Optimum Eventing

01/01/2025

Happy New Year 🎉

12/25/2024

12/14/2024

I have to say my Paint Phantom of the Opera and my PMU byproduct Crack the Code (spotted draft x tb cross) held their own at all shows they attended. When Cisco (Phantom of the Opera) was a hunter for a while with another owner he would beat the expensive warm bloods because of his steadiness and consistence. It is not necessarily what you have under you but how it is ridden that matters.

So I have been having a debate recently with what makes a good dressage horse? so this was my friends opinion:
A good dressage horse has balanced conformation, rhythmic and elastic movement, and strong hindquarters for impulsion. It should be trainable, focused, sound, and responsive, with a charismatic presence. Warmbloods are ideal, but other breeds with natural collection can excel with proper training and partnership.
My opinion:
A good dressage horse is any horse, a horse that is ridden is a dressage horse. The degree of movements and levels are the subjective part. Dressage is not always something we can measure, yes we want elastic movements and strength from the hind but I have seen more native breeds do better half pass than some warm bloods, why is that? Because the rider and horse have a connection, you can have the best conformation, breeding and money in the world, doesn’t mean they will win the class.
So even if your out there doing intro or Grand Prix, understand your abilities, understand your horse’s characteristics and never stop trying to progress regardless of the level; train, listen and build a partnership. Every Olympic horse started from the bottom and worked their way up.

12/12/2024

So proud of my students and Cisco. Way to go Jenna Stanley Cain, Mary Catherine Chewning, Emmi Cochran, Lindsey Brooke Kolodin, Carol Morgan, and Victoria Faith Thornley!

🎉 Congratulations to the 2024 GDCTA Year-End Award Winners! 🎉

The Invitation emails have gone out this morning. (Invitations to the winners are NOT mailed but instead are emailed – that email is your invitation. Ticket information can be found at the end of that email.) We hope to see you all at the Awards Gala to be held at the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta on Windward Pkwy in Alpharetta Georgia, on February 1, 2025.

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible achievements of our members this year! Your dedication, hard work, and passion for the sport have truly shined. 🌟

👏 A huge round of applause to all the winners in every division — from dressage to eventing, recognized to schooling show, your commitment to excellence is an inspiration to us all.

If your name is on this list, you are an award winner!

Jill Allard
David Anderson
Jade Anderson
Zuzanna Andonova
Arianna Arizabaleta
Isabella Arizabaleta
Eliot Axt
Janice Ballard
Meredith Barden
Brynlee Baxter
Elizabeth Beadle
Andri Bekker
Susan Bender
Pam Berkosky
Julie Bethea
Samantha Bielawski
Kathryn Billinghurst
Emmie Binfield
Karen Bisgrove
Kelsey Bishop
Rachel Boeger
Molly Boggs
Lizzy Bohnsack
Corbin James Bond
Sophia Boone
Kintzing Bounds
Beverly Britton
Gabriella Britton
Kylee Brock
Jameson Brooks
Kloie Brooks
Kaydence Brown
Abigail Buckland
Sarah Buckley
Mattie Buckner
Alice Burley
Lindsey Burns
Sarah Butler
Jenna Cain
Emily Cardin
Mary Catherine Chewning
Ellee Chilvers
Kaitlyn Cobey
Emmi Cochran
Bryanna Cohen
Adalyn Colber
Scotlynn Collar
Daniel Comstock
Caitlyn Cook
Emily Cook
Emily Crumlish
Ains Cushion
Allison Cyprus
Maya Daniel
Jessica Davis
Vivienne Davis
Jen Del Nero
Pace Deppa
Christina Des Roches
Isabel Desta
Griffin Deyo
Deborah Dickinson
Ella Diehl
Laura Duhamel
Amanda Duncan
Lauren Eckardt
Adilyn Eckert
Olivia Edgington-Desmet
Isla Elvin
Logan Erwin
Mia Faught
Leah Feinberg
Simon Fiakpornoo
Elizabeth Fink
Brandalyn Fitz
Candace Fitzgerald
Kristi Foresman
Mark Fornwalt
Claire Foster
Fiona Foster
Lynnlee Foster
Eliza Fountain
Rory Frasure
Lindsey Fronzak
Kat Fuqua
Denise Garlinghouse
Amanda Garner
Kate Garrow
Marjolein Geven
Tessa Geven
Ginger Gilmore
Lee Ann Gilson
Amber Gipp
Sierra Gowens
Sophia Hand
Teagan Harp
Maribeth Hebert
Susan Hebert
Molly Hennelly
Emma Henry
Ginny Henry
Isabella Henry
Austin Hermann
Jana Hester
Kloie Hicks
Caroline Hofland
Ava Holifield
Emma Horne
Raegan Hornfeck
Tammy Howlette
Samantha Hudock
Rachael Hudson
Katharina Huenermann
Jessica Hughes
Carrigan Ingram
Gianna Jenkins
Carla Jimmerson
Daelyn Johnson
Evie Jordan
Ainsley Jucknies
Anora Jucknies
Elizabeth Junius
Lisa Kapp
Kim Keffer
Trish Keller
Jennifer Kelly
Dawn Kemph
Kayleigh Kendricks
Cindy Kennedy
Leigh Kent-Scherzer
Ashley Key
Finley Key
Laura King
Sydney Kinser
Lindsey Kolodin
Jamie Kolodziej
Abigail Kroupa
Summer Kroupa
Anna Langford
Brooke Lantz
Madison Lareau
Lois Lassiter
Stephanie Leahey
Mia Lecca
Morgan Lee
Alexandra Lefholz
Esther Levit
Megan Lichty
Linda Light
Jaylynn Lingerfelt
Emily Loftus
Amelia Lohr
Amber Lopresti
Amy Mair
Leah Marks
Valentina Marrero
Mary Chapman Martin
Olivia Martinez
Reese Massey
Anya Mathieu
Kathryn Mattick
Carolyn May
Camille Mays
Leighton Mays
Piper McCaa
Stella McGuire
Bethany McKnight
Sydney McLaughlin
Kara McMahon
Dasha Meeks
Helen Meitzner
Jennifer Melcher
Elizabeth Meurrens
Eden Miller
Rebekah Milligan
Josie Mitchell
Elise Mooney
Piper Moore
Samuel Moreland
Amanda Moretz
Carol Morgan
Cheryl Morris
Joanne Morse
Noel Muehlbauer
Brie Murray
Sydney Nagel
Morgan Nelson
Lauren New
Miriam Offermanns
Kim Ohlsson
Kimberly Pate
Kaylee Payment
Skylar Perkins
Allie Pizza
Alex Poe
Lauren Polk
Isabelle Powers
Kimberly Presley
Carly Prosser
Kyra Rakestraw
Kendall Rariden
Emily Rawlston
Makenzie Renier
Julie Richards
Lydia Richardson
Breeana Robinette
Emma Robinson
Ava Russell
Alexa Ryan-Oat
Heather Ryfa
Aubrey Sabatino
Natalie Saffel
Brianna Sanders
Lynda Sanford
Jennifer Scherrens
Caralyn Schlampp
Chloe Schwerzmann
Julie Shannon
Charlotte Simons
Lucy Slade
Bella Smith
Diane Smith
Eliza Smith
Katelyn N Smith
Katelyn R Smith
Melanie Smith
Emery Sohre
Holly Sommers
Kaarthik Sribalusa
Leela Stanford
Victoria Staples
Aubrie Stewart
Darcy Sun
Piper Surber
Mia Sutton
McKenna Sykora
Eva Szoch
Abby Taylor
Brooke Taylor
Caroline Templeton
Ellie Tesar
Jake Tessler
Brooke Testa
Susan Thomas
Victoria Thornley
Carol Tresan
Devon Tresan
Victoria Treverton
Emily Trimble
Alexis Troutman
Jessica Truelove Terry
Ben Turner
Paige Vaden
Kimberly Van Alstine
Elizabeth Vaughn
Kathy Viele
Madeleine Vitale
Lucy Watkins
Mackenzie Wendt
Chelsea White
Jenna Williams
Jill Williams
Brielle Wilson
Kristen Wilson
Macyn Wolpert
Virginia Woodcock
Arabella Wunn
Hadiya Yarbou
Alethia Young
Brooklyn Young
Collins Zgutowicz
Madison Zgutowicz
Samantha Zierk

Let's keep the momentum going into 2025! Keep training, keep competing, and most important, keep riding with heart! ❤️🐴

Tickets to the “public” go on sale December 15th.
Buy here: https://gdcta.org/event-5587099

Questions should be directed to Caren Caverly [email protected]

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

11/09/2024

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween 👻

10/27/2024

I am so proud of Mary Catherine & Athena for being the CT Year End Champion for the Five Points Show Series and Jenna & Donnerdream for being the Dressage Year End Champion for the Five Points Show Series! You both deserved this with all the hard work you have put in throughout the year.

10/27/2024

What a long but great day at the Five Points Show Series. Mary Catherine & Athena started us off with their Starter CT scoring a 36.33% and adding only 4 jump penalties to finish 1st, then they showed Training Level Test 2 scoring 62.41% taking home 2nd.

