Beheler and Noblesse Oblige enjoy a weekend in Paradise

Ashley Beheler escaped the cooler temperatures up north to compete this weekend at the Paradise Farm horse trials. The Maryland-based rider had one ride this weekend, her 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Noblesse Oblige, who's known as Tinker around the barn, and they went preliminary/training level (preliminary level dressage and stadium jumping and training level cross country). Beheler has had the mare for the past five years.

The rider found the features and jumping efforts on the training level cross country course to be fair.

"The sunken road actually was kind of tight," said Beheler. "I walked it, and I thought it was kind of a good distance. I thought it was going to be a little more looky. She just charged right in there."

Beheler found that the cross country course asked some challenging questions.

"I can imagine people who've been snow bound up north and aren't able to do any cross country, come down here, and see the abc combinations at the ditch and the water, and are a little bit surprised like I was last year, the first time I came here. I think it's a good test."

The rider/horse combination will move back up to a full preliminary this spring.

"I actually did a bunch of prelims last year with her, and just wanted to do less because I was snow bound, and hadn't done much cross country. I didn't want to put too much weight on ourselves."

And although Beheler and Noblesse Oblige's dressage score wasn't as good as she would have liked, the rider/horse combination continue to work diligently to improve.

Noblesse Oblige has demonstrated her courage on cross country, is extremely brave, and doesn't really give anything a second look, said Beheler.

"I tend to get more nervous cross country," said Beheler. "Our best phase together is show jumping. She's a very good jumper, very careful. She doesn't like to touch the rail."