Three and a half months ago, Vee Stavroula Dravilas didn't know she'd be heading to NAYC aboard her trainer, Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn's, Grand Prix mare, Wilona HSR. She didn't even know the mare would be her ride at all for the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF. Getting there meant working through a disappointment first.
In late winter, Dravilas (Medinah, Ill.) and her coach leased a gelding with one goal in mind: qualifying for NAYC in the Junior division. The training went well, and the pair headed into their first qualifier in April with high hopes.
That's when their plans had to shift. In the warm-up ring, right before her test, Dravilas sensed something was wrong.
"I waited for my coach to come out of her test to confirm, and we had to scratch all our classes for the weekend," Dravilas said.
A veterinary exam confirmed the gelding needed the entire season off. For Dravilas, the loss went beyond a canceled qualifier.
"I was heartbroken for him. We had built a relationship so quickly," she said. "It was a very sad moment, as I also was unsure what would happen with the season we had been training for."
Rather than stepping away from the barn, Dravilas leaned in, spending the following weeks grooming at shows and helping at home to stay close to her friends and barn family.
"I was lost in so many thoughts, but being at the barn with the horses truly is my happy place and helps me forget about all the details," she said.
Not long after, Fleming-Kuhn offered her the ride on her own Grand Prix horse, Wilona HSR, a 2014 U.S.-bred Oldenburg mare (Wild Dance x Davignon I), known in the barn as “Willy,” who had competed her first national Grand Prix test at the North 40 Classic I in Lake St. Louis, Mo., only weeks earlier.
"I actually thought I was dreaming. I couldn't believe it," Dravilas said. "It was a dream come true and an opportunity of a lifetime."
The timeline was tight. Dravilas had just two weeks to build a partnership with Willy before their FEI Junior Team test together. Dravilas credits her coach's guidance for getting them through the early learning curve, and Willy for stepping down several levels, from Grand Prix to Third Level, to meet her new junior rider where she was.
"I can't give her enough carrots for that," Dravilas said.
Riding a horse like Willy has also given Dravilas an early feel for upper-level work, including playing around with upper-level collected work like the passage and piaffe. "I really get to feel what a pro's Grand Prix horse is like, as she is very forward-thinking and ready for whatever aid is next," she said.
Alongside a new horse, Dravilas is also navigating to a new level. The jump from the Children's division to Juniors brings Third Level movements into the tests, a step up she feels more prepared for after competing in FEI Children's at NAYC last year.
"I have an idea of what judging and expectations will feel like, and the rules of a CDI," she said. "It definitely made the transition smoother."
The move up has also brought a first for Dravilas: designing a freestyle, which she says has been “a highlight of working with Willy” so far.
Away from competition, Dravilas describes Willy as affectionate and attention-loving, a mare who's easy to spoil.
"Any night I am at the barn, I go down to say goodnight to her," Dravilas said, adding that she'll sometimes give Willy an extra bath on hot evenings. "The late nights are definitely my favorite memories with her."
Under saddle, Dravilas calls Willy the most willing horse she's ridden.
"She tries so very hard. She wants to please, and wants to do her job well," Dravilas explained. "Even though our time together has been short, I do feel we have a great connection and understanding. Willy is a very special horse."
At NAYC, Dravilas' goal is straightforward: present Willy to the best of her ability and deliver a strong team test for Region 2. The week in Traverse City is also a “Girl’s Vacation” of sorts for Dravilas and her team, “I am most looking forward to spending time and making memories with Willy, my mom, and my trainer!” she said.
For a partnership that came together in just two weeks, Dravilas and Willy are already proving what's possible when trust, timing, and a little bit of heartbreak-turned-luck line up, and her team will be watching to see where they go from here.