Be sure and check out Jan's updates as one of this year's featured riders for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Pine Top has come and gone. It was so great that my parents and Tom came, as well as Annika and Susan, so we had the whole Surefire support team for Meghan and myself for the season’s first Advanced.

Meghan had a great weekend on Pirate, even though she almost had a meltdown on dressage day. Sometimes you have to remember to put your boots on like everyone else and just go to work. She got so flustered she had two errors; I think that the impending pressure of going Advanced again may have got to her. But if you watched Meghan’s show jumping and cross-country, you would know how much she belongs at that level, even though she still has things to learn as we all do. I was like a proud parent when she finished, and I immediately texted her mother after cross-country to let he know it had gone well.

As far as my weekend went, Syd was amazing once again. Even though he was only 12th after dressage, I felt he had a really nice test. We had one time penalty in show jumping, maybe after first jump where I was a little unseated. He was great cross-country, even though we were held about 25 minutes after fence 9. We weren’t in the best rhythm afterward but all the same, the amazing Syd got it done. I didn’t run for time, and after the hold, I think my time may have got lost in the shuffle and we ended fifth.

Why Not was quite good in the dressage, though I would say I’ve had much better tests on him. I know I had too much warm-up beforehand. I had two seconds time in the show jumping with Wyatt—I must have had a slow day! He was actually amazing cross-country, even though the scoreboard didn’t reflect it. I made a mistake jumping onto the bank in last water that made it impossible for him to jump in, but once we got that sorted we finished well. It just reminded me that I always have to school in the water and really have him in front of my leg because he’s such a careful horse.

As far as how the other Surefire pairs did, there were some ups and downs. Vicky Jessop and Desert Mystery won the dressage in Preliminary Horse on a 29 and were double clear in the show jumping but unfortunately had run out cross-country at the corner. Po Tatham did her first Intermediate on a homebred of mine, Astaire to the Future, and was second after dressage, and had some rails show jumping but then was amazing cross-country with just time. Chase Shipka won Training Rider on Victory Shetan from the dressage on, which was their last Training until Spring Pine Top, where they’ll move up to Preliminary.

My heart goes out to Megan Moore, who lost her horse at Pine Top. She and Hopper had a great relationship and I’m so sad for her and for him. I know he had a great life with her.

I've also got to say it was great to have Jess Hampf back for lessons here in Aiken but my heart goes out to her as she had the bad luck to break her collarbone just as the season is getting started. Here'e hoping she heals quickly.

The next two weeks I’ll be doing some jumper shows and young horses out at Sporting Days as well as schooling shows, so stay tuned.