stellar year competing at the 3* level with him. I have no doubt about his ability, scope, and heart and truly believe he has what it takes to make it to the top. Bravi and I had our best cross country ride to date over a very tough 4*L track and were able to complete the weekend with a top ten finish. This finish was incredibly important to me, as it qualified us to compete at the 5* level, which I am absolutely thrilled about! Keep the last weekend of April open to come to Lexington, Kentucky to cheer me and my mighty little horse, Bravi, on at out first 5*. Stay tuned for more details!
Now that we are all back home in Colorado, Bravi and Rey will enjoy a well-earned vacation and I will be busy prepping for the 2025 season. I will be spending the next couple of months searching for more world class horses to join the Aspire Team! In addition to expanding my competition string, I have a few shares of the Aspire Eventing RR Simple Syndicate available to individuals that are looking for a fun way to be involved with this truly phenomenal stallion. If you are interested in being involved as an owner, syndicate member, or sponsor, please reach out to me at dani@aspirellc.org. There are numerous ways to get involved, including tax deductible donations. I am so grateful to all of those that have been a part of bringing my horses and I to the top of the sport, and would be elated to have you as an integral part of this journey.
In other exciting news, Rey has three babies on the way that we hope to welcome into the world next spring. He is an unbelievably well-mannered and talented stallion and I’m so excited that his exceptional talent will be passed along to future generations! If you are interested in breeding, you can visit his page on my website (https://aspireeventing.com/stallion) or contact me (dani@aspirellc.org) for more information.
After a few months at home in beautiful Colorado, my horses and I will head to Florida for the winter season in February. This year, we will be staying at Molly Wafle’s gorgeous new property, Obsidian Farm. She has worked so hard to build a truly state of the art facility and I am thrilled and honored that my horses and I get to stay there while we continue training with Buck Davidson and competing across the east coast.
As always, I owe an enormous THANK YOU to my incredible sponsors, owners, clients, coaches, teammates, friends, and family. Thank you for all of your support and commitment – I am so grateful for each and every one of you for making this such a successful and exciting year, and can’t wait for all that we will accomplish together in the future.
