Bonners Ferry High’s Roberts takes second at national eventing competition

BONNERS FERRY — In her first three-day eventing competition ever, Moyie Springs resident Emma Rose Roberts took second place amongst a national field… and she doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

“It’s a lot different from every other sport, especially in high school,” Roberts said about eventing. “No other sport has really sparked my interest the way horses do. I have been around horses my entire life; I grew up with them.”

Eventing, an equestrian event where a single horse and rider compete in three disciplines — dressage, cross country, and show jumping — is also known as the equestrian triathlon. Roberts has been interested in the sport since a young age and started taking lessons in Boundary County at just four years old.

“I was in a lesson program until about 13, and then these past two years I have been training independently with some trainers from Spokane,” Roberts said. “I wanted to make it happen, take it to the next level, which requires some sacrifices like traveling. It’s definitely worth it.”

When she first got started about five years ago, Roberts was competing at small shows in Sandpoint and at other one and two-day events close by. Her current mare, Oakley, who she has had for nearly five years, is not a horse that is typically bred for eventing. That didn’t deter Roberts from following her dreams.

“We didn’t have a big budget when we first started looking for a horse, so she was a project for me,” Roberts said. “In the eventing world, there are a lot of expensive horses and we got a cheap horse. I started taking lessons with her and we have definitely grown into a team. It’s kind of weird to have an underdog horse and go to events like The Event at Rebecca Farm.”

The Event at Rebecca Farm, which was held July 17-21 in Kalispell, was Roberts’ first three-day eventing competition. The Bonners Ferry High rising junior, despite being an underdog, took second out of 20 competitors in the junior beginner novice A division, finishing no lower than second in all three phases.

“It’s more than I could ever imagine to go out there and place how we did,” Roberts said. “It was crazy to be there in general. I have been dreaming about going out there forever. There were so many expensive horses with so many different people from so many different places.”

Roberts placed second in dressage with a score of 24.7 points to start off the event. For those unfamiliar with the term, Roberts described dressage as a form of “horse ballet” that involves a beautiful partnership between the horse and the rider. For two to three minutes, riders and their horses are judged on their connection with the horse, how well the two are flowing together as a team, and how precise and accurate the pair is with each individual movement.

On the next day, Roberts competed in cross country, her favorite event, and placed first with a score of 24.7 points. Cross country is a phase of eventing where a rider and their horse tackle jumps and obstacles, usually very hard, solid objects that are decorated, over a long course; riders must finish in between a certain time range as well to avoid penalty.

On the last day of the event, Roberts continued to hit low marks, finishing second in show jumping with a score of 28.7 points. Show jumping is where a rider and their horse clear a series of numbered, heightened fences over a certain amount of time. Roberts was nearly flawless, but picked up one jumping penalty during her run at Rebecca Farm.

“Nerves got the best of me," Roberts said. "it’s not my favorite phase of three-day, and sadly it’s the last one, so it puts a lot of pressure on you. Overall, I wouldn’t pick any other equestrian sport. It’s such a cool, well-balanced, all-around thing. You have to make sure you and your horse are good in all of the events.”

One may wonder, how did Roberts get into eventing in the first place? She said one of her grandmothers’ daughters participated in eventing back in the day. Roberts never knew her, as she passed away at the age of 18, but she did know her story.

“She never got the chance to go as far as she wanted,” Roberts said. “When she first started out, she had a horse similar to mine, one that was sort of a project and wasn’t bred for the sport at all. Once I started taking lessons, I watched some old videos of her and decided this is what I wanted to do. I want to carry it out for her since she never got the opportunity to finish her goals. It has now grown into a love that will never die.”

Roberts said her journey thus far has been amazing and she has had so many opportunities to further herself. In addition to the sport itself, Roberts also noted how she has met so many great people along the way.

“I have met so many people that don’t live close by, and I can still bond with them over this sport,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to explain to the people I go to school with, because it’s just so different.”

Up next for Roberts will be an event at Shingle Mill Stables in Sandpoint on Aug. 26-27. After that, she’ll head to the United States Eventing Assosiciation’s Area VII Championships which will be held Sept. 13-15 at Aspen Farms in Yelm, Wash. The best riders from Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, and California will all be attending this qualifying event. Roberts will conclude the season with an event at the Spokane Sport Horse Farm from Sept. 27-29.

“This year has been a big step up for me, considering it has been my first year of three-days,” Roberts said. “I have to give all the credit to my horse, she aims to please. Especially being not built for it, she has to work so much harder. She loves it, and you have to love the horse before you love the sport.”

For those interested in getting into eventing, Roberts says to not be scared of the sport because it’s different.

“People are going to say whatever they want,” Roberts said. “If you want to do something, you have to make it happen, and that’s something I found out this year. I can’t just sit and flounder — I wanted to go to Rebecca (Farm) so I made it happen. If you want to accomplish something, just shoot for it and don’t let anybody tell you differently.”

Roberts’ ultimate goal is to make it to the Olympics one day, potentially the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. She will train with a new horse soon, a Mustang who she says has a lot of potential.

“You have to see it in them, and I see it,” Roberts said of the new horse. “I saw it in Oakley the second I bought her. I hope I’m right.”