Tuesday was a bright and early morning ride for our Individual Championship Test at Red Tail Farm! I think Taco was the most relaxed he’s ever been. Sara Schmitt also said something in the warm up that clicked with me to get better bend throughout the test. I haven’t been riding very long and even though this is such a big part of my life, I am constantly learning little things. That’s the great thing about this sport- you can constantly improve and learn! I’ve been back to r

I'm behind on my updates! At the end of July I showed my Team Test at the ESDCTA Summer Days show at USET. It was a tough month for me with my health and I was only able to ride a handful of times. I wasn’t sure I was going to show, but I felt I needed to push through and do it. Taco is super and he will carry me through no matter how I feel, so I knew I could trust him. He felt great in the warm up. In the middle of my test I almost excused myself as I didn’t think I was goi

Last week I showed my Individual Championship Test at Red Tail Farm. It was a hard week for me physically and show day was especially rough. I was really struggling with my breathing, but insisted on going through with my ride. I’m pretty stubborn and will always push myself. Today I just had the goal of finishing my test, but I learned a lot more about Taco. Taco truly loves the show ring and knows when I’m not at my best. He will always take care of me. When I just let him

At the end of May, Taco and I headed up to Canada to the Caledon Spring Jubilee CPEDI3* with Sara Schmitt and Taco's BFF and Sara's German Riding Pony, Jafar, and Caelyn Adams, super groom. This was mine and Taco's first trip to compete out of the country and we were selected to represent tthe Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team along with Mary Jordan, Laurietta Oakleaf, and our Chef d'Equipe, Regina Cristo. As a Team we won Silver! I was so proud of how Taco handled the long tr

Taco is home in New Jersey and I’m getting ready to leave Wellington, but today I found out that Taco and I were FEI Para Champions for the White Fences Equestrian Center Championship Series! Thanks to all the sponsors that make this series possible. What a great show season! #champions #dressage #dressagerider #paraequestrian #paradressage #equestrian #disability #boxwheelchairs #saraschmittdressage

On March 7-10, 2019, Taco and I competed in our second CPEDI3* of the season at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival! On Thursday, All horses passed the jog-- Paco Taco was accepted with flying colors. Taco and I have been training really hard with Sara Schmitt's guidance. We've been making adjustments to our equipment and pushing our activity level to have a stronger, more connected relationship. We felt really good going into this competition. I was very proud of our rides

Taco and I participated as demo riders for the new USEF ParaDressage Coach practical exam. It’s great to see the US Program develop with so many coaches participating in the first program. Thanks to Debbie McDonald and Charlotte Bredahl for coming out and assisting Michel Assouline with this part of the practical exam. As usual, I was very proud of Taco for being super in a new environment in front of a crowd of people watching. After, it was time to get packed to head to Glo

Again, I'm behind on my updates! On March 2, we showed at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby National Show of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. It was our last chance to step into the show ring before our CPEDI3* to see what changes we need to make and where I could make further improvements. I showed my Team Test which is a bit harder for me. It was a very hot week, but I felt more relaxed and connected with Taco. We were both super focused, and all our hard work really paid

I've been a little late catching everyone up on what's been going on since our last CPEDI3*, but Taco and I have been very busy training and testing out new equipment. We were at a point in our training where we need to push ourselves to the next level. And that's what we've been doing. After the last CPEDI3*, we've been testing out new bits, pushing for a bigger trot with more collection, and asking for more. Taco has been super and never saying no. I've been trying my harde

A couple weeks ago, Taco and I wrapped up our first CPEDI3* of the season at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. The couple months leading up to the competition were rough for me physically with pneumonia, a few double ear infections and sinus infections, bronchitis, and a little surgery that ended up having some complications. I hadn’t ridden for a couple months prior to coming down to Florida and had been flat on my back from the surgery right before coming down. Plus, th