Inside the Maclay Finals

So tonight is it. It all comes to a close - we all see who won the Maclay. It has been an interesting experience reliving all the shows leading up to it and seeing what the show actually puts in and what it doesn't. Obviously they can't include everything that went on with every kid during the finals, but a lot was shown. I was a little surprised they didn't show more of the Heritage kids' rounds from Harrisburg, not all the bad scenes they showed were even us! It obviously wasn't our best show. Harrisburg was hard for me because we all thought I had a very solid round that would definitely get me into the top 25 and I ended up not making it. It was a bit of a letdown but that's how horse shows and judged sports work. We just look towards the next one.

The other thing that the show doesn't see is the Washington Equitation Finals. Those were held two weeks after Harrisburg and I can't speak for Beacon Hill because I'm not sure what they got, but I was 4th and Maggie was somewhere around 7th-8th so that went pretty well for us. Also Maggie's horse Peter Pan was ridden by Julie Welles to her win of the Washington Eq Finals in the final round where the top 10 switch horses.

Overall, the road to the Maclay was obviously a very exciting, but also tiring journey with all the early mornings and long hours all the riders and trainers put into it (the horses too!). I'm sad my equitation career has come to a close, but i am still really enjoying riding in the other divisions. Many of you have posted comments and questions and I will be sure to get to those right after the show is over. I just wanted to focus on the final episode in this post, but there will be many more to come!

Don't miss the series finale of Horse Power: Road to the Maclay tonight, March 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup at 9! Both air on Animal Planet.

In the meantime, read the article Reactions to 'Horse Power: Road to the Maclay' on EquiSearch.com. In it, author Nancy Jaffer interviews the featured trainers Frank Madden and Andre Dignelli on what it's like to be on the show. She also explores the viewership stats and the possibility of a sequel!

The fourth episode was based on the USET Finals as I'm sure you all saw last week. The first day the weather was horrible! It was freezing and we were lucky the footing wasn't too bad since it is the only outdoor finals in the fall. That was a really good show for me because after the first day I was called back in 10th. My gymnastics round was really good, but as usual I think I was hurt a little on the flat. I have a really beautiful horse that really stands out, but I remember hearing from my trainers that I wasn't trying to stand out as much as I usually do - I didn't show the extremes they were looking for in the different gaits. The second day I was determined and my jumping round was really good and I was able to clinch a spot in the final 4 which has always been one of my goals. I had really good rounds on 3 horses and on maggie's horse I tried to leave out a stride to the last jump because I was thinking about the time allowed too much and ended up pretty much going through it. It was a disappointment, but I knew it was my fault and plus I was just so happy to be in the final 4.

This week I'd assume that it would be a combination of Harrisburg and Washington horse shows, leaving the last episode to the Maclay. Please feel free to leave me comments and I'd be happy to respond to any questions you have.

So I was finally in an episode! I was happy with how this one turned out, I thought it was a real good job of how it went. It showed our really early mornings at regionals and many parts of our rounds. My horse looked amazing! I have even more appreciation for him after watching it on tv!

I really liked the part where they showed me calling my dad to come watch me at regionals. It is really hard for my dad to come to horse shows because he is so allergic. His breathing seizes up within 5 minutes of being around horses and his eyes get really swollen. He comes to all the big shows but the indoor shows are especially hard for him having to be in the confined spaces. He came to that show because my mom was in California because her mom had just died. I had a hard indoors circuit because during the two off weeks when there were no shows, I was traveling around the country to go to both of my grandmothers' funerals. They both passed away within two weeks of each other during finals.

Looking back on it, I was very lucky to make it through regionals again. It is a really hard day because everything has to come together for one class. I can't say that now I miss the pressure of classes like that! Being an amateur is very nice and relaxing... I'm heading back to Florida tomorrow to show in the Amateur Jumpers. Next week's episode will be on the USET finals so watch to see how we all do.

Tonight is the second episode of "Horse Power: Road to the Maclay" on Animal Planet. I was told that I will be introduced on this episode, but I haven't seen it so I don't really know. It will be about the regionals for zone 1 and zone 2.

Someone asked me earlier what I meant about the "typical equitation body." I have really had to work hard on my position because I have a longer upper body so my legs don't appear as long. Because I haven't been able to ride as much since I've been at college, I am not as tight and as strong as I'd like to be, so my position tends to look hunched, and I don't sit up straight (and my legs probably swing a little - they're not perfectly in place). Also, I tend to ride with my hands buried on the neck so overall, I have to make a conscious effort at keeping my position in place when I'm riding - it doesn't come naturally. Now that I'm going to be doing just the jumpers, my equitation position doesn't matter quite as much, but it is still important to focus on it because it will help with the overall effectiveness of my riding. I hope that answers what I was trying to say.

Watch tonight for the second episode at 8!

So I was on the episode. I saw myself actually a bunch of times with friends and I had about 3 one-liners. It was SOOOOO weird to see myself and my friends on tv, but really cool! The show was mostly about the hamptons which is the biggest horse show of the summer and also at its end. Our barn had its ups and downs - we won the calvin klein eq classic and many jumper classes, but we also had two falls also. We all knew we had to get in shape in time for finals to start. Next episode should show the regionals for New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (Zone 2) and maybe the regionals I went to for Zone 1 (all of New England). For the Maclay Finals, there is a regional for each set of states and this year they took 150 kids total from all the regions. I think from my regional they took 35 kids. The amount they take depends on the overall percentage of how many kids are in your region, compared to the total amount competing in the United States. Well I'm looking forward to the next episode and hopefully you will be introduced to me!

Tonight is the beginning of the Animal Planet series Horse Power that will be on at 8 pm on Wednesday nights. I'm really excited to see how it turned out. All of us put long hours into the filming and had lots of fun in the process so I think the show will be really good. I was informed by the producer that I will not be on the first episode because they are covering events that I was not there for, but I will be introduced in the second one. But watch and look for all my friends! It's one of the first times that riding has been covered on a big network station so please watch!

Editor's Note: If you missed the first episode, it will reair on Saturday, February 4, at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

I have just started my new semester at NYU and I am continuing to ride by going to Florida every weekend. I show at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL and all of my horses are living down there. I have sold 4 horses since maclay finals and now I am left with 2 of the jumpers I had before and I just got a new one! He came from europe and I will hopefully be able to qualify for Young Riders on him this year because I have been able to compete there the last two years. It's a little sad for me to have sold most of my horses, but 3 out of the 4 were sold within the barn (including my maclay eq horse) so I will be able to see them and still ride them all the time.

I leave for Florida on the thursday night flight on Jetblue to go to Florida and come back to school on sunday nights. I have been down a few times already and it is a little hard with all my school work, but I'm managing. Also, next week is the premiere of the Animal Planet series Horse Power which I am a part of. It will be cool for everyone to see the riding world and also for me to see all my friends on tv! It's been a very fun process and I'm really excited to see how it turned out. Riding hasn't been on tv that much, and I think this show has done a great job getting that started. Everyone should watch!

Editor's Note: The 5-episode Horse Power: Road to the Maclay TV series premieres Wednesday, February 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Animal Planet (view the complete series schedule). If you missed the first episode, it will reair on Saturday, February 4, at 2 p.m. ET/PT.