The Event at Rebecca Farm Simmonds, Impressively Done a model of consistency

The Event at Rebecca Farm is frequently described as a “destination event” by those in eventing circles, a contest marked on the calendar of every serious competitor in the sport.

The North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, which coincide with this year’s The Event, are an equivalent competition, if not even more prestigious, for the sport’s younger members.

And for many, the competition dubbed as eventing’s “Junior Olympics” is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

That’s far from the case for April Simmonds.

The 20-year-old from Ontario, Canada, is making her fifth appearance in the NAJYRC this week at Rebecca Farm, a number that is believed to be a record for most appearances by an individual.

In other words, Simmonds has been among the top 50 riders out of close to 3,000 Young Rider participants in North America — five different times. To even be in a position to qualify for the NAJYRC, most riders require anywhere from four to 10 years of training.

Simmonds returns for the fourth time riding Impressively Done, Simmonds’ 12-year-old thoroughbred, an unprecedented run for a rider-horse combo.

She is not a household sports name the likes of LeBron James or Tom Brady, but if measured by the longevity of success in her sport, she is certainly among them.

“It’s a lot of fun, actually, because you’re not so nervous when you come,” Simmonds said of being a returner to the NAJYRC.

“For (Impressively Done), he knows exactly what he’s doing here. He knows the prep every year.”

Simmonds and Impressively Done, born and bred in Louisiana, have been a team since April purchased him at age 14.

The then-6-year-old thoroughbred, whose original owners planned to train for horse racing, proved to be a challenge for Simmonds at first.

“He bucked any time anyone would get on him,” Simmonds said.

“He’d just, for five minutes, go broncing, and then he’d be perfectly fine.”

Six years and four NAJYRC competitions later, much has changed.

Friday was example enough, as the pair finished seventh individually in dressage — a discipline designed to measure the horse’s poise and the harmony between horse and rider — to help lead Team Canada to first place after the first of three disciplines.

“He’s matured a lot,” said Britney Hensman, the horse groom who began working with Simmonds and Impressively Done in 2014.

“You used to just kind of have to hang on as if he was a kite. Now, this year, he’s chill. He’s relaxed. I don’t know if it’s an age thing or if he’s just done so much that he knows now.”

“I was basically just co-pilot,” Simmonds said of her dressage test.

“He knew exactly what he was doing. He knows the test like the back of his hand, and I was just making sure he looked pretty.”

Next up for Simmonds and Impressively Done is cross country, which often proves to be the top event for the horse — or, as Hensman affectionately refers to him, the “machine” — due to its strong racing bloodline.

“I’d imagine he was probably pretty difficult to convert (from a racehorse to an eventing horse),” Simmonds said.

“He still has that thoroughbred in him. Coming back from cross country, coming home from anything, he’s quite excited.

“At the end of the course, you see warmbloods, they’re starting to die. Their stamina is going down. Every time he comes off (the cross-country course), he looks like he could run again.”

While Simmonds’ longