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December 31, 2011

~ Through Thick & Thin ~

This year, I was able to attend the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC).  I had competed as a Junior the past three years with much success, but this was my first year as a Young Rider at the age of sixteen.

I have owned my current equine partner Verdicci for the past four years, slowly but surely making our way from Training Level to Prix St. George.  It was already such an accomplishment to have made it to this level, so I was determined to have a fun year as both my horse and myself learned the ropes of the FEI levels.  Verdicci, known as Chance around the barn, is a nine year old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Krack C out of Nadine’s Monday by Jackson.  Chance is a very talented horse, but I knew this year would not be without its’ struggles since we were both newbies at this level.  Therefore, I didn’t set my standards too high, I just wanted to gain experience and become a better rider throughout the season.

Our qualifying season started out great!  We traveled to a number of CDIs in California from our training barn in Scottsdale, AZ.  These included the Mid-Winter Dressage CDI in Burbank, CA, and both the Dressage Affaire CDI and the Del Mar National CDI in Del Mar, CA.  We were very successful, scoring in the mid-sixties and placing in the top half of our classes.  After all was said and done, we qualified for both the NAJYRC and the National Dressage Championships with a 65.75% average.
Then, a tragic accident put a halt to all of my plans.  I was lunging a horse on May 31st, Memorial Day, when it became wild and started tearing around the arena.  In my effort to calm it down, I shortened the lunge line, but once it got close enough the horse spun its’ hind end toward me and kicked out, hitting me square in the right elbow.  After a trip to the hospital in an ambulance, the surgeon told me that my elbow was completely shattered.  It had fractured into seven or eight large pieces, along with several other tiny fragments.  I went into surgery, where they put my elbow back together with a large plate and six screws.  Then, a week later, I had to have another surgery to remove one of the screws that was impairing motion in my arm.  My initial prognosis was a six-month recovery, meaning I wouldn’t be able to ride until December.  I was devastated, but accepted the fact I would need time to heal.

I started physical therapy, a painful and slow process.  But after a month, I couldn’t stand not riding any longer.  With fierce determination, I worked day after day on the strength and range of motion in my elbow.  By some miracle, I had recovered enough in two months’ time to join the Region 5 Young Rider Dressage Team heading to the NAJYRC in Kentucky!

As always, I had a complete blast at my third time at the NAJYRC!  I loved seeing all of my old friends and watching the best Juniors and Young Riders of various disciplines in North America.  Unfortunately my minimal preparation leading up to the Championships and my limited strength in my right arm did not allow me to do as well as I had hoped individually, but I was still able to help our team win the Team Gold Medal!  It was a great year for Region 5 as our Junior Team also won the Team Silver Medal.  Every single girl on our teams was a blast to be around and we all had so much fun together. 
I want to thank my teammates Madeleine Birch, Aylin Corapciouglu, Brandi Roenick, Talia Hershaft, Devon Wycoff, Brook Santangelo, and Taylor Lindsten for giving me support and providing their friendship for another outstanding year.
Now heading into 2012, I can’t wait to begin the process all over again!  I learned so much this year about what it truly takes to be an equestrian athlete, both physically and mentally. I am excited about what the future holds and I now believe that I will be able to make it through both the thick and the thin.  I have so many people to thank for helping me on this journey, including my parents Glen and Annie Chamberlain, my trainer Ashleigh Luca Tyson and everyone at Westwind South Dressage, Renee Isler and the Dressage Foundation for their support this year, the Arizona DressageAssociation, the KWPN-NA, Little Creek Farm, Willy Arts, and countless other supporters. 
Thank you!!!

Catherine

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