Beau Guimond's Weekend Wrap Up from MCTA at Shawan Downs

This weekend the team traveled to Shawan Downs for the Maryland Combined Training Association Horse Trials. The weather proved to be great and the cross-country course, held by the Land Preservation Trust, was in fantastic shape. The team took 13 horses and rode over two days from Novice to Intermediate. Being the newest member of the team, it is amazing to watch how efficiently Lindsey Taylor prepares all the horses and makes it seem effortless. Boyd truly is an amazing rider and teacher who gives each horse 100% when preparing and competing. He is tireless in his preparation and commitment. He rode 10 horses and made it look easy.

One of my jobs as a working student is to help with the preparation and conditioning of the horses for the events. Boyd sets the individual schedule for each horse and then our team is involved in making it happen. The team is truly focused on making each horse the best that it can be. During the month that I have been riding under the team’s conditioning and management plan, my riding and my horses have undergone an amazing transformation. All members of the team – Caitlin, Sara and Emily-- are fantastic riders and handlers and go the extra mile to help. The atmosphere at the barn is amazing: Boyd gives new meaning to work hard and play hard!

Here are the results of the weekend: all of the horses went around great in the cross-country phase. Boyd had a great ride on Cold Harbor and placed 2nd in Intermediate. Boyd competed a new horse, Master Frisky, who he had never ridden before and placed an amazing 6th overall. Boyd rode Steady Eddie, New Cadet and PartyBoy in Preliminary and all showed great character by breezing around the cross-country. Steady Eddie and New Cadet went double clear while Partyboy had one rail. 

Sara Gumbiner put in a fantastic ride in Open Training and finished 1st for the second event in a row on Polaris, on a 26.8! Boyd rode Bacardi, Ballyneety and Quinn Himself in Training divisions and each went double clear and finished in the ribbons. My horse Otter & I finished 2nd in Training Rider and Boyd thinks we are ready to tackle Preliminary at Fair Hill. My second horse, Astar, placed 4th which was our first double clear training ride. Boyd finished his day riding his younger horses, Warranga & SBF Cortez, in Novice and finished double clear in 7th & 8th place.

All in all it was a great weekend and the horses deserve a well-earned day off! As for Boyd, he never stops and is constantly working each day toward his goals. I don’t see how he does it but the results are in the horses and I, for one, am appreciative to everyone on the team for bringing me along on the ride.

Beau Guimond
Working student


Intermediate
2nd: Cold Harbor, ridden by Boyd, owned by Dana and Manuel Diemer
6th: Master Frisky, ridden by Boyd, owned by Kara Angulo

Open Preliminary
12th: Steady Eddie, ridden by Boyd, owned by George and Gretchen Wintersteen and Denise Lahey & Pierre Colin
17th: New Cadet, ridden by Boyd, owned by Anne Hennessey
18th: PartyBoy, ridden by Boyd, owned by Fernanda Kellogg and Kurt Henckel

Open Training
1st: Polaris, ridden by Sara Gumbiner, owned by Ann Nawn
5th: Bacardi, ridden by Boyd, owned by Sandy Issler

Training Horse
2nd: Ballyneety, ridden by Boyd, owned by Gretchen and George Wintersteen
3rd: Quinn Himself, ridden by Boyd, owned by Bonnie Stedt

Training Rider
2nd: Otter, ridden and owned by Beau Guimond
4th: Astar, ridden and owned by Beau Guimond

Novice Horse
7th: Warranga, ridden by Boyd, owned by Amy Lindgren
8th: SBF Cortez, ridden by Boyd, owned by Denise Lahey and Pierre Colin