We’re all about rolling with crazy ideas and turning them into ambitious career moves.
Enter Andrea Baxter; professional horse rider and Indy 500, her powerhouse thoroughbred mare.
Andreas ’crazy idea’ presented itself during a random afternoon on a boat. On that rare day off, she and her friends joked about flying to Europe to watch another friend compete. But when they looked at flights to get there, the tickets were an astronomical price - which made Andrea jokingly riff "For that much, I could fly my horse there!"
Then someone said it.
"Why not? Why not fly your horse there?"
There are always a million reasons why someone shouldn't do something spur of the moment - but not when the timing is perfect.
The European Burghley was happening not far from their initial destination and Andrea had everything she needed to enter. Luck? Coincidence? Nah, it was destiny (and a ton of hard work).
So they did it. Andrea and Indy 500 rode in the worlds biggest 5 star in Europe at Burghley. That first year competing at Burghley wasn't perfect, and after a graceful fall halfway through the course, she and Indy rerouted to a 4 star event and finished well.
The adrenaline and experience of being at Burghley stuck with Andrea, and since 2017, she and Indy have competed in two 5 star events per year for the last three years.
For the readers who don't know, Burghley is the WORLD'S biggest five-star equestrian event and the ultimate test of a horse and rider team. The course is stacked with obstacles and jumps that make even the most seasoned competitors break into a sweat. In fact, there is one jump most riders avoid during their preliminary walk because it’s so intimidating.
The jump we’re referring to is at the top of a hill and approximately 10 feet wide over a ditch and 4’6” brush. It’s a monster of a jump that makes even the most fearless rider get a tickle in their tummy.
During one of Andrea’s rides, her friend took a beautiful picture of the duo and had it framed as a gift to her.
It was the perfect shot… until Andrea noticed her shirt crawling up her back.
The horror! That reaction may seem a little dramatic, but there’s nothing worse than focusing on what doesn’t look right in a picture rather than admiring a beautiful picture of you and your horse. That's when she started looking for a different shirt and thought of us.
Andrea already owned a handful of Anique shirts and loved riding in them, but didn’t own the right color to compete in. So she checked to see if her color was part of our collection and behold - it was. She was able to get her hands on our Navy Signature Sun Shirt and have it prepared just in time to wear during her next run, Burghley 2019.
Sailing over jumps - including THE jump that makes hardened competitors squirm - never looked better. Keeping her cool and concentrating on having a clean run didn’t just give Andrea one of her best rides yet; it helped her finish a solid 12th overall, which is a HUGE accomplishment.
Only 1% of the world's riders actually get to compete at a 5 star level, and because of her talent, years of riding, previous competitions won, and personal perseverance, Andrea Baxter is one of them. The world is your runway Andrea, we love to see you work it!