Jenna & Donnerdream showed Intro A scoring 63.44% taking 2nd, and Intro B scoring 63.13% taking 3rd. They also showed Training Level Test 1 scoring 62.12% bringing home 2nd.

Victoria & Maybe She's Maybelline showed Training Level Test 1 scoring 63.65% taking 1st, Training Level Test 2 scoring 63.10% taking 1st, and Training Level Test 3 scoring 61.20% taking 4th.

Lindsey & Make Your Mark showed Training Level Test 1 scoring 60.38% taking 4th and Training Level Test 3 scoring 62.00% taking 3rd.

Way to go ladies! I loved watching the improvements in your riding throughout the day.

10/13/2024

I had an auditor when I went to teach my new students at the Equestrian Preserve at Old Mill Farm. Then she got bored and was cleaning her toes instead (video is in the comments).

09/22/2024

Everyone had a good day at the Five Points Show Series!
Lindsey & Make Your Mark had a great come back from the August show showing in Training Level Test 1 scoring 63.65% taking 2nd and Training Level Test 3 scoring 63.60% taking 4th.

Mary Catherine & Athena competed in Starter CT scoring a 36.0% in dressage and pulling one rail in stadium to finish on a 40% bringing home 2nd, they also did Training Level Test 1 scoring 61.73% bringing home 3rd and Training Level Test 2 scoring 62.76% bringing home 2nd.

Victoria & Apache showed Training Level Test 1 scoring 64.42% taking 1st, Training Level Test 2 scoring 66.55% taking 1st, and Training Level Test 3 scoring 65.0% bringing home 2nd.

Jenna & Donnerdream showed Intro A scoring 67.50% and Intro B scoring 66.56% taking 1st in both, plus they did Training Level Test 1 scoring 64.42% bringing home 2nd.

Emmi & Ace in the Hole showed Intro B scoring 62.50% taking 3rd, and Intro C scoring 57.0% bringing home 3rd again. Happy to report that all these ladies, as well as Carol and myself, have qualified for GDCTA year end awards. Now for the nail biting time to wait and see if they receive an email saying they are a winner.

09/20/2024

Full day tomorrow at the Five Points schooling show

09/16/2024

We played at the Foxberry show yesterday and both riders did well. Mary Catherine & Athena competed Starter CT and scored 36.0% in dressage but pulled a rail on the pink jump twice over because it was jump 1 and 9 so she ended up in 6th, plus they showed Training Level Test 1 scoring a 60.385% taking 5th. Victoria & Apache competed Amoeba CT scoring 40.0% taking 2nd, and showed Training Level Test 1 scoring 62.308% bringing home 3rd, and Training Level Test 2 scoring a 60.170% taking 4th.

09/01/2024

We played at the GDCTA schooling show yesterday and everyone made improvements throughout the day. Mary Catherine & Athena started the day with a 10 minute warmup at a new venue so there was distraction in the first test, Training Level Test 1, giving her a score of 53.269% but she rallied and received a 59.828% for their Training Level Test 2 landing in 5th place, and came back even stronger for her Training Level Test 3 receiving a 62.0% and 6th place.
Jenna & Donnerdream dipped their toes in Training Level Test 1 again and there was distraction with some spooks in the K corner but Jenna rode well and received a 56.923% taking home 6th. For their Intro A and B tests they knocked it out of the park with scores of 66.875% and 67.5% taking home 1st and 2nd respectively.

Victoria & Warriors Qton Spirit rocked it for their Amoeba CT scoring a 30.937% and jumped double clear to bring home 1st place. They also showed Training Level Test 1 scoring a 60.385% for 2nd and Training Level Test 2 scoring a 60.690% for 3rd. What was so exciting to see was that the Victoria riding I see in lessons showed up in the show ring. For all riders you know how hard that is because normally show nerves and concerns of looking good for the judge alter how you ride in the show ring. Once you can ride your horse in a test instead of riding the test the feeling is amazing and that is what I got to witness with Victoria yesterday, and it was awesome!
I am so proud of all three ladies and the improvements they made yesterday!

08/22/2024

I know many of you are going to AEC's and good luck to you! Who all will be at the GDCTA schooling show next weekend? I know we will be.

08/12/2024

Lee Ann & Johanna showed at the GDCTA Dog Days Dressage show but did not achieve a needed score toward the bronze medal. However, they did have two presentable tests at Third Level Test 1 and managed to score the exact same score on both tests, a 56.081%. Some of the movements scores were different in each test yet it came out to the same score, I did have a chuckle at that. We still brought home two blue ribbons and some neat prizes from the show too. Thanks to everyone who helped put this show on from the behind the scenes people to the front and center volunteers working out in the sun and heat.