Catherine Tyree Gets The Chance Of A Lifetime
Photo Credit: Sportfot
When thinking of a young rider who displays hard-work, dedication, and commitment, Catherine Tyree immediately comes to mind. At 5’10”, the 18-year-old from Chicago maintains the necessary discipline and poise to reach the top in this sport. Tyree finished this year with a bang, earning top finishes at the prestigious equitation finals, followed by being invited to compete in Europe. After an unbelievable last year as a junior rider, Catherine is ready to face her first year of showing as an amateur with the same devotion.
Tyree believes in doing things full-heartedly, which explains why she has decided to take a gap year between high school and college. This past spring Tyree was accepted to Northwestern University from her competitive high school, Latin School of Chicago. Knowing that indoors was very important, especially during her last junior year of riding, Catherine consciously decided to defer for one year. “I work very hard when it comes to academics and I knew that it would be difficult trying to balance my schoolwork and the rigorous indoor show schedule,” Tyree explained.
The first year of college can be both exciting and intimidating. By taking a gap year, Catherine gave herself the chance to excel in the show ring as well as give her first year of college her best effort. With a supportive and understanding family behind her, Catherine continued her last junior year and competed at indoors, which proved to be a great success.
This past year Catherine and her sister Lauren moved their horses to North Run in Warren, Vermont, to train with Missy Clark and John Brennan. “In less than a year, Missy and John helped me advance my riding to a point where I was confident every time I walked into the ring, no matter what class it was,” she explained.
This past fall, confidence was evident in Catherine’s riding. Tyree started off finals by riding one of her jumpers, “Can Can,” to fourth place at the ever-competitive USEF Talent Search East Coast Finals. Following this Catherine and her horse “Wetter” jumped for Zone 5 in the USEF Prix de States at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Along with the rest of her team, they managed to beat the best young riders in the country to receive the USEF Prix de States Team Championship gold medal!
Photo Credit: Shawn McMillen
After this victory, Tyree and the North Run team traveled to compete in the Pessoa/USEF Medal Finals, Washington Equitation Finals, as well as the ASPCA Maclay Finals. Catherine and her horse “Patrick,” they battled the impressive field to make it to the final test. After piloting Jacob Pope’s “Uno” around the course, Tyree earned herself a third place finish in Kentucky. “I was lucky enough to have incredible horses to show to make finals unforgettable this year. My last junior year was such a whirlwind. I can barely wrap my head around how great it really was. I had won some classes here and there at big, important shows in prior years, but this year was definitely the most successful year I have ever had,” she expressed.
Oh, but this was not the end to Catherine Tyree’s exciting year. After accumulating many ribbons in the jumpers, Catherine and three of her barn mates were invited to compete at the Gucci Masters in Paris as well as the Pappas Amadeus Horse Show in Salzburg, Austria. Her trusty companion “Wetter,” and her sister Lauren’s horse “Udento VDL” were flown to Europe for the experience of a lifetime.
Photo Credit: Sportfot
The Gucci Masters… is quite a horse show. “At the Gucci Masters, the stands were packed at every single class, which is something you don’t see very often in the United Stated. The show was very inviting and entertaining for spectators, having light shows before night classes as well as fun classes like the costume class and pony races,” Catherine describes. Although she sadly did not compete in the pony races, Catherine showed “Udento VDL” in the 2* classes (1.35m) and Wetter in the bigger 2* classes (1.45m-1.50m).
This wasn’t even the best part! There was even a class at Gucci Masters where Catherine and Wetter got to compete against 5* riders, the best in the sport. This degree of competition didn’t intimidate Ms. Tyree, as she finished 10th in the class!
While in Paris, it wasn’t all about riding and competing. Catherine, along with her other North Run team-members, spent some time at the Eiffel Tower, walking down the Champs-Elysees, and shopping with United States Olympic rider, Reed Kessler. There was also a lavish rider’s party at the Gucci Masters. Catherine and her friends enjoyed ditching the riding breeches that week to dress up in fancy attire.
After the Gucci Masters, Catherine, her horses, team, and family relocated to Salzburg, Austria to compete at the Pappas Amadeus Horse Show. There she showed Udento in the 2* classes (1.45m-1.50m) and was invited to compete Wetter in the EY Cup Finals, which is a division open to riders under the age of 25. “The Europeans compete in these classes all year round in hopes of qualifying for the final, so to be able to show in the final was an honor for me,” she says.
When asked about her adventure in Europe, Tyree doesn’t have enough to say! “The two shows were so incredible. The entire experience was so different than being at the shows in the United States. These two shows are at the top level when it comes to management, production, and importance, so to be able to attend these shows was very special,” she explains.
After an unforgettable experience, Catherine is ready to let her new-found confidence shine. “While I was in Europe, I really feel like I was forced to push myself to the next level in my riding. Competing against new riders led me to realize what areas in my riding need to improve in order to be better,” she says.
Now that Catherine and the horses are back in the United States, she is looking forward to the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Aside from being excited to see all her equestrian friends, Tyree is especially excited for the young rider classes. With the addition of the Hollow Creek Farm Children’s/Junior/Young Rider Nations Cup Classes, this year will prove especially exciting for Catherine as she plans to show in these classes during Week 8 of competition, as well as jump in the 2013 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Series. “I think these types of classes serve as a stepping-stone to the next level and close the gap between the Junior Jumper level and the Grand Prix level,” she remarks.
Aside from competing herself, Catherine enjoys seeing all the great national and international riders at FTI WEF. “Each Grand Prix is truly special and very exciting to watch,” she notes. “No matter what day or week it is in circuit, there’s always an interesting and exciting class going on that’s worth watching.” As we speak, Catherine is driving to Wellington, FL, from her home in Chicago, IL, excited to be reunited with her horses, friends, and even competitors.
We hope to have Catherine blog with us again, reporting back with excellent results and stories during her time at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. “I think the blog is such a great idea! Not only will it keep everyone in the loop of what’s going on at the show, it also gives opportunities to riders like myself to share their story. I hope that this blog serves as a way for riders who don’t always get to share their success stories, feelings, or opinions a chance to be heard.” We thank Catherine, because this is exactly what we hope to accomplish!
Take a look at Catherine and Wetter in the 1.45 speed at the Gucci Masters
FTI WEF 