Before the competition, I got to visit Niagara Falls for the very first time, and wow\u2014it was absolutely breathtaking! There\u2019s something so humbling about standing next to such a powerful force of nature. Pictures just don\u2019t do it justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IMG_9505.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHamilton Hunt Club<\/strong> The Competition: Riding Maggie<\/strong> The first test went really well, and I was thrilled to place first. Maggie was so fun to ride, and we were off to a great start. But as the weekend went on, the challenges grew. During the second test, my nerves got the better of me, and I went off test\u2014a big no-no in dressage! I had to take a deep breath, regroup, and finish strong. For those unfamiliar with dressage, we have to memorize all three tests, so there\u2019s a lot of mental focus involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time we got to the third test, both Maggie and I were feeling the pressure. The test was a bit above her level, but she tried her heart out, and I was proud of how we finished. I was pleasantly surprised to place fifth overall\u2014it was such a rewarding experience despite the ups and downs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Flight That Got Away<\/strong> Dressage Weekend with Layla<\/strong> August was packed with highs, lows, and plenty of learning experiences. I\u2019ll never forget this trip\u2014Niagara Falls, Maggie, the Hamilton Hunt Club, and even the chaotic flight situation! Every step of the journey was a reminder of how much I love this sport and the people (and ponies) who make it so special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Love, Dolls<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" August was a month of firsts, from seeing Niagara Falls to competing at National Dressage with Maggie, a spunky pony who gave her all despite our height difference. I placed first in my opening test, overcame nerves in the second, and finished fifth overall\u2014an experience filled with learning and growth. The trip ended with some travel drama, but the memories made along the way, including visiting the Hamilton Hunt Club, made it all unforgettable!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9],"tags":[41,77,48,83,44,84],"class_list":["post-474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dolly","category-travels","tag-alberta-north-region-canadian-pony-club","tag-canadian-pony-club-alberta-north-region","tag-equestrian-lifestyle","tag-hamilton","tag-influencer","tag-ontario"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IMG_9097-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":499,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474\/revisions\/499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Another highlight of the trip was visiting the Hamilton Hunt Club. As someone who\u2019s always been fascinated by different equestrian disciplines, it was so interesting to see the traditions and routines of the hunt world. Watching the kennel master in action and seeing how well-behaved the dogs were was incredible. I left with a newfound appreciation for the sport and the dedication it takes to keep everything running smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the competition, I drew Maggie out of the horse pool\u2014a cute, fiery pony. There was just one little issue\u2026I was definitely too tall for her! Still, we made it work and did our best together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nicolemarie.photo\/ainsley_lynn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IMG_9219-1.jpeg?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1\")
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The trip didn\u2019t end without some drama. We may<\/em> have missed our flight home, which threw a bit of a wrench into the plans. Our parents had to scramble from three provinces away to get us flights home the next day, but we made it work! I eventually landed in Calgary, where Novalee\u2019s mom saved the day by driving me back to Edmonton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a short visit with my mom, I dove right back into the horse world, heading to a dressage show to be Layla\u2019s groom for the weekend. It was so fun to support her and soak up the atmosphere of another show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n