A third-place finish in the Adequan®/ USEF Para Dressage National Championships last weekend signified a triumph of will and commitment for Alanna Flax-Clark.
Even traveling to the competition in Tryon, N.C., took some resolve during the Covid crisis, since she has underlying conditions dating back to the 2008 life-threatening infection that left her coping with a variety of challenges when the initial symptoms subsided.
“I didn’t know whether to go or not,” said Alanna about the championships, adding, “I was nervous about the number of people and horses in one place. I was thinking about cancelling at the last minute.”
As Michel Assouline, the U.S. para dressage technical advisor noted, “Some (para) riders need extra precautionary measures to minimize a Covid risk of infection because of a weak immune system. In fact, some riders didn’t make the journey to Tryon because of the risk traveling poses.”
Alanna heading to the arena with trainer Sara Schmitt. (Photo by Lindsay Y. McCall)
But Alanna did wind up heading south from New Jersey with her Califon-based trainer, Sara Schmitt. She knew it was the right decision when she saw how well things were handled, with plenty of space in the stabling and a new arena, even as classes from the Pennsylvania National and Washington International shows were being held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Staying in an Airbnb nearby and skipping a party also added to her sense of comfort. Alanna cited dressage show manager Monica Fitzgerald for doing a “fantastic” job.
“It’s hard to have everyone’s needs met and have a dressage show and the hunter/jumpers there at the same time,” she noted. “We did feel safe. People were good about wearing masks. It was part of your outfit.”
After breaking 70 percent for her freestyle to Abba music, it was obvious the situation suited Alanna, 37, and her mount, El Paso, affectionately known as Taco.
Alanna and Taco. (Photo by Lindsay Y. McCall)
“Overall it was three of our best rides, the most consistent, the most reliable, the most harmonious. I felt like it was our best show overall,” said the rider, a former special education teacher who has only been competing since mid-2017.
“In spite of everything that’s been happening this year, Sara has really been good about figuring out how to push me, push my horse into developing better gaits, developing confidence, allowing me to ride a more forward trot, increasing my accuracy and geometry,” said Alanna as she reflected on how things have developed in 2020.
“Those are easy things to get better points automatically. I think my feel as a rider has gotten much stronger. Even if Sara schools him for two minutes, I get on Taco and I feel like I have the confidence to school him for the way I need to, which a year ago I can’t say I was able to do. I think all those things are pointing me i the right direction for where I want to go.”
As she observed, “Dressage is such a cool sport, you never stop learning. I can continue to develop my skills constantly.”
This year’s show was a happy contrast with the 2019 edition, where bad luck plagued Alanna. Taco lost a shoe and she lost her reins in one test, a real problem since she can’t close her fingers around them and has to put her hands through loops to guide her horse.
Alanna, who was an alternate for the team competition at the Tryon show, was on top in the individual Grade II Division standings of those who walk and trot in their tests. Her composite championship score of 67.948 percent put her behind two big names in para dressage, Rebecca Hart (77.029) who took the tri-color on Rowan O’Reilly’s El Corona Texel while competing in Grade III and Sidney Collier (76.147) reserve champ aboard Going for Gold LLC’s All in One in the Grade I Division.
Alanna shows Taco the blue ribbon they won for their freestyle. (Photo by Joanna Frantz)
Commenting on Alanna’s progress, Sara observed, “She’s very consistent and the judges are starting to recognize her, but Taco is not the quality of those horses.” (Tex and All in One).
“We’ve been working hard. I feel good about what we’re doing, but it’s nice to see it reflected in the judges,” Alanna commented.
Sara is, of course, pleased that her student is making measurable progress.
“She is a lot stronger and her horse is a lot stronger,” Sara noted about Alanna, who as of last month was ranked 14th in the world in her division.
When Alanna first came to her several years ago, “she couldn’t ride for 10 minutes,” Sara recalled, while noting how her endurance has increased dramatically.
Alanna is riding more and also works as special projects manager for Mane Stream in Oldwick, where it serves individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through equine-assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives.
This winter, Alanna will be headed to Florida for competition and training, with the Paralympics as a goal. While next summer’s Tokyo competition is fast approaching, she will have more time to refine her game and perhaps get a second horse with the 2022 World Championships and Paris 2024 on the horizon.
At this point, however, she said, “I just want to focus to being in the present.”
She said she couldn’t do what she does without Sara; Maggie O’Leary, the assistant trainer and Caelyn Adams, her groom. Alanna also is glad for the support of her family in California, happy they are able to see her ride via the livestream that is ubiquitous since Covid.
Michel noted, “It was hard for Alanna this winter to continue training because of strict lockdown restrictions where she lives, but we managed to do regular online remote coaching and riding session analysis. Alanna has a good coach and she has really come from strength to strength since moving from California to New Jersey two years ago.
‘Having regular support from a coach makes a difference. I give support to both Alanna and her coach. So Alanna’s work ethic and move to her personal coach have produced great results. She is very strategically focused.”
