ABBF had a lot of fun this weekend out and about! Be sure to check out the video of Rachel and sales horse Nui bombing around the cross country! Great job everyone!
9/16: Marlborough Horse Trials (Upper Marlboro, MD)
• Kelley with Valfreyja: 7th in Open Training
• Rachel Narrow with Nui (owned by Troy George): 2nd in Training Rider
9/16-17: MDHT Fall Starter Horse Trials #1 (Adamstown, MD)
• Kristen Parris with ABBF graduate Platinum Edition: 3rd in Beginner Novice-A
Kelly Williams is an amazing 3 day eventing woman.
Kelley is an advanced level eventer whose passion for horses began at young age while taking riding lessons at summer camp. Pat, having loved horses from the time she was a child, saw an opportunity to fulfill her childhood dreams and decided that mother-daughter riding lessons might be fun. And the rest, as they say, is history.
After graduating from St. Mary’s College with a degree in Mathematics, Kelley began working for Dr. Will Engel of Ridgeview Veterinary Practice (large animal veterinarian). Working at the practice has helped fine-tune her horsemanship skills over the years. In addition, Kelley continued with her riding and competing, and soon found a love of retraining young horses off the track and teaching students. That, coupled with her passion for eventing, led to her current career as trainer for A Bit Better Farm.
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Wow! It was an exciting and busy weekend for team ABBF! Everyone has been working so hard this summer and the results this past weekend show the pay off! Great job everyone!!!
9/2-3: PVDA USDF @ Waredaca I & II (Laytonsville, MD)
• Amy Gaynor with Studly Dudley: 2nd in First Level Freestyle 9/2-3: Seneca Valley Pony Club Horse Trials (Poolesville, MD)
• Ashley Gross with State of Lux: 2nd in Training Rider
• Katie Mayo with Mr. Mayhem: 1st in Training Rider + TIP Training Champion
• Haley Miller with He’s True Brew: 8th in Sr. Novice Rider
• Rachel Narrow with Nui (owned by Troy George): 3rd in Training Rider + TIP Training Reserve Champion
• Shari Young with Pure Cotton: 1st in Sr. Beginner Novice Rider + TIP Beginner Novice Champion 
What a wonderful week we had at the Kentucky Horse Park for the American Eventing Championships! This event is so unique in the opportunity it provides to horses and riders at every level to really experience top-tier competition. I was lucky enough to be on hand to help a few students and friends this week, and I walked away feeling very thankful and so inspired to be involved with helping these riders reach their goals!
I can’t emphasize enough the hard work and dedication that it takes from a rider and their “village” to get here. Among other things, the level of emotional investment and pressure that the riders put on themselves is huge, and that in and of itself is a huge part of learning how to be successful in this sport.
Each of the riders that I was lucky enough to coach this week had their own personal goals to achieve (in addition to looking for that victory gallop around the Rolex Arena, of course 😉). I think the most important achievement for these riders was not the ribbons but that they had the grace to handle the pressures of intense competition, putting their best foot forward but then being prepared to keep moving in the direction of their goals even when things didn’t go according to plan.
Learning to take pride in the accomplishments along the way of that never-ending quest for perfection is one of the major keys to success.
In any case, I am immensely proud of the maturity and growth demonstrated by these lovely humans and their horses this week. Congratulations thoroughly on your wonderful performances! This week has been a testament to your hard work, dedication, and desire to keep learning and improving!!!
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Another fun weekend in the books for team ABBF! Great job everyone!
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8/27: PVDA @ All’s Well Equestrian (Dickerson, MD)
8/26-27: VADA/NOVA USDF Summer Wind Down I & II (Leesburg, VA)
8/26: Waredaca Starter Horse Trials (Laytonsville, MD)
“I sent Rory to sleep away camp with Kelley Williams at A Bit Better Farm while I was on vacation and had my first ride back this evening. I could really feel [the] results of the time she put into getting Rory to move his body more correctly, especially in his neck. It’s like he had a tune up. The problem with being an amature in horse sports (as opposed to sports where your equipment is not a living creature) is that your horse can really only go as well as you can ride. While you are limited by your horse, to the greater degree, your lack of education and experience really limits the horse. You end up developing a partnership full of miscommunication and misconceptions. It’s just the way it is, but it’s frustrating, nonetheless. Lessons help a tremendous amount but I can now say that training rides might be essential, at least for me. As I’m often reminded, the path of understanding is so damn narrow. I’ll take all the help I can get. Grateful for a generous horse and a team of folks who help me.”
I was recently tagged in this post after Rory’s mom hopped on following Rory’s time with us at A Bit Better Farm. I want to take the time to say thank you to Shane not only for your kind words but truly more importantly, your keen observation of what I wish for my students to gain from any time they allow me to put training into their horses. So much of the time my role as an instructor and horse trainer is to be an interpreter of sorts. Helping riders learn to decipher clues that their horses give them about what they do and don’t understand, about what is hard or easy for them and about what they need most to excel. I try to challenge my students to become better riders by becoming better horse trainers themselves, learning to listen and communicate clearly with their equine partners.
Seeing Shane and Rory taking big steps in this direction really reminds me why I love what I do so much!!!
As a professional equestrian, my schedule is a whirlwind of training, competitions, and caring for the horses. The last thing I have time for is managing the details of keeping my website updated, social media running, and scheduling clinics. That’s where Mythic Landing Enterprises comes to the rescue. With their exceptional services, they take care of all the extras that no one thinks goes into running a barn, allowing me to focus on what I love most – training and riding. We love having Mythic Landing as part of our team!
After a tough ride, finding fast relief is a breeze with Four Oaks Farm Product’s Natural Release Muscle Spray. Just spray it on and let the magic begin, soothing tired muscles and supporting your horse’s recovery process. With this easy-to-use product in your tack trunk, you’ll be ready for anything. Ride on and keep your horses feeling their best!
What a gift the weather was this weekend! Some of our riders made the most of it getting out to a few shows. Congrats to all on great results!
8/19: FADS @ By Chance Farm (Union Bridge, MD)
Margaret McKelvy with Runsonstilts: 1st in Second Level TOC
Tara McShane with Candyforacause: 5th in Training Level, Test 1 + 5th in Training Level, Test 2
8/18-20: Waredaca Horse Trials (Laytonsville, MD)
Amy Gaynor with Studly Dudley: 2nd in Novice Rider-B
Emerson Kasley with Global Venture: 3rd in Training Rider-A
Shari Young with Pure Cotton: 4th in Beginner Novice Rider-B
8/12: FADS @ Blue Horse Farm (Jefferson, MD)
Tara McShane with Candyforacause: 3rd in Intro-B + 3rd in Training 1/2