Competitive Experience // Overbrook Equestrian
There weren’t nearly enough horse shows in 2020 (thanks covid) but Harvest 2020 was so wonderful this year that it nearly made up for the lack of other shows! I got to spend the day with the absolute best barn crew of Overbrook Equestrian and had just the best time! The Overbrook team is truly the epitome of a positive, supporting and uplifting group of teammates, I was so happy to be a part of the group, even just for a day.
Karlee, Laura and Megan were all wonderful to spend time with as always, I feel so lucky to have reconnected with Laura and Megan and gotten to know Karlee in the last year! The day started with Laura and Mr. Beanz but was over far too quickly due to Beanz experiencing a injury. Laura is such an incredible horse woman and wouldn’t dare put her horses health at risk. She didn’t skip a beat and went straight from getting ready to competing to putting all her effort into caring for Beanz and cheering on her teammates. It is this attitude that makes me certain that this won’t be any set back for her and Beanz, it will only make them stronger when they return to the ring.
Karlee was next in the .9m jumpers and had an amazing warm up and an excellent round, though this was only their warm up for the grand-prix 1m jumpers. I am always a bit biased to be Karlee and Q’s cheerleader since I just love watching another rider kick butt on a quarter horse! Q didn’t disappoint as usual and this pair was just as wonderful in the grand prix ring as in the sand. Karlee is always a refreshing equestrian to be around, she has a calm and refreshing presence and doesn’t let anything get to her, she always has a beaming smile on her face, even if it is under her bright pink mask!
Megan and Grey Goose were also in the 1m ring for the grand prix ring and I don’t think Megan would disagree with me on saying that it wasn’t their best day in the ring. They had an excellent warm up but then things just didn’t come together in the ring. It is a hard thing for any equestrian to have bad days, especially in the show ring and in front of a crowd but Megan really rose to the challenge and proved herself as a strong, determined and thoughtful rider. I felt honoured to not only capture the heights of her day but also the lows and the brilliant support she received from her coach and family and in Megan’s own words, she was glad that I could capture the “real part of riding”.
I think that there are some riders in our sport who create negative preconceptions and stereotypes about what it is to be an equestrian but Laura, Karlee and Megan are the types of riders who shatter these preconceptions each and every day and show exactly what it is to be an equestrian; strong, caring, devoted, brave and positive.
