Valiant Equestrian

✨Celebrating Ariela and Hillary as Silver 2’s General Awesomeness and Top Turnout Award winners✨

Ariela, recipient of our General Awesomeness Award, had a fantastic week of growth coming out of Silver 1 and took on each day as a fresh start. Ariela rode the pony she had each day, never letting the previous day—or previous ride—affect how she approached each new course. While Ariela came out of Silver 2 with some fantastic rides and ribbons, including Champion in the 0.70m Jumpers, we think her biggest win this week was the love she shared with Paisley.
Ariela celebrated every ribbon, goal met, and positive ride alongside Paisley, even going out of her way one day to buy matching treats for both of them (cotton candy treats for Paisley and cotton candy ice cream for Ariela). Ariela was seldom seen without a smile on her face this week, and Paisley was seldom seen without a stocked pile of sweet treats.
Thank you, Ariela, for displaying the horsemanship we strive to foster at Valiant. You always put the horse first and made sure to celebrate your wins, learning moments, growth, and everything in between with Paisley.

Hillary is Silver 2’s recipient of the Top Turnout Award. At home, Hillary is often the first at the barn and the last to leave, frequently found doting on Nelson as she meticulously maintains his tail, mane, and coat, and this dedication truly shone at Silver 2.
For every ring appearance, it was clear that Hillary had put in the time to ensure her tack was ring-ready and that Nelson was as shiny and spotless as possible. Hillary also always double-checked that her hairnet was neat and tidy, a small detail that can often go overlooked.
We are so excited to see that Hillary’s dedication and hard work throughout the winter and spring have paid off. From his tail and coat to his overall presentation, Nelson has been looking fantastic!

Congratulations, Ariela and Hillary, and thank you both for embodying the horsemanship, dedication, and pride that make our team so special. 💛

A big thank you to our whole Angelstone team who made Silver 2 another success. We are so proud of everyone! We can’t wait to get back into it in July! ☀️🙌

Silver 2 Behind the Scenes! 🦄🍬💖

Silver 2 was filled with hard work, laughter, learning, and countless special moments … now it’s time for some well-earned R & R!

We are so proud of our riders and all they have accomplished over the past two weeks. The growth, determination, and sportsmanship shown throughout Silver 1 and Silver 2 have been incredible to watch.

A huge thank you to our parents, supporters, grooms, and show-day helpers for everything you do to keep our team running. And, of course, the biggest thank you goes to our horses, whose hard work, heart, and dedication make it all possible.

We’re grateful for every memory made and can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store!

Keep an eye out for our General Awesomeness and Top Turnout Award winners for Silver 2! 👀🤍

✨ Celebrating Talia and Ellie as our very first recipients of our General Awesomeness Award and Top Turnout Award! ✨

🏅 Talia – General Awesomeness Award
Talia piloted VE Meredith through BOTH of their first Silver show together with grace, positivity, and grit. Meredith began the week slightly unsure of her new surroundings, requiring Talia to learn and adapt quickly—and she rose to the challenge beautifully. Our coaching team agreed she showed the most growth in her riding over just 24 hours!
Despite a very cold, very wet Saturday, Talia tackled her two core divisions without hesitation, riding through challenging conditions with a smile and determination. She delivered very solid rounds while giving her green pony the confidence to navigate a new (and windy!) environment.
To close the weekend, Talia delivered one of her best rounds to date in the 2’0 Pony Derby, earning a judge’s compliment and a 7th place finish. Most importantly, she reflected that the biggest win was how much she and Meredith grew together—and we couldn’t agree more. We are so proud of this duo and can’t wait to watch their season unfold.

🏅 Ellie – Top Turnout Award (sponsored by )
Ellie and her mount Zeppelin (Beyond Eight Seconds) are recognized for outstanding attention to detail in their turnout all weekend long. When the weather changed, Ellie went the extra mile to adjust her tack to ensure a coordinated, polished, and professional presentation. Zeppelin was equally immaculate—clean, tidy, and ready to shine in every ring appearance.

We are incredibly proud of all our riders this weekend for stepping into new divisions, new environments, and some very challenging weather to kick off the season. The bar has been set, and we are excited for everything still to come this summer! 🌟

🌟Recognising VE awesomeness beyond the ribbons🌟

A strong show team is built on so much more than results in the ring. It’s built on grit through the tough rounds, kindness towards oneself and others, sportsmanship, horsemanship, dedication to growth, and the little details that make a big impact.

This season, we’re excited to introduce VE awards and special shoutouts each show weekend to celebrate our team members who embody the true Valiant qualities that make our team as special as it is.

👏 The General Awesomeness Award: Recognising grit, kindness, sportsmanship, and a tangible love for the sport that goes beyond a score or a ribbon.

🫧 The Top Turnout Award:
Generously sponsored by one of our amazing team members, Mim, this award celebrates a team member who went above and beyond in preparing for the show ring, paying attention to all the little details that make horse and rider truly shine.

👀 AND other surprise recognitions along the way.

Because while ribbons are an awesome perk of horse showing, the people, team culture, and community we build together are what make each season truly memorable. ✨

Keep an eye out on our social media channels to see each show weekend’s award recipients!