Shannon Lilley is just out there having fun.

Everyone sitting in the Dixon Oval grandstand watching the $50,000 Arena Eventing class was smiling as Shannon Lilley galloped around the arena to a second-place finish. Her joy was palpable! And for good reason. Shannon’s path to her current station in the sport horse world has not been an easy one, yet it has still been imbued with tenacity.  Shannon’s perseverance reminds us all that no matter what, we are the captain of our attitude, not always our journey. 

Here’s some backstory:  In 2011, after a Team Gold Medal at the Pan-Am Games, Shannon suffered a catastrophic back injury, one that threatened to keep her out of the saddle for good. The road to recovery, and later, riding, was filled with setbacks. But over the course of a decade of painstaking work, Shannon had revived her program and was again knocking at the door of the top levels of the sport, only to have further disaster strike. In 2020, after wildfires around her barn in California continued to threaten her farm and horses, she made the painful decision to uproot her program and relocate to the East Coast. Five years later, Shannon completed her first five-star three-day event at the Kentucky Three-Day Event on her beloved Eindhoven Garrette. Though Shannon has had ample opportunity to call it quits on the riding, she’s remained tenacious in her pursuit of sporting excellence. Talk about inspiring. 

Catching up with  Shannon before and after her rounds, I peppered Shannon with questions about her horse, Ideal HX (lovingly known around the barn as Clifford). It’s easy to see why he’s the subject of such adoration. He’s a sweet horse with kind eyes and a very squishable nose! After eventing with Shannon through the four-star level in eventing, Clifford’s new job in Shannon’s program is to be her “fun” horse, most recently having “fun” in the pure Show Jumping arena. 

When asked about why Clifford was the pick for Devon this year, she quipped with a chuckle, “He’s capable and qualified, and likes to jump on good footing. I think he’ll find it fun to come back for his second time here. He’s had a bit of time off over the winter testing his hand in show jumping, so now he’s up to bat!” 

Now, in the Dixon oval,  there are a few key factors to keep in mind. Firstly, the venue is small. This creates an atmosphere that feels electric, especially during the height of competition. Horse and rider must navigate through a tightly packed track of show jump and cross-country fences, a truly unique challenge for eventers, who are used to jumping cross country outside with space to gallop in between the jumps. Secondly, stepping onto the grounds feels like stepping back in time, into a preserved relic of the 20th century. The wood buildings and grandstands adorned in robin’s egg blue make the venue feel timeless. 

Shannon continues, “He (Clifford) is one you have to kind of ride like you stole. That’s going to work in his favor in this class, as he’s quick to come back and stay really adjustable and nimble. Last year, I feel like the lights really affected him. He’s gone four-star with me in eventing, and I’d only evented before taking him last year . Since his run last year, he’s taken a slight change in pace and just been show jumping, which has really helped him get accustomed to shows with atmosphere.”

Shannon’s intuition proved correct! The course was ideally suited to Clifford’s style of jumping around.  Their calm and collected double-clear in the first round advanced them to the final.  With the crowd holding their breath and then cheering them on to the finish, Clifford calmly put the pedal down, flying around the shortened final course to a second-place finish! It was clear that the crowd could FEEL the fun Shannon and Clifford were having out there!

“Success breeds success,” said Shannon, as I caught up with her after the awards ceremony. “I’m feeling really confident in my riding in general. Especially for him, since he started as a pure show jumper. Every time he goes out, he’s competitive, and in some big classes, he’s really shown his skill. In the first round, he was so relaxed and just made it feel easy. The show jumping has made him so supple and able to turn, making him quite easy to turn and jump while staying in a good rhythm. Jump-offs are still a bit foreign to me, as I’m still not very experienced in pure show jumping. That said, I’ve had this horse for the last six years, and we have such a positive relationship, I feel so confident that he’s going to go in and fight for me at every fence! I’m so proud of him! I did this class to have fun, that’s Clifford’s purpose in my program now; for the fun of this sport. Through a wry smile, she tells me she couldn’t choose someone she’d rather lose first place to than Boyd. As I left the energy of the grounds and hurried to my computer to edit my photos from the evening, I was caught up in just how remarkable the human spirit can be. People like Shannon are such an inspiration to me, reminding us all that no matter what, we CAN do hard things with a smile. 

This year, I’ve had the privilege of capturing photos and videos of Shannon as she rose to the five-star level in eventing. I’ve watched her ride many horses from preliminary to the five-star level. She meets each ride with an abundance of enthusiasm and positivity. Horses respond well to her because she cares deeply about them, and they know it. Shannon is out there having fun with her horses! Proof that loving horses and the sport, and being competitive, can happen at the same time. 

Do it for the fun!

Isaiah Dahl is a Horse-crazy videographer and founder of Halite Creative.

He travels around the country capturing the joy of horse-sport.