A Utopia rider and her 22-year-old horse brought home a podium finish from one of the nation's largest eventing competitions after competing Aug. 25-30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
Nancy Rinn and her horse, Remington Steel, competed in the American Eventing Championships, finishing with a bronze medal in their division.
Rinn and Remington train at Crossgate Equestrian Center in Bandera with trainer Diane Hanrahan. Rinn credited Hanrahan's training program and expertise with helping the pair qualify for and successfully compete at the national championship.
Eventing is an Olympic equestrian sport that combines three disciplines: dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The competition tests the horse and rider's precision, stamina, athleticism and ability to work together.
In dressage, horse and rider perform a prescribed pattern in an arena, with judges evaluating precision, obedience and harmony.
Cross-country tests stamina and bravery as horses travel across open terrain and negotiate natural obstacles, including ditches, water jumps and solid fences.
Show jumping requires precision and careful footwork as horses navigate a course of fences.
For Rinn and Remington, the championship was the culmination of a decade-long goal.
'At our age (Remms and I are 95 years old this year!), staying fit and healthy, especially in a Texas summer, is tough,' Rinn said in her account of the competition. She also described the challenge of trailering the pair 1,400 miles to Kentucky and competing before large crowds and alongside Olympians in the warm-up arenas.
Remington, a 22-yearold Thoroughbred-Percheron gelding, performed well throughout the competition.
The pair completed their dressage test before putting together a strong cross-country performance. Rinn said they entered the final phase, show jumping, in first place after completing the cross-country course without faults.
Because competitors entered the show-jumping phase in reverse order of their standings, Rinn and Remington were the final pair to compete.
The pair completed the show-jumping course without knocking down a rail, but finished two seconds over the allowed time. The result dropped them from first place but still earned them a bronze medal at the national championship.
Rinn said the result was a treasured accomplishment for the pair.
'Remms and I' have developed a partnership built on trust, communication, discipline and fitness, she said.
The accomplishment also highlights a sport that may be less familiar in the Hill Country, where rodeo and Western riding are more common.
Rinn and Remington's training in Bandera at Crossgate Equestrian Center helped prepare them for the national competition.
Crossgate offers training in eventing under Hanrahan, and the sport can be viewed locally during horse trials hosted at the facility.
More information about eventing is available through the United States Eventing Association at useventing.com. Crossgate Equestrian Center is online at CrossgateTexas. com.
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