Atache

Atache proved to be a better horse than we could have imagined, as a schoolmaster. He was not an easy ride,  you couldn't just sit on him and press buttons for the fancy work, you had to do it right or he wouldn't perform,  he could be a little hot headed.  It took Danni a couple of years with him to form a real partnership.  For the first 2 years it was Atache who was  calling all the shots, he didn't make anything easy for her, and left her on numerous occasions in floods of tears.  But once the partnership was formed,  and Danni proved she could be as stubborn as Atache, then the two of them really lit up the arena's.  Judges loved him, and most of them appreciated that he was not an easy ride.

Atache in training

Our move to Walnut Creek introduced another phase in our lives.  Danni met and worked with a new trainer, (I'm not mentioning any names here because the relationship didn't end happily) but this trainer was a spectacular equestrian, amazing, is the word that would spring to mind when I would watch her ride, she was at one with whichever horse she was riding, she was among the rare few that really understood and knew how to ride a horse correctly.
This trainer was stubborn, bad tempered, expensive and difficult, but OMG she really knew what she was doing.  Danni joined the elite group of girls under her tuition and this is where she really learnt to ride.  Her new trainer also took on Sultan, and for 18 months worked with him and Danni, and incredibly, kept him sound.  I was confident that with this horse and this trainer Danni really had a chance in major competition.

Every year in North America there's a competition called the North American Young Riders Competition. Young riders between the ages of 16 to 21, from all over America compete in qualifying competitions throughout the year in their state, and the four riders with the highest scores go forward as a team to represent their state.
At the championships there is a team bronze, silver and gold medal prize, as well as individual medals. Within the riding community this is viewed as a very prestigious prize, much coveted by all ambitious young riders.
 Danni's goal with her riding had been for a long time to represent her state at these championships. The scores required to qualify for the team were scores Danni had begun to meet with Atache.

Sadly we discovered that because she was not a US citizen she was not allowed to enter.  This seemed ridiculous to me as this is a competition for young people, children really, and it didn't make sense that some would be banned from entering because they were born elsewhere, surely if  the States was  their home, they should be given the same opportunities as children who were born here.  The winners of the competition represent their state, not their country.
Danni was educated in the States, America was her home, but because she wasn't born here she wasn't allowed to compete in this competition with her peers, it seemed very unfair to me.

I was determined to try and change the rules.  I spent three years working with the British equestrian federation and the United States equestrian federation trying to do just that.
It wasn't until the intervention of Roberta Williams (the wife of George Williams, one of America's top riders) that I started to make some real progress.  Because of Roberta's work with the USEF she became aware of what I was trying to do, and very kindly offered to help.  Having Roberta in my corner, gave me much more clout,  her hard work and efforts finally paid off, and Danni was finally granted permission to compete, she still wasn't allowed to represent her home state, but if nominated by Great Britain, she would be allowed to represent her country of birth.

The line up of winning teams, Danni is the last on the right

Daniela would be the first person from another country to ride in the competition for her country.  I had hoped that this would pave the way for other young riders living here to ride for their countries in the competition, unfortunately Daniela was to be the first, and last exception to the rule, and as it stands today the competition is still only open to US citizens.

The judges congratulating the competitors

Daniela's trainer had another talented young rider that she was working with toward the NAYRC, and told Danni that she would have to wait until next year before trying out for the competition.  It had taken me so long, and Roberta also had also spent a great deal of time in getting Danni permission to ride, so to turn around at that point and say to the USEF and the British Dressage Federation, thank you but we're going to wait until next year would have been rude, and there was also the chance that they may change their minds.  This could possibly be the only opportunity Danni would have to ride in this competition, so I told the trainer, NO, Danni is going to compete.
The trainer wasn't happy, and told us so constantly, it put a great deal of added pressure on Danni who was already feeling the pressure of knowing that she was under the spotlight now as a representative for Great Britain, her nerves fed through to Atache and he acted upon them, making life especially difficult for Danni, it also didn't help that the trainer spent next to no time working with Daniela and all her time working with the other young rider.
At the competition, all the trainers focus was on the other rider, and Danni was curtly told as she entered the show ring "don't embarrass me".

Danni getting a hug from one of the judges

Already feeling very nervous Danni's nerves were stretched thin as she rode into the show ring, tears rolling down her face. A small child in the audience jumped off his seat onto the bleacher below making a loud noise right next to Atache as he was beginning his half pass (a movement) in that direction, and he spooked, big time, consequently making him a wreck throughout the rest of the test.  Danni managed to bring him back under control, and rode the test with Atache spooking at every little thing, he had never been this bad, and Danni knew it was only because she was so nervous, he was feeding off her nerves.  Her test was ok, but not great, and after the competition a few of the judges came over and hugged her telling her what a good job she had done, and not to give up she was a great rider, and she had a great horse.  This helped a little, but Danni was bitterly disappointed as she knew they could have both done so much better.  I personally would have liked to give the parent of the child that spooked Atache, a piece of my mind...

Daniela April Morgan