Boyd Martin
At Ecogold, we understand that the best riders are not only talented, but are people filled with admirable characteristics. That’s why we pride ourselves on having a pro team that not only have amazing talent and resume, but are the type of people we would want to be best friends with. Thankfully, we aren’t the only ones who thought so! We asked riders who and what inspired them, and they answered!
Brenna MacLeod is a young rider with hopes of attending NAYJRC and eventually becoming a professional. She presently trains with Robin Walker and competes her own Finest Hour at events across the country. Brenna is chasing her dreams one day at a time!
Brenna MacLeod
By Brenna:
Ever since I’ve known about eventing, I’ve looked up to Boyd Martin. Any time I see Boyd’s name on my Facebook or Twitter timeline, it’s always about something he does with the horse’s best interest in mind. Boyd is one of those riders where no matter how strong the spotlight is, he puts his horse’s first. More and more, that seems to be a rare trait in the modern horse world, it is refreshing to see that there are those that still care so deeply for their horse’s welfare over the fame and (small) fortune that can come with success.
Far too often you see those that get caught in that one-track mind set and will do anything for the blue ribbon, even at the expense of their horse. It is easy to fall into that trap, regardless of what taste of success you have. Despite that, I feel as though Boyd has always had his horse’s best interests at heart. I cannot recall a time where Boyd pushed his horses past what they were capable or didn’t do what is best for the horse. Even more impressive, I’ve seen Boyd make those decisions when it had an impact on the team or a major qualifier.
It is my hope that I can be be like Boyd, and make the tough but right decisions for my horse, even if it means postponing my upper level dreams. In every ride, I think about my horse first and make sure that my decisions are always what are best for him. We all know there are an assortment of problems that can arise with running your horse too fast and too hard. We all also know the struggle of keeping horses sound, regardless of what level you compete at. Boy’s ability to always put his horses first is beyond admirable in my opinion. It is that quality that is something that I really admire in any rider, let alone “big name rider” like Boyd.