It’s Monday and you know what that means… another installment of our “Member Monday” series. This week we will be sharing the story of 17-year-old Eliza Quigley who has been a Young Rider Member since 2019.
“I had done a clinic with Jane Hamlin. I was 13 at the time and she had mentioned that I should sign up for young riders. Having no idea what that meant I decided to do some research and eventually joined!” And we’re so glad you did Eliza! It’s been an incredibly busy decade for Eliza from where she started in 2013 to most recently coming in the top three at her first Intermediate level Horse Trial.
“I started riding about 10 years ago, I was lucky enough to live next to a lesson/eventing barn where I took my first lesson. I never expected a single lesson to turn into a passion!” Eliza spent some time leasing and riding many different horses until purchasing her own a few years down the road. “Fast forward to spring of 2019, I got a horse named Oidhre Leir aka Aidan. He was the total packer, he brought me from competing at the Elementary level at small schooling shows to competing at the Novice level at USEA shows around Area 1.”
After starting to develop her Eventing career, Eliza and her family welcomed Contaro into their family in 2019. “Contaro was being trained by Boyd Martin at the time and he had just come off of a win at the 2-star level with Michael Pendleton.” Eliza managed to sneak in time with her new horse over the winter right before the COVID-19 pandemic began down in Aiken.
While events were on hiatus due to the pandemic, she made the decision to lease Aidan to a very close friend of hers. Looking for her next horse, she welcomed Carlsburg into the family towards the end of May in 2020. She bought him from Boyd Martin who had purchased the young horse at an auction in Ireland before importing him to the US. Before Eliza purchased Carl, he had competed up to the Intermediate level with Boyd and Michael Pendleton. “A few days after Carl arrived at my farm we attended a Boyd Martin clinic. At that time I was looking for a trainer, and Boyd had recommended Emma O’lone Higgins. I had a couple lessons with Emma before we were finally able to compete again.”
The pair did their first show together in July of 2020, “we had a great dressage test and show jump round. Then we went out on cross country and that’s when I found out that he is super quirky and a pretty difficult horse. He was absolutely psycho trying to get him into the start box and it took me about 2 minutes to get him to even go in the direction of fence 2.” However, Eliza stuck with it and got the job done. “I was able to get him around but I’m pretty sure we were dead last.”
Eliza and Carl continued to build their partnership and completed her first Training level event. “I took both Carl and Contaro, somehow Contaro managed to win and Carl got second.” While a great weekend, Eliza mentioned that she and Carl continued to have issues at every show they went to. While a bumpy road and some curveballs, her and Contaro wrapped up their year on a high as he led her to be awarded the 2020 Training Young Rider.
The new year was then on! “In the beginning of 2021, I had the privilege to go train out of Boyd’s program at Stable View.” Eliza competed with both Contaro and Carl at a few shows while she was in Aiken until Carl had an injury. “I was told that his career could be limited or maybe even over.” Rightfully so, she was pretty upset hearing that news, however, stayed focused on enjoying her time in Aiken. “Being in Boyd’s barn I got to see some pretty talented horses like Kwibus aka Nick” At the time Nick was a young horse owned by one of Boyd’s working students who was put up for sale. Prior to being in Boyd’s program, the 5-year-old Dutch Warmblood had competed up to the Training level with Gabby Dickerson. “I ended up trying Nick and even though he bolted with me a few times I fell in love.” She and her family purchased Nick and while in the beginning she had much trouble with Nick to the point he actually scared her, she surrounded herself with the best support and training she could from riders at the top of the sport. “After so much help from everyone I was able to take him to our first show together and he was absolutely perfect.”
Coming back home to Area 1 with a stronger partnership with Nick, she continued to take lessons with Emma and continued to compete with both Nick and Contaro while her trainer rehabbed Carl. “Over the summer Contaro took me around my first Modified.” Along with another level climbed, Eliza secured this time two end-of-year awards, the 2021 Training Young Rider award with Contaro and the 2021 Novice Young Rider award with Nick.
Jumping into 2022, Nick and Eliza completed their first Training together, and Contaro was cruising along. Thankfully, Carl was able to make a full recovery and was back in the game in February. Eliza, now with three horses out competing, at the end of April Carl brought her around her first ever Preliminary and secured a top 3 placing, coming in 3rd.
She continued to compete with all three horses over the summer with Nick and Contaro running at the Training level and Carl going Preliminary. “I attempted my first 2-star short at GMHA with Carl and he was such a champ taking me around the whole show.” Unfortunately, up until a water crossing right before the last jump on cross country, the pair took a tumble. “Though it was frustrating to be so close to the finish, Carl and I didn’t let it get to us and we got right back out there to finish the season strong with a couple more Preliminaries.”
At the GMHA September Horse Trials in 2022, Eliza piloted Nick around his first ever Preliminary and took home the win. What a way to end a season!
Going into the 2023 season on a high, Emma and Eliza made their way back down to Aiken! Sadly this came with the end of an era when they realized that Contaro no longer wanted to jump. While making the decision to sell Contaro to a dressage home, “Carl was on fire for the beginning of the season.” Before the pair made their next big move, Eliza and Carl secured a 2nd in the JYOP at Pine Top in February, followed by back-to-back wins in the JYOP at Pine Top in late February and Pine Top once more in mid-March. “Then Carl took me around my first Intermediate at Stable View in the beginning of April and we took home 3rd.” To think it’s only May. This is a pair that’s one to watch out for!
With a long list of achievements already, we had to ask, “what do you see as your biggest accomplishment or most memorable moment?”
“My biggest accomplishment is definitely getting 3rd at my first Intermediate at the age of 17. The most memorable moments I have would probably be right before going on cross country for that Intermediate and going through the finish flags. I remember that I was at the startbox and right before I headed out on course another horse and rider hit a frangible pin at, in my opinion, one of the biggest tables out there. So Carl and I got held at the start box and immediately my stomach sank because Carl has always been a bit quirky with startboxes. After we were waiting at the box for about 10 minutes they finally got the fence fixed and we started our course. I definitely felt like throwing up the entire time. I can remember that after crossing through the finish flags I was just bawling my eyes out with happiness. I was so overwhelmed and shocked that I had just completed the course and I can remember my trainer and her family at the finish cheering me on with the biggest smiles!”
What a fairytale end to such a massive step in Eliza’s career especially for only 17 and that is only the beginning of 2023! For the remainder of the season, Eliza is looking forward to the new opportunities and experiences that are in the works along with getting some more miles at the Intermediate level with Carl and hopefully competing in some FEI events. With Nick, the plan is to continue adding more runs at the Preliminary level to his resume. “I am also really excited to see what my horses do this season!” So are we!
Thank you to Eliza for sharing her journey with us and we can’t wait to see what you and your horses do next!
