Conversations With Equestrians: Lucy Davis

Look Out for Lucy
Committed, focused, intelligent and competitive, Lucy Davis is a trainer’s dream. Both natural and exceptional, the young equestrian exemplifies talent. And furthermore, she is soft spoken, kind and zen-like. A senior in high school, Lucy competes in the Big Eq and in the Big Jumpers. She not only rides in both indoor and outdoor grand prix classes, she does it a certain sense of experience that comes with natural talent. She’s won at the highest level offered for junior jumper riders, including Indoors and Young Riders, but also ribbons against professionals.

Lucy is also lucky. She not only has supportive parents – her mom ranks way up there on the horse showmom meter – but one of her best friends, Patrick, lives at home in the barn.

We interviewed her on the eve of the ASPCA Maclay Regionals in September. Since our chat just over a month ago, she has placed 7th and 12th in two $50,000 World Cup Qualifying Grand Prix classes. Back East at Indoors she was 4th in the USEF Medal Finals at Harrisburg.

Lucy Davis and Enrico, Best Pony Rider
2005 Menlo Charity HS © JumpShot
EqSol: Your start with horses?
LD:
 My grandfather works in horse racing so my mom grew up around it. When she moved to Los Angeles she started riding at Sullivan Canyon – we now live there. I’ve been riding in the Canyon since I could walk, pretty much. Just for fun but I was always around it. I started taking lessons when I was five, with Chacha Levinson.EqSol: Your firsts… First blue ribbon?
LD:
 At the Santa Barbara National when I was six. I won a flat class on my pony, Biscuits ‘N Gravy.

EqSol: First time on a jumper?
LD:
 I rode in the pony jumpers when I was about 10 or 11. But when I moved to Archie (Cox), my mom wanted me to stick with hunters and eq. I was about thirteen when I got my first jumper with Archie, Mister Mind.

EqSol: First Grand Prix?
LD:
 It was at a fall show in Del Mar a couple of years ago. I rode True Love. I think it went well, I don’t remember. [In fact it was the $25,000 CA Horsetrader Grand Prix at the 2008 Del Mar Fall Festival, and she was second behind Stefanie Saperstein] 

EqSol: And with all this Grand Prix show jumping, you are still competing in the Big Eq?
LD:
 Yes, I have a bad birthday – late October – so this is my last year for most of the medal finals. I hope to qualify tonight for the ASPCA (she did, placing 15th) and also competed in the WIHS Eq Finals (this past week) and USEF Medal Final (she was 4th).

EqSol: You have worked extensively with two trainers and recently made a change. Some history?
LD:
 I’ve ridden with Archie since I was 12 years old, when I was ready to show more and move to horses from ponies. And I still love it after six years. Archie has an intense work ethic – he is the hardest worker I know. When I was ready to focus on the high level jumpers, I started riding with Dick Carvin. That was about three years ago.

I ride every day at home. We keep my equitation horse Patrick and some of my old hunters at our small barn in Sullivan Canyon. It’s a little horse neighborhood where most of the houses have barns and we use the community arenas and riding areas. I did take lessons at Middle Ranch (where Archie and Dick both have their home operations) on weekends when I wasn’t showing.

News flash: Since our interview in September, Lucy’s jumpers moved to Sandstone in Thousand Oaks, CA where she will be working with Gaby Salick and Markus Beerbaum. Post competing in the ASPCA Maclay Finals in Syracuse, NY in early November her next show jumping competition will be in Buenos Aires the following week!

EqSol: Dick told me you were one of the most focused individuals he has ever met. Your thoughts on that?
LD:
 That’s a great compliment. I am the kind of person that gets something in my head and can focus on it intensely. I guess I am lucky to have that ability but it does work against me sometimes.

EqSol: You’ve excelled in each discipline – under Archie’s tutelage you’ve earned championships in hunters on both coasts and top medal final placings in equitation, then with Dick as your coach Young Rider victories, Grand Prix starts and last year Europe…
LD:
 I was lucky to get the chance to go to Frankfort for the European Young Masters League last December. Each of the medalists at Young Riders got a wild card spot to compete with the top 30 European riders. I was the only one that could go.

EqSol: And didn’t you win?
LD:
 [smile] I did. I got lucky. I also got to tag along with Meredith Michaels Beerbaum and established a friendship. That led to this past summer’s adventure.

EqSol: Tell us more about summer 2010.
LD:
 I spent about a month in Germany showing with Markus and Meredith Beerbaum. It was the best summer of my life so far. I learned so much, not only about technical riding skills but also on the ground about being a horseman. What tack to use, preparing the horse for the class… it was a very focused and knowledgeable environment.

I made a lot of great friends. Stefanie Saperstein and Navona Gallegos were both there and another American from Alabama who is now a working student, Christy. There was a guy from Kuwait and a group of working students from Finland, so all together it was about 10 of us.

