Reese Merna, Stacia Madden, Equitation at Devon, and More!

The person interviewed talks about their weekend at a horse show called Devon. They discuss the different classes they competed in and their horse's performance. They also mention their background in equitation and their plans for future competitions. The interviewer comments on the difficulty of the courses and the importance of staying focused. They also discuss the changing landscape of equitation and the skills required for success in the sport. So, tell us about your whole weekend, let's start about the whole, give us a synopsis of how your whole timeline came to be. Yes, so I got here on Wednesday and flatted in the ring and then Thursday we showed in the equitation, we started with the jumper phase, I got A to 91 and one section B of the jumper phase and then I did the medal and one section A of the medal and then today we just had the mcclay and I was third in section C. You're part of the U-set. Oh, and the U-set, I was third in the U-set. So how many years have you been coming here? This is my fourth year coming to Devon. And what does it mean to win this award? It's really special, I've looked up to a lot of the riders that have won it before me and competing against so many incredible riders, it's a real honor. And Bria, can you talk a little bit about the horse that you rode this week? Yeah, so my horse's name is Castlefield Spartacus, they call him Sparty in the barn. He is a really seasoned horse, he is super sweet on the ground, incredible to ride in the ring, super fun, he's an amazing horse, I'm very lucky. What's your favorite thing about him? My favorite thing about him, probably his personality, he's very sweet, he's very cuddly on the ground, he loves to be around people, he's a really sweet horse. And how long have you been riding him? I started riding him in November, right after indoors. And is he one that you get to ride throughout the week, or are you just mostly meeting him at horse shows? Yeah, I'm lucky enough, I get to ride him throughout the week at home and get to practice on him every week. And what have you guys been working on leading up to the story growth? We've been working a lot on... Timing. Yeah, my timing a lot, I think is the main thing we've really been working on. Like timing with the jumps and making sure I'm asking him to push across the off-piste at the right manual. And was he one that you kind of fit together with really well from the start, or did it take a little while to get to know him? It took a couple weeks, but I think it was pretty good from the start, he's a really awesome horse, so it's pretty easy to just get on him. Can you talk just a little bit about your own riding background and kind of what you've done prior to doing the equitation? Yeah, I've been doing the equitation for a very, very long time. I did all of the 3 foot 3 equitation, and then moved into the 3 foot 6 equitation about four years ago. And then I also this year just started doing the high junior jumpers. Disha, what's the plan going forward now for each? The plan is to start switching gears into strategizing about being in the best possible place for finals. We're going to have our eye on the Gladstone Cup, which is probably our next final. And then once we've got all of our qualifying kind of put to bed, we're going to switch gears and just start making sure that we're prepared for the finals that we've qualified. And we don't want to over show, and we don't want to risk having any health issues with our horses. So we'll start backing it down a little bit and turning it into championship mode. And can you talk about the courses? Which was the hardest one at a bowl or the equitation that you did? I think this week getting the hardest course was definitely the ESET. It was really fun, but definitely the most challenging of the week. What was the most challenging on the course? I think senses one to two was a little bit of an awkward turn. The water jump is always a difficult test on the course. There's asked a lot of questions in the ESET. A lot of lengthening and then shortening. Did it help going from the ESET to the McLeod? Yeah, it's definitely a lot more lengthy. We do have to talk about riding with less pressure, because you've done two classes with time allowed. You've done the Washington with time allowed. You've done the USET with time allowed. So every class you've done in the Dixon Oval at that point, you've been a little bit on the hustle. So we do have to talk about softening things up. There's a lot of strategy after the double for the first inside turn to really slow down, because I saw a lot of riders really rushing that turn. So you knew you had good points coming into the flat, it's been a long few days. Yeah, I noticed kind of your headspace going into the flat. I'm interested to hear the answer to this question. I want to know if she knew what she was up against or not. I did know. I was following along throughout the week. I was pretty nervous. I knew I needed to be, I think, top five. So when I thought I was in third, I was just kind of like, OK, I've just got to go flat my very best and just not drop down in the flat at all. I think that's just a testament to the level of riding