Anabel Barnett

Five-time Olympian Michael Plumb spotted 6-year-old Emily Grace Swinson peeping over the rail and gave her a proposition: If she could get a particularly tricky horse he’d been working with to rein back, he’d train her. Swinson had been horse-obsessed for a while before he made that offer, thanks in large part to her aunt, Cynthia Peterson, who operated Cricket Lane Farm LLC in Southern Pines, North Carolina.

The 2023 ASPCA Maclay Fiunals kicks off this morning, with the first competitor stepping foot in the ring at 7 a.m. It is estimated that the final round will start at 6:15 p.m. Rachel Kennedy, Wendy Peralta, Tamara Provost and Danny Robertshaw are judging the class of 229 competitors. Bobby Murphy and Kevin Holowack designed the course. The Chronicle will be blogging ringside all day. You can follow along here.

Lexington, Ky.—Nov. 5 We’re here in Lexington, Kentucky, for the ASPCA Maclay Final where 228 of the country’s top junior riders aspire to win one of the most elusive equitation titles. We’ll try and post every 10 riders or so, with updates on how the course is riding, who has done well, who hasn’t, etc. Please don’t expect an account of every rider’s trip, but we’ll try to keep you up-to-date. Scroll down to see the most recent posting.