Competing in Europe has such a great feel. The shows have so many spectators, and not just horse people. One show the entire town came to watch, it was a big event. Equestrians are treated like pro athletes over there. I competed in three shows and it was an awesome experience all the way around. It all came together at my last show, especially with my younger horse Hannah.

EqSol: Your favorite spot in Europe?
LD:
 Madrid by far. I will live in Spain sometime in this lifetime.

EqSol: Your favorite equestrians?
LD:
 Meredith of course. The French rider Penelope Leprevost. And Laura Kraut, she’s also a really nice person.

EqSol: Now that you’ve had international experience, if there was a horse you could ride who would it be?
LD:
 It would probably be this fabulous horse I saw in Frankfurt ridden by Marco Kutcher, Cornet Obelinsky. A big white horse that floats over the jumps, it is just amazing to watch. And I think everyone would like a chance to ride Shutterfly. It’s probably true that only one person can ride him, but it would be fun to try. He’s 17 years old and just did the Grand Prix at Aachen. He loves his job and is definitely still in the game. Meredith and Marcus take excellent care of the horses.

Lucy Davis and Nemo 119
2010 $35,000 Blenheim Spring
Classic II Grand Prix © JumpShot
EqSol: And your jumpers?
LD:
 Hannah is nine-year-old mare. We bought her about a year ago and we’ve both been working on getting comfortable at the bigger heights. We’ve both blossomed and she’s really coming along. I was happy with her last night [in the World Cup Qualifier]. We had two down, but nothing disastrous – just little things we can work on. She’s been confident at the bigger jumps and I’m really proud of her. Nemo 119 is a more rambunctious and feisty type. I’ve only had him since January; he is more experienced in the bigger classes than I am. Really a sweet horse at the barn but he gives me a hard time in the ring. He really makes me work for it. He’s a character, to say the least.EqSol: What are your college plans? Horses?
LD:
 I graduate this year in June. I set really lofty personal goals, and I did that with college too. I don’t want to jinx anything so I’m hesitant to say where. It is so competitive these days, the counselors at school say that 80% of people who apply to the best schools are fully qualified, but only 6-9% get in.So it’s a crapshoot. Once I do go I’ll probably be on the five-year plan. I’m a perpetual learner. And yes, I’d love to ride while in college.EqSol: Your riding goals? Career goals?
LD:
 I want to start doing better at the Grand Prix level. I definitely need experience in small indoor rings with big jumps. It’s pretty hard actually. I’ve jumped a big course but when you put them in a tight space there’s not a lot of room for error.My dream is every aspiring rider’s dream – to go to the Olympics. And also to compete at Aachen. I went to watch this summer, it was an amazing event.I don’t think I have the patience to be a trainer. I will have to see after college. I think if I were to choose it would be film director or writer but I do want to see how far I can go with riding. If I am at a place where it is realistic to keep going and do well at some of the highest levels I will pursue it. Riding is my passion. As of now riding is a big priority. But I will go to college.

EqSol: We find that behind most superb young riders is an awesome parent or two. Tell us about yours.
LD:
 [smiling] My mom is definitely awesome and my dad loves it too. He comes to a lot of the horse shows but stays low key. My younger brother Clay (almost 15) is an all-around sports guy and has been coming to the shows for ten years, not necessarily happily. As much as he feigns he hates it, he’s really a softie and very supportive. My mom is totally committed, I think she has spent at least three birthdays at Harrisburg. That says a lot. She is not just there for me, but she is really curious about how it all works and always eager to learn. At the same time she stays behind the scenes, she is never overbearing. I really admire that about her. She has my old hunter Gallatea and takes lessons for fun.

Lucy Davis and Patrick
2009 Del Mar National © Rick Osteen
EqSol: And finally, who is your best friend that lives in the barn?
LD:
 We’ve had Patrick since he was five and now he’s eight. He’s lived at our house since the beginning and we’ve established a good relationship. He is one of the sweetest horses I have ever met. Whether you’ve had a good day or a bad day, you can go into his stall and cuddle. Patrick is a great friend.What an exciting time for you – ending your junior career and finishing high school. Already into the grand prix show jumping chapter of your riding and then college… We wish you all the best and look forward to hearing about your future successes!

The Equestrian Diaries

By Ricky Neal, 2009 Gold Medal Team Member

July 22nd 
Wednesday’s warm-up competition offered us our first chance to school our horses in the newly renovated stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park. The course, set by Olaf Peterson Jr., consisted of eight obstacles. Once in the ring, each competitor was granted 90 seconds to jump as many jumps as they wanted in whichever order they liked best. The majority of my Zone 10 junior team opted for a shortened version of Olaf Jr.’s course which allowed us to school both the open water and the double without fatiguing our horses too much, as we had a long week ahead. Despite the wet weather our team came away from the warm-up competition in top shape, excited for the week to come.

