best eventing club ever

Our local eventing club, the MCTA, is just such a special group. Maryland is part of the USEA’s Area II, a densely packed and competitive group of riders, comprising everybody from Olympic level professionals, to young riders and ambitious and talented adult amateurs. It’s a big pond with a LOT of big fish.

Ruddy cheeked red heads lol

But the MCTA is something smaller and more intimate amid all that. It’s (obviously) a more geographically local membership… But it’s also more of an accessible community that more or less just celebrates the sport of eventing - at all levels.

Sorry i don’t have a pic on the horse…. Yet!!

I always strongly encourage literally anybody I meet who does at least one event (including unrecognized!) at any level in a year to become a member. Bc the year end awards at this club are LIT lol.

Case in point: While Doozy and I completed 4 unrecognized horse trials this year, I only submitted our results from the last two - Loch Moy and Waredaca. Mostly bc perhaps I don’t really understand how the club actually calculates and tallies points toward all the various award categories. 

And holy crap guys, my sweet mare won four GIANT ribbons — including a TIP neck ribbon omg! And a sweet Big Brown ribbon too <3 <3

I swear this club will find literally any reason to award you a GIANT ribbon

Honestly it’s been my sense for years that the club finds ways to recognize literally everybody who submits results for the year end awards. They have seemingly endless categories, including separate categories for horses and riders, and do their best to count points favorably such that you get the best possible awards.

Look at these awesome prizes!! The little gift bags are FULL of treats

Naturally — there are prizes too!! Really really sweet, creative and thoughtful prizes omg! And guys — we only got 3rd 7th and 8th place ribbons. I wasn’t able to attend the banquet so I don’t know for certain what all was awarded for higher place finishes, but saw among my friends’ swag bags custom photo printed blankets, monogrammed saddle pads…. And let’s not forget all the engraved perpetual trophies.

Also, there was a silent auction where yours truly mayyyyyy have snagged some exciting goodies!

Really, so much amazingness from what is honestly a modest and relatively small club. MCTA offers one recognized event each spring at the iconic Shawan Downs, and two starter events - one also at Shawan (generally a week or two after the recognized) and a fall event often held at Tranquillity.

The unrecognized events in particular are insanely inviting and both allow for complete schooling of all the courses in advance (well, y’all already know Tranquillity just straight up allows complete schooling year round). And natch, points earned from MCTA events count double toward year end awards!

‘Tis the season for aspirational dreaming tho, amirite? LOL

The club also organizes an absolutely stellar silent auction in conjunction with the banquet each year too. Allllll sorts of items get donated, including lessons, schooling passes, wellness packages (like chiro, acupuncture, massage…), gift cards, swag bags and on and on. 

This year, tho I concentrated my bidding attention on event entries — with a whooooole bunch of interesting activities tempting us into bidding wars. There was everything from schooling shows, derbies, 3-phase starter trials, and even recognized USEA horse trials.

I may or may not have snagged one of the latter, omg. So, uh, stay tuned for more on that lol.

It’s all ahead of us <3 

In the meantime, we’re still fairly snowed in around here. It’s less bitterly cold and everybody is used to the snow now — roads and paths are clear etc. But it’s still a a bit limiting and actually I think Doozy’s feet got a little bruised from ice packs, womp. 

So ya know. It’s a quiet season, a time for reflection and hopes and dreams for the future. And ya know. Maybe a time to renew my memberships to the MCTA and all the other associations etc for the year ahead! Are you joining any associations or clubs for the coming year too??