HorseAddict

Belinda Trussell answers the Florida Questions.

Olympian Belinda Trussell, is one of the Canadian dressage riders who usually spends the winter season training and competing in Wellington Florida. But what about this year and the havoc Covid has caused? Canada’s border with the USA is still closed to non essential travel. I asked Belinda three questions. Here are her answers:

 1. Will you be competing in Florida this winter?

Most likely no, I still have a small flame burning for Florida, but with the current situation and conditions it does not look likely

2. How did you arrive at this decision?

Many factors… I have a family, 2 kids and my husband, in Canada. Usually we plan visits once a month so we can see each other when I am in Florida. Because of the pandemic, Canada has a mandatory 14 day quarantine upon returning home from any international travel. That makes it impossible to go back and forth. My daughter is not comfortable travelling right now, and as her Mom, I need to respect her concerns. I don’t want to be away from them for too long, and without the possibility of travel it makes it really difficult. I also have concerns about the virus and am worried about being sick away from home and away from family. Or vice versa, if one of my family members got sick in Canada and I could not get home to be with them.

3. Do you have any concerns about not going?

Yes! The decision has been occupying my mind all year! Florida offers so much for us. The weather of course is ideal for training, the amount of shows offered to develop the horses is incredible. I love riding among top riders and top horses so I continue to develop my eye and strive to be a better rider and trainer. I will miss all those things!

Belinda competing at Angelstone in September,2020
Belinda training at home in the Oakcrest Farms arena
sept12 (3 of 8)
Belinda competing for Canada in the 2018 World Equestrian Games

My next blog post will have Megan Lane’s answers to the Florida questions! Will Megan be staying home or going to compete in Florida?

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anne leueen

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Comments

15 responses to “Belinda Trussell answers the Florida Questions.”

  1. whippetwisdom Avatar
    whippetwisdom

    I can totally understand Belinda’s decision Anne and safety has to come first. Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week and much love from our house to yours 🧡 xxx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Thank you Xenia. I will pass on your comment to Belinda.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. David Avatar
    David

    And, I can understand Belinda’s position too. When you have a family, you have to take that into account. When my girls were deciding whether to ride in Saratoga or not, that was a nagging concern, “What if I get sick???” In June, COVID testing was more difficult to receive. And, the tests themselves had accuracy issues (still does). They did a lot of soul searching before deciding they would compete. Belinda certainly did a lot of that too. If a rider doesn’t think this through, they’re doing a disservice to themselves.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      I agree. The Canadian riders who are going are younger women who do not have children and family to think about.

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  3. Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram Avatar
    Subbashini Meenakshi Sundaram

    They are super inspiring peoples. Some uncomfortable situations like this shows the brighter side of these peoples.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Yes it does. Thank you for commenting Subbashini. Have a good week ahead.

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  4. Tina Schell Avatar
    Tina Schell

    All very good reasons and thus the best, if difficult, decision. Good for her! My granddaughter benefits from a related situation in that the horse her dad leased for her this summer has been extended into winter since his owners cannot travel to pick him up. Good for her, good for the horse. Not so good for the owners.

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    Reply
    1. anne leueen Avatar
      anne leueen

      Unfortunately Florida is not good with regard to Covid numbers. So for people like Belinda with family and also for the Irwins( posted about them yesterday) it is most sensible and safe to stay home. Also even though all these riders have horses that could qualify for Canadian teams for the Olympics I somehow doubt Tokyo will go ahead. Thanks for reading the post Tina. And that is a plus for your granddaughter. Next her Dad will have to lease her a horse full time or…..perhaps buy a horse.

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      1. Tina Schell Avatar
        Tina Schell

        Really? That would be really sad. I’m hoping Tokyo WILL happen. So disappointing for the athletes. As for my granddaughter, I suspect since she goes to college in 3 years he can hold off on buying a horse, although having daily access has been an amazing blessing during the pandemic and she loves working in the barn. So good for her after spending hours on the computer for zoom school. UGH

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        1. anne leueen Avatar
          anne leueen

          I think they could do Tokyo if All the athletes and coaches and support people could prove they were completely vaccinated. But the audience? Also it is set for end of July and the support teams have e to get there sometimes 3 weeks in advance. I am not sure at all that it can happen . But they have not said anything definite. I hear that the Japanese people to not want it to happen due to Covid.

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        2. David Avatar
          David

          Hi Tina, Andrea and I were in the same situation when Deborah and Elizabeth were three years, four years, respectfully, from college. With both in Catholic HS, and both having a solid first year at the Premier “AA” level, we had to decide on making a horse commitment – not sharing, but each having their own horse(s) to grow with. We were leasing Ed and Captain Andrew, but had a first right option to buy in the lease agreement. This is where Comet entered the picture. Can we make it work financially? We bit the bullet, and bought all three. Of course, a lot of negotiation to buy the horses. And, had to do some creative financing to make it work. Then, a year later, we picked up Lilith. Lilith was risky because she had a bad temperament reputation. (When a horse has that kind of reputation, it is more of a reflection of the owner.) Lilith has been the perfect fit for Elizabeth; both can be headstrong and stubborn but they work 🙂

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          1. anne leueen Avatar
            anne leueen

            My daughter was also a rider and we bought her a horse that came up for sale. We had been leasing it for about six months. Then we went on to another horse and my daughter , who is a very tall, 6 ft adult , outgrew that horse so I took that one and eventually we had to go to Europe for a horse once she got to the FEI level of competition. But horses gave her focus and she learned a lot of important life skills a well. She actually took her FEI silver medal ( from the Young Riders North American Champs) in for her interview as marketing manager of an AHL team. She got the job. She knew nothing about hockey but she was seen as a person who understood what it takes in sports.

            Liked by 1 person

          2. Tina Schell Avatar
            Tina Schell

            Honestly, kind of hoping my Elisabeth finds other activities as she gets further into HS and on to college. It’s a VERY expensive sport!! Good for you for supporting and encouraging your girls.

            Liked by 2 people

          3. anne leueen Avatar
            anne leueen

            It is a very expensive sport. A black hole for money in fact. But…there are some of the most famous and best dressage riders who did not come from a background of wealth. Carl Hester , Charlotte Dujardin to name but two. Also Eric Lamaze in the jumper world did not come from a privileged background, quite the opposite. However they were all people who had a calling to be riders. Your Granddaughter could leave the riding as I did when I was at university and I returned 30 years later. My daughter no longer rides as she has a family and a career but she may come back to it later in her life just as I did.

            Liked by 2 people

          4. David Avatar
            David

            Like Anne said, horses can be a black hole when it comes to money. And, pursuing an equine sport, especially more when you do shows. If you only saw our checkbooks from those days … LOL. 🙂

            Liked by 2 people

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