July 23rd
The championships began on Thursday for the Juniors with a one-round competition against the clock. Because Sunday’s winner would be determined by faults only, the emphasis was on clear rounds and only clear rounds. The first Californian in was Samantha Harrison, who set an excellent example for the day with a confident clear round, just under the time allowed. I was the next rider to enter the ring from Zone 10, aboard my Oldenburg gelding Luke Skywalker S. Luke cantered around the ring with great confidence and I was able to steer him around the course without any rails coming down. The rest of my teammates from Zone 10 followed suit, and at the end of the day the scoreboard reflected the hard work each one of us had put in order to qualify for the Junior team; Annie Cook and Gina, the alternates for the team, led the victory gallop, while placings 4th-7th went to me, Alec Lawler, Taylor Siebel, and Samantha Harrison, respectively. With five riders in the top ten, our Zone 10 team quickly became the favorite for Friday’s team competition, and we would not disappoint.

July 24th
Friday’s team competition consisted of nine teams jumping the same course twice, with a jump off to determine the winner in case of a tie. Olaf Jr. set a long, challenging course for the two round competition, but after Thursday’s success, our team felt confident, comfortable, and prepared for the day’s challenges. As Zone 10 drew first in the order of go, our lead off rider, Samantha Harrison, was the first to enter the arena. As she did the day before and as she would continue to do all week, Sam posted a relaxed and effortless clear round, much to the delight of Zone 10’s cheering section, which was to be rivaled only by the hoots and hollers of the adjacent Mexican cheering section. Following Sam’s lead, Taylor Siebel posted another fault free score, giving Zone 10 the only two clear rounds in the class thus far. Next to show was Alec Lawler, who completed the difficult course with a respectable 8 fault round. Already with a definitive lead in the competition with only 8 faults, there was little pressure on me as I walked into the ring as Zone 10’s anchor rider. Luke again cantered around the course with ease and again the jumps stayed up, giving our team a total of 0 faults, being tailed only by Zone 2 with a score of 12.

As anyone can tell you, however, team competitions are often fickle in nature. Although Samantha started the second round with a fault free round, both Alec and Taylor had 12 faults each, and following two clear rounds from Zone 2, we found ourselves in a tie for the lead after three of the four riders had gone. Because Zone 2 had a drop score of 20 in the second round, they needed a clear round from their anchor rider, Kaitlin Cambell, in order to win. As Zone 10’s anchor rider, I knew that my score would mean the difference between gold and silver for our team, but I first had to see how Kaitlin would do. On the way to the in-gate, Kaitlin’s eye caught mine. “Good luck”, I offered, with only the slightest hint of sarcasm. “Yea, no pressure,” she shot back with a smile. Yet despite the lighthearted banter, Kaitlin was all business when she walked into the ring. Some 80 seconds later, Kaitlin crossed the timers to the thunderous applause from Zone 2’s cheering section having completed the course fault free, giving Zone 2 a grand total of 12 faults. As the announcer so thoughtfully summed up the situation as I entered the ring “The pressure is on.” Once in the ring, however, cries of encouragement from Zone 10’s cheering section pierced the stadium and reminded me that I wasn’t completely alone. With my nerves conquered, I began the course with the same confidence and focus which I had had during the first round’s ride. The handsome Luke Skywalker again rose to the occasion and cruised around the course without any problems, leaving all the poles in the cups.

The fun was not yet over, however, as we now had to jump off against Zone 2. Zone 2 started the jump-off, and their first rider posted a quick four fault round. Samantha Harrison, who deserves a nickname for her stone cold consistency throughout the team competition, loped around the shortened course, leaving all the fences up. The next two riders for Zone 2 had eight faults each, allowing Alec and Taylor to finish the day with each posting four fault rounds, giving us a worst case scenario score of 8 and Zone 2 a best case scenario score of 12, meaning that it was not necessary for either Kaitlin or I to jump off. With a total of 8 faults in the jump off, Zone 10’s Junior team won a gold medal for the third year in a row. The hard fought victory left me, Taylor, Sam and Alec hungry for more, and each of us will undoubtedly be back to the championships in years to come.

Ricky Neal is 17 years old and has been riding since age 5.  He trains with Dick Carvin and Susie Schroer at Meadow Grove Farm and currently has three horses – Texas, Larina, and Luke Skywalker S.  Ricky recently won an individual bronze medal as well as a team gold medal at the NAJYRC aboard Luke Skywalker.

Luke is a 9 yo Oldenburg gelding, bought in September of 2008 but not shown until 2009 HITS DC because of an injury.  He qualified behind Larina for YR, so Ricky originally planned to leave him at home, but when he performed well at Spruce Meadows he decided to bring him instead, despite his lesser experience. Good decision!