at this horse show, because you could have had potentially a four-way tie for this overall award. You could have potentially had a three-way tie, and then you could have had a sole winner. And I think she was the last one to go, if I'm correct, of the riders that were in contention. So she had to have it in the back of her mind that she needed to deliver, but at the same time, not let it get in the way of the end game, because the award is special, it's important. But we always talk mostly about trying to have our most consistent horse show and trying to deliver our best performance. I always talk about, you know, we're not trying to put ribbons on the tack room, and I think this was a really good example of trying to just stay in the game and deliver your very best class, and then you will be rewarded for it. And what I like so much about Reese winning this award is she won the first class here last year on her horse, and he sustained a small injury where he's in rehab now. And she just immediately said, I need to do what's best for my horse. I want to give him the appropriate time so that we can have him back for finals if possible. And what do I do in the meantime to keep going and stay sharp? And came here and right out of the box was able to win the first class. Last year she had time faults in the second class, or she probably would have won the second class, and she might have been winning this award last year as well. But that just shows you how much it's important to have these experiences and learn from them and not get discouraged by them, because if you're routed, it gets discouraged by them. You don't take the opportunity to learn and come here and be sitting where she's now. I'm going off of that, can you talk a little bit about what she's like to work with? Super diligent, does always want to be very, very competitive, but there's a fine line of trying to be competitive and then learn from your mistakes. I think sometimes it's easier for her because she really understands the sport, the horses, the judging. I think sometimes you get outside forces that start saying, you know, this should have happened, that should have happened. And I think her real talent is that she keeps her focus on the staff and what we're working on and herself and her work, and then when it really matters, it shows, because it's hard to be at the top of your game when you're 14 weeks in a row in Wellington, but when you come to a show like this and it's time to show that you're confident in yourself and that your preparation has paid off, I think she did that really well. It's hard to be in the top three in every class at a show like this, in four classes. Anybody else? And then I definitely want to, and Lupita, she lives in Pennsylvania and is probably the most true and true horse person there is. She rode very competitively as an amateur, had some of the most famous hunters in the country, and now she loves the sport so much, she wants to be part of these young riders' careers by owning equitation horses or parts of equitation horse, and she also owns part of O.K. Taylor's horse with another customer of ours that also has the same passion for the sport that rode. So I know in our Olympics it's important to have people for our sponsors, but at the ground up ages like this, they've got to learn early on how important it is to have people behind you. And I would say this is the first time in real life I've actually gotten to meet three of you. Yes. In case you can't tell, it's been a long time since I've shown up, so it's the first time that I've met her, and first time in your lives I've seen her at a prize party, and I was so impressed at what a great combination they made, and I know a lot of that has to do with Stacia, but it has to do with Reece as well, and I happened to be sitting next to you while you were waiting for the standby for the last class, and you were so calm and cool on the outside. I could not, you know, tell what was going on in your head, but you really were holding it together, and it was a great pleasure. We didn't speak about the points for this class at all. It was never a conversation, and it never really is, because it's not a part of delivering your best performance. Nick, can you just mention just a little about how the equitation, and you would be able to speak on this as well, how the equitation world has changed in the last couple decades. I mean, it's been a 180, don't you think, or? I mean, it's gotten very specialized, and the horses can do really difficult and intricate stuff, and the riders are asked to do very demanding tasks. I just think it's an amazing platform for the riders going forward, whether it's that they're going to ride in school, or whether they're wanting to ride for a team, whether they're wanting to be a professional, or whether they're just wanting to do it for sport. You're either learning the life lessons that riding has to teach you, or you're learning about the pressures and techniques about track, line, jumping style. To create a good jump out of a horse takes a lot of athletic ability from the rider, and it only gets harder as the jumps get bigger, and I think the kids are learning that at this level, and then you're seeing it carry on.