Happy trails Weeks, Caesar try to conquer Junior Olympic equestrians
Published:
Thursday, August 04, 2005 -- The Truth, B1
Middlebury resident Michelle Weeks had planned to ride the official USA Junior Olympic Equestrian against Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands for the North American Young Riders Championship in Lexington, Va., last week.
Instead, she rode at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.
But that was fine with her. The Olympics can wait.
"It's disappointing, but I think it was too early, also. ... They're going to have a Junior Olympics-related event in the fall in Kentucky that I'm going to go for," says Weeks, who had thought three events had qualified her for the international competition before discovering that four events were required. "It turned out to be a win-win situation because I got to go to the fair. I really enjoy that." A horse rider since childhood, last week the 2005 high school graduate added seven awards for riding and jumping for the Elkhart County Saddle Club to her countless honors in 4-H and beyond.
Weeks currently enjoys the equestrian sport that combines dressage, cross country and show jumping into a three-day event.
"I've been eventing for three years. It goes over a series of two to three days, starting with dressage. They have a ring and you ride a set pattern. It shows the horse's pattern and its obedience," Weeks explains. "The next test is cross country, where you jump for over a mile on a course that goes up to four miles. At my level it's two miles and you run about 20 mph over a series of fences."
The third stage, show jumping, displays the ability to work obstacles that fall down when touched (unlike the solid obstacles done in cross country) and tests the endurance of a horse.
Confidence in one's partner is vital to success -- something that Weeks has built with 12-year-old Caesar over the past seven years.
"I ride Caesar for about an hour every day. I enjoy being able to compete in a sport with a horse where you have that communication. It's interesting having a partner who is basically doing it for you, because he certainly isn't doing it for himself -- he'd rather be out in a pasture eating. It's great to have that trust and bond to go over fences that can be up to four feet high," says Weeks, who has competed with Caesar in 22 events in the past three years.
Such jumps can be trying with Weeks beginning at the Novice level, then Training and now Preliminaries. "I hope to get up to the Advanced level, which is the top level," she says.
Weeks had honed her competitive edge as a member of the polo team at Culver Academies, having served as captain her senior season. She scored 13 points at the National Polo competition in February, when she was named as one of four all-stars. She was also nominated for "outstanding player of the year" by her coach through the United States Polo Association.
Such an dominating performance had the teen considering attending the University of Connecticut, which features one of the country's top polo teams. However, she ultimately chose University of the South in Suwanee, Tenn., where she will major in English and still have the opportunity to compete on the school's riding team this fall.
Weeks, who counts older sister Misty Weeks, former Olympian Andy Starke, whom she met at a clinic, and trainer Craig Barsuhn as major influences on her riding career, is also still hoping for an Olympic berth.
However, if that doesn't come about, she promises, "Riding will always be a part of my life."
Contact Mark Huffman at mhuffman@etruth.com or (574) 296-5870.
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