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SHELBY TOWNSHIP — They might have been the longest seconds of her life as Shelby Township resident Eryn Stanton awaited the results of the 2023 National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky.
Stanton, 23, had competed in the 18-24 age group over the course of the week at the Taylor Harris Insurance Services National Horse Show Adult Equitation Championship, and against a field of 61 riders, only 10 remained in the final count on Oct. 29.
“They announced placement starting at 10 and working backwards to one, so everybody got called out and it was just me and this other girl just standing and waiting,” Stanton said. “Of course they have to wait and play the music, and it’s all suspenseful and it feels like it’s taking forever, but really it’s not.”
Stanton and her 9-year old horse, Echo, a Selle Français breed, have spent the last few years perfecting their craft together, and as the final name was called, all their hard work had come to fruition.
“I honestly didn’t expect it because I had watched a couple of the other girls go before me, and they rode super, super well,” Stanton said. “I actually thought I was going to come in second. I had a really nice round and I was feeling confident, but the girl that went before me had a super, super nice round. I would’ve been happy with second. It felt surreal.”
Stanton’s first-place finish was a rush of joy for her, Echo and head trainer Shannon Meehan.
The competition consisted of three rounds that would decide the final score, as the riders competed in two jumping rounds, which evaluates the horses from jump to jump, and one flat round, which evaluates the accuracy and smoothness of the rider and the horse.
“The goal is to always make it look easy, right?” Meehan said. “You want to make it look smooth and controlled, so a lot of times what they’re looking for and judging you on is your pace control, the consistency of the way you’re jumping, whether you’re leaving the ground too close, too far away or just right, things like that. That’s really what is going to give you those higher scores, that extra style and that extra technique.”
Stanton and Echo took first in the first round, had a rough showing in the second round, but finished strong with a third-place performance in the flat round to come out with the win.
Stanton and Echo had competed in the National Horse Show in 2022, finishing in the top 24, but Stanton said they had their sights set on coming back strong.
“The last two years, we’ve been working towards this goal of going to Kentucky and competing in this class,” Stanton said. “Last year, we went for the first time and it was his first time doing something like that. Everything was fine, but we didn’t do as well as we probably could have.”
Stanton was awarded ribbons with the year of the competition engraved on them, silver plates with competition information, and a championship blanket for Echo.
Their relationship has come a long way since Stanton found Echo on Facebook in 2019, and from there the chemistry has blossomed. Stanton had to ship Echo from France to the Netherlands, and from there to his current home at Empire Farms in Chesterfield.
Echo wasn’t too familiar with the competitive scene when Stanton first rode him, but after many months of training together, a special bond developed between the two.
“He’s kind of like a big dog to be honest,” Stanton said. “He’s not very smart. I will say that. There’s been many, many times where he’s been in his stall and he’s went to turn around and absolutely bashed his head against the side of the stall. He’s just not aware of his surroundings and how big he is, but he’s really sweet and he’s a good boy.”
Stanton and Echo will look to defend their title next year as the returning champions, and Meehan said Stanton has only improved year after year as a rider.
“I think she’s put a lot of time into it,” Meehan said. “Like any sort of skill you have, it takes practice, it takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot of determination to kind of make sure you’re putting in the effort.”
