Quest for the Prix

My July PhelpsSports.com Column

Posted on July 7, 2012 by jackie

Following is an excerpt from my new (July 4th!) column for PhelpsSports.com:

So happy that my horse is back!

It has been a fantastic ten days since my horse, Jaliska, has been back in Massachusetts. She has been away in intensive training in South Carolina, and then Pennsylvania, for five long months.Since her return in late June, trainer Adrienne Iorio, Apple Knoll Farm, Millis, MA, has been working with me every single day to hone my riding skills to the extent that I can ride her properly when Adrienne heads home to Pennsylvania for the month.

It has been a tough road since November 2011, and the saying, “Man(kind) plans and God laughs,” comes to mind.

Let me explain….

To read the whole story, become a PhelpsSports.com subscriber today!

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Black Sheep of the Barn

Posted on June 7, 2012 by victoria

I was considered the black sheep of the family for, of the ten boisterous kids, I was the quiet one. A homely child, with my unruly curls and large eyes, I was painfully shy. Needless to say, from a very young age I was a bit of a loner, marching to the beat of my own drum.

Therefore, it came as no surprise to those who knew me, that in my early twenties I decided to move from Colorado to Boston, not knowing a soul in Massachusetts. I did this on a whim, thinking, “If I am not smart enough or rich enough to go to MIT, then at least I can live there!” With that mantra I moved to the town abutting the Cambridge campus and never looked back.

A happy black sheep today.

So to now find myself, a show jumping Grand Prix wannabe, training at an eventing barn, is well, just par for the course. To me, this recent adventure reaffirms my tendency to seek out new experiences and challenges as well as my commitment to the sport.

The way I figure it, I am learning SO much in this world of formal equestrian riding, totally removed from my childhood experiences riding bareback through the Florida orange groves, that terms like, “three phase,” “prelim,” and “combined test,” are just more of the same.

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Rainy Days Don’t Get Me Down

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Victoria Waters

It is raining “cats and dogs” and the forecast calls for more of the same all week.

Distracted by the sound of it pummeling down onto my roof, I glance outside my bedroom window to witness the site. Hmm…I contemplate, it’s going to be a wet ride today.

I have to admit that I’m quite cozy in the dry warmth of my room reading from what appears to be an eerie glow coming from my bedside lamp, made so against the stormy backdrop.

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Meet My Latest Surprise, Duncan

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Victoria Waters

My new ride.

When I first see him grazing in the field next to Dottie’s horse, I think to myself, “How nice. They bought a companion mule for Fannie.” Now this wasn’t meant to be a slight, I actually like mules and have heard wonderful things about them. The thought just popped into my mind when I first saw him, his coloring was so unusual, and well, mule-like.

So when I ask Betsy, “Can you tell me where I can find Adrienne’s horse, Duncan? I‘m riding him in my lesson today,”and she replies, “he is the Palomino in Fannie’s field,” I am taken aback. Read more »

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Press Release

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Victoria Waters

Victoria Waters Expands Reach in Her Quest for Prix
Online Equestrian News Site, PhelpsSports.com, Introduces New Columnist

May 8, 2012 Wellington, Florida—Equine sports news media giant, PhelpsSports.com, introduced its newest monthly columnist, Victoria Waters, to their members earlier this month.

Victoria’s new column, “Quest for the Prix,” details her journey to what many consider to be the pinnacle of competitive show jumping, a Grand Prix competition. What caught the attention of PhelpsSports.com and their readers were Victoria’s unique story and the lofty goal she has set. Victoria, an accomplished business owner and mother of two, is a complete novice to the sport, having had no formal training up until just recently. To compare her goal of riding in the Grand Prix would be like teen sensation, Justin Beiber, declaring “I want to become a professional boxer.”

Victoria is the first to admit that she has been “outright laughed and scoffed at and even told point-blank that, “Yes, you could do it once, but then you would be dead.” The latter statement is referring to her request to jump ‘just one’ five foot fence.

Quest for the Prix on PhelpsSports.com will highlight Victoria’s trials and tribulations in learning how to ride and compete at the top level in show jumping, including as she puts it, “the good, the bad and the very ugly.”

“We admire Victoria’s passion and commitment to the sport and are interested in reading about her progress in the months ahead through her new column at PhelpsSports.com,” commented Ken Kraus, Executive Director, PhelpsSports.com. Read more »

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Meet My New Partner – PhelpsSports.com!

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Victoria Waters

My first column on PhelpsSports.com

I am excited to announce my new monthly column with PhelpsSports.com!

For those of you who are unfamiliar, PhelpsSports.com is a highly innovative subscription equestrian sports website, offering equestrians and fans of equestrian sports from around the world a single web address for the latest breaking news of the Hunter, Jumper, Dressage, Eventing and other High Performance disciplines.

PhelpsSports.com features up-to-the-minute audio reports, video interviews and unique features from around the globe, photography, and the creative writing and reporting of some of the finest equestrian journalists in the world.

My column ‘Quest for the Prix’ will provide PhelpsSports.com members with all the details of my journey to the top level of show jumping – the “good, the bad and the very ugly.”

Join www.PhelpsSports.com to read about my interviews and training sessions with top riders and trainers along with their tips, advice and recommendations.

Thank you PhelpsSports.com for supporting me and my dream!

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My Horse is Back!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Victoria Waters

Reunited with my girl, Jaliska

I am so happy to have my horse, Jaliska, back in Massachusetts after a long 2.5 months!

Other than being a little thin from all the travel, she looks happy, healthy and beautiful. I am so excited to ride her again, I can’t stand it.

For those of you who missed it, J spent a few months in training down in Aiken, SC. My plan was for us to be able to meet somewhere in the middle… I needed to spend some time working on my position and skills while getting her some professional training (she is still pretty young after all).

Jaliska has just returned and will be staying at Adrienne’s stable for the time being. So while I have Twilight to ride at my home farm, it seems I will be barn-hopping a bit until I can bring Jaliska home.

My plan today is to go on a trail ride with “Twi” at the farm and then to spend the rest of the day with Jaliska at Adrienne’s barn.

I can’t think of anything better to do on this beautiful spring Saturday in New England.

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