Bonnie Mosser’s Point Above Farm
Bonnie and Merloch: Photo: Shannon BrinkmanGordonsville, Virginia
Much like her favorite pop star, Madonna, Bonnie Mosser, one of the country’s top competitors in the international sport of three day eventing, is no stranger to new beginnings. A three day eventer for over 30 years, Mosser is familiar with the winner’s circle and has reigned at the top of the USEA Advanced leaderboard on numerous occasions. In 2006 she and her equine partner Jenga were the highest placed Americans at the Burghley CCI**** in England.
Plagued by horse injuries, she narrowly missed out on spots on both the 2007 U.S. Event Team at the Pan American Games and the 2008 Olympic competition in Hong Kong. Having spent two years campaigning her 12- year-old Thoroughbred/Percheron cross Merloch at the advanced level, essentially placing all her “eggs” in one basket, Bonnie realized that she needed to reassess her career, business and string of horses. Her new goal, to re-build from the inside out, will hopefully see her on a track to the next great goal of her career, the 2010 World Equestrian Games. A new farm, a new staff and a new string of young horses have been the perfect propellers to launch her into this next phase of her career.
To begin, Bonnie searched for a new farm in a location that would allow her to build a business, train her horses and still remain competitive. Simultaneously she dreamt of milder temperatures than she experienced in her former home of Unionville, PA. Looking for a new home that would allow her to actually spend more time at home, versus the traditional migration south, Bonnie landed in Gordonsville, VA. The area offers a strong equine infrastructure, a plentiful supply of eager students and easy access to the majority of the competitions on the East Coast. The new farm is a beautiful 300-acre facility that provides Bonnie and her students with everything they need to reach their goals
Bonnie and Merloch: Photo: Shannon BrinkmanBonnie’s business, Point Above Farm, operates with three goals in mind: to provide Bonnie with the resources she needs to compete successfully at the top of her sport, to provide her with the facility she needs to teach her students to succeed within their own personal goals, and to give her the space and land to train horses to be willing participants in whatever sport and direction their future owners may head. Bonnie prides herself in her willingness to teach riders of all levels and to take on horses in all stages of their training. “My goal is to educate both horse and rider for the sport and give them a wellrounded education instead of just being competition oriented,” says Bonnie. She believes that proper training is of the utmost importance for riding safely and often the lack of it results in injury during competitions.
While Bonnie has coached numerous riders to NAJYRC medals, top CCI*/**/*** finishes, she also regularly teaches students who aspire to compete at the Novice and Training levels. This coming spring Bonnie will be preparing two riders for Rolex Kentucky CCI**** appearances and several others for their own Beginner Novice competition debuts. “I knew I wanted to work for Bonnie after riding with her for one hour in one clinic,” says Lucy Drinkwater, one of Bonnie’s current working students. “She was so friendly and approachable. I felt like I could ask her anything, and she seemed really down to earth and normal. I learned so much from her in just two days I could only imagine how much I might learn in three months.”
While many riders choose to search for their next great equine partner overseas or in expensive breeder yards. Bonnie has chosen to put her faith in the often overlooked off the track racehorse. This past fall Bonnie partnered with long time friend Erin Hurley from the South Jersey Thoroughbred Rescue and Adoption Association and took on three rescued racehorses. While of course she hopes to find her next “big” ride, Bonnie also “wants to sell horses that are less expensive but that are well-trained; good solid low-level horses with potential.”
When she is not working and riding in Gordonsville, Bonnie is busy traveling around the country teaching clinics with the specific goal of creating a safer base within her sport. Those who know her well, know her mantra of “safety equals training.” While three day eventing has come under much scrutiny this past year following a spate of falls and fatalities, Bonnie believes that the solution lies not in creating more rules and restrictions within the governing body of the sport, but in properly educating riders from the ground up.
“As young riders we are told that if we fall off we have to get back on and this mindset within our sport always overrides skill level and safety considerations. The safety part of the sport is being realistic about where you are,” says Bonnie. She feels that riders should be confident at their level before pushing further and endangering themselves and their horses.
“Everyone is point chasing and ribbon chasing, it’s the wrong attitude to have. You want to win, but when your primary thoughts are about winning, you’re not in the right place and you are not focusing on the right goals.”
For more information about Bonnie and upcoming clinics and camps, please visit her website at www.bonniemosser. com. Also, please visit the South Jersey Thoroughbred Rescue site at www.sjtbadoption.org.
