Wow!  It certainly has been a busy spring for In the Fog ("Simon"). Our first stop was the Jersey Horse Park for Jersey Fresh CIC**. This was Simon's first three-day, so I concentrated on letting him take it all in. He started things off right putting in a lovely dressage test to place 2nd after that phase. The main goal for Jersey was to get a qualifying round for Bromont a month later. The ground was a bit hard, so I took it easy and picked up a bit of time on cross-country to drop down to 7th. The rain came down on Saturday night, making the stadium arena a bit slushy, but Simon didn't seem to mind. He jumped quite well, although he did have an unfortunate rail. It was a tough course for everyone though, and he moved up to 6th place.  Not bad for his first CIC!

Simon jogging for the Ground Jury at Bromont CCI**.

Less than a month later, Simon was back on a trailer and heading north again, this time to Canada for Bromont CCI**.  The pressure was on after such a good finish at Jersey, but once again I was focused on making sure that Simon had a positive experience.  When your horses travel such a long distance (close to 14 hours) you always worry about them, but Simon seemed to handle the trip well.  He arrived healthy, albeit a little fatigued, but nothing to worry about. He passed the jog with flying colors and put down another stellar dressage test to earn a 51.90, good enough for 6th of 42 competitors.  It seems that Simon is turning into quite the DQ!  The course was certainly the biggest that Simon had ever seen, and the rolling hills of Bromont always take it out of the horses. My plan was to let him coast around the first half, and then pick up the pace for the second half. Simon jumped around the course with ease and finished with plenty of running. Our time penalties did drop us down in the standings a bit, but I couldn't have been happier with Simon.  He proved himself to be an Advanced prospect out there. Once again he jumped well in stadium, but had another unlucky rail (he barely tapped it!).

Simon showing his scope on cross-country at Bromont CCI**.

Both Jersey Fresh and Bromont were great learning experiences for Simon.  He'll get a short vacation and then we'll map out his fall season to prepare him for Fair Hill International CCI*** in October.

Thanks again to everyone that helped with the journey to Bromont. I'm so lucky to have the team that I do!

Full Name: Charlotte Harris

Age: 49, but sadly, soon to be 50!

Brief Bio: I live in North Salem, New York and am married to John Roach. We met in the early 1980s when we leased a horse together. We have a son, Jack, who just finished 8th grade. He loves horses but doesn't have any burning desire to ride them! I worked as a money manager trading currencies up until four years ago, so I haven't had much time to compete, but am looking forward to starting up again.

Horse Info:  I have a variety of horses.  Some are with Steve in Virginia, and some are here with me in New York. I own half of From and have had a wonderful time living vicariously through Steve and his accomplishments with From. I bought Simon four years ago as an investment and an upper-level event prospect for Steve, as both From and Joshua were getting older.

I also sent a horse I bred, Bedazzled (aka Boomer), to Steve about 6 years ago when he was a yearling. He hung out in a field with some other youngsters for a few years, and started his eventing career last spring. Steve is competing him at Training level and hopes to move him up to Preliminary this fall.

At home, I have Wyatt, a Dutch Warmblood and my first non-Thoroughbred! I bought him when he was 5, as a jumper prospect, and he is now 8. It's been a learning experience to say the least, getting used to riding a warmblood versus a thoroughbred. Wyatt's a fantastic jumper when he feels like it.  He is naughty, but I love him!

And I now have Joshua!  He is by far the coolest horse I have ever ridden, and I will forever be grateful to Steve for giving Josh to me.

Equestrian Goals:  My hope is to get back into eventing again. My last competition (and one of my favorites) was GMHA in Woodstock, Vermont in 2001. I was leasing Broadstone Harvest Moon at the time and I liked him so much that I bred my mare Sadie to Harvey's dad, Catherston Dazzler. Boomer is the outcome of that match up!

How long have you been with Team SSB?  I have known Steve since the mid-1980s when he was a working student for Bruce Davidson. Steve gave great clinics and we became good friends. Over the years he has helped me with a lot of my horses. He has always been there when I've had a problem with one, or if I had to sell one. I would have been a full-time student of his if he lived closer to New York or I to Virginia. I have the utmost respect for Steve and the way he trains his horses. It's not always about the ribbons, but rather the training with a good and safe experience for his horses. Steve has called me a number of times over the years to ask if I minded if he chose not to go cross-country because the footing was bad or the temperature was too hot. And I have always said, "I trust your judgement" ... and I do.

This spring, as Steve was getting Joshua ready for his last Rolex Kentucky CCI****, Josh's feet started to get sore. Rather than push it, he decided to retire Josh from that level of competition. "Joshua and I have been through a lot together and he doesn't owe me anything." As disappointing as it must have been for Steve not to go, he cared more about Josh than anything else. That's what I love about Steve and why I am happy to entrust my horses in his care.

Funniest Horse Show Memory:  One of the funnier moments at an event was at Kent School Horse Trials many moons ago. I was competing my mare, Sadie, in the Training division. As we entered the dressage arena and proceeded past the judge, Sadie lost her mind and blew up ... leaping, bucking, spinning, you name it!  I have a habit of talking to myself and said, "Charlotte, do not fall off!"  The idea of being dumped in a dressage arena was humiliating and something I would never live down. And for some reason, it helped if I talked myself into not falling off. Sadie eventually calmed down and I asked the judge, "Would you like me to do that (meaning the movement) again? And she said, "Well, not exactly like that please!" Needless to say, I was close to last after dressage and to add insult to injury, I was given 2 penalty points for talking!