Local Girl Takes States

When you try your hardest for something, and still don’t get it, it’s a reflex just to try harder. My name is Amberly Ondria and that is what I did.
In the spring of 2006 I applied to represent Vermont at the Eastern States Exposition with my horse. Unfortunately I did not get accepted, that fallowing summer I worked even harder and it paid off. This past spring of 2007 I applied again to go to Eastern States and I succeed. I have been riding for about nine years and I own my own horse “SPOTSIVNOTGOT” aka “Nebraska” that I board at Pond Hill Stables in Castleton Vermont.
On September 19, 2007 I packed up Nebraska and my friend Kayleigh McDonnell’s horse and we headed out for the three hour drive down to Springfield Massachusetts for the Eastern States Exposition. Eastern States, also known as “The Big E” is a fair held in Springfield MA, Participants come from ME, NH, VT, CT, MA, and RI. It is a fair that focuses on all the New England States, and part of that is every spring all 4-H’s from New England who are 14 and over can apply to go down with their horse. The application is based on your 4-H participation, your show records, an interview. So basically it is the best of the best that get to go down and compete.
When I arrived I did not know what to expect. The fair was so big and there was so much going on. Eventually after the trailer was all unloaded, the horses settled into, their stalls, all the exhibitors that had had arrived were brought to our dorms where we would stay for the next five days.
Day one I was showing in two out of my four classes. “Fitting and Showmanship” and “Hunt Seat Pleasure.” My Fitting and Showmanship class was the toughest one I have ever been in, the judges were strict and did not let you get any way ANYTHING! Out of twenty entries only three took home ribbons, unfortunately I was not one of them. I didn’t let that get me down though; I just kept my head up and kept thinking “I have three more classes to go.” That night around 10:00 pm I was being rushed into the coliseum where I was to ride in my next class. There were about fifteen other girls in it and four of them were from Vermont including me. The class seamed so much bigger then it really was, after all it was the best of the best from all over New England. When you watch a class it usually only takes about five minuets to get through it, but when you are riding it in, things just fly by and before you know it the event is over. We rode both directions and finally we were then asked to line up. The judge that was judging that event said it was the best class of the night, and I had a gut feeling that I did not place, my horse was not on his best behavior but I guess the judge saw something in him that she liked. Before they anoused the placing she came over and complemented me, “Excellent ride.” She said, and all I could think about was, “Yea right, if you think he was good tonight, you should see him on a good day.” The announcer came on and gave the placing. “In first place, Amberly Ondria with SPOTSIVNOTGOT from Vermont.” I was in total shock. I felt like my heart was in my throat, and I could tell all the other riders felt the same way, as I was walking out of the arena I looked up at my parents and raised my hands in surprise and they just looked back at me, laughed and said “we’ll take it.” Overall though I went to bed that night feeling really good about what the next two days could bring.
On day two I only had one class that I had to ride in and that was Hunt Seat Equitation, which is based on how well you can sit to your horse and make every little thing look like its no big deal. I have to say it was the most seresious class I have ever been in. I have never sat up so straight for so long. I wanted to win so bad, I wanted to be able to say I was the best. Unfrchanitly all the other girls that were in the class wanted it just as bad. My horse and I have been showing for about five years and he’s a good boy and I love him to death but sometimes it’s hard to compete against other horses that have been showing two times as longer as him. Anyways after the class we were all lined up again. There was a lot of chattering with the judge and the people in the announcer’s booth. It ended up that the judge could not pick a first place winner; they ended giving out two first place ribbons. I placed second in that class and I was very happy. But it makes you think to yourself, what did I do wrong, or what cold I have done just the slightest bit better to get me to the next level.
Our last day of showing I had one class to go, Hunt Seat Road Hack, it’s my horses specialty. The way it’s judged is on how well your horse can move, being able to go slow and stay collected but then being able to lengthen there stride with out increasing pase by very much. I though the pressure was on when I went into my equitation class, but this was way more nerve racking then that. I have always done good in the class anytime I go to a show, and for the most part I would come out with blue ribbons, but this was different I have never rode against any of these girls and I had no idea what to expect, and for the first time all weekend I was really nervous! The class started and my horse was behaving the best he had all weekend. Finally I herd the call for “Extend the trot please” the crowd started making noise it felt so good to be cheered on, and I think my horse liked it too. I felt like I was floating as I rode down the ring, with every step I felt Nebraska push harder and hard beneath me working as hard as I was. Soon we were back down to a walk and reversed direction so we could sow it going the other way. After we showed what we knew the second time, it was all over. We lined up in the center of the arena and that was that. The judge by now had made her disition and there was nothing any of us could do to change her mind. The way they had been placing the classes all weekend was starting at first place and then going backwards to tenth, but this time they did it the other way around, which made it ever more never racking for me (and all the other girls.) With every placing that passed by, my heart raced faster and faster until we got to second place. The second place winners name was called and it wasn’t my name. I must have had a smile so big that you could see it across the fair. Then they anoced it, “First place of Hunt Seat Road Hack, Amberly Ondria with SPOTSIVNOTGOT from Vermont.” Everyone in the crowd went crazy! They cheered and hollered. I started to walk out the gate when the judge stopped me, she said, “You can’t leave yet, will you do an extended trot around the ring one more time for everyone to see?” I agreed to and one more time I got to listen to the crowd cheer me on for the last time. I had done it I was number one in New England for Hunt Seat Road hack, it was something I had been working for, for so long and I had finally did it! I felt like I had gone as far as I could go with my horse Nebraska, and not only did I get o go home with two first ribbons and one second, but I got to go home knowing every where I have been and everything I have done with him, has all been done by me.
I trained Nebraska myself since he was a baby. That was five years ago, when he came to me. He knew nothing when I got him and people never expected him to come this far. So many times I would have people come up to me and say, “I don’t know what you were thinking when you bought that horse, but now we know what you were thinking.” I have even had people say they wouldn’t have paid a nickel for him, but all that has changed now. So don’t ever let someone tell you, “you can’t make something out of nothing,” because anything is possible and now when I go to a show and do well, that’s what I think about, “I made this happen, I worked for it, I didn’t take the easy way out, and that is what makes winning feel so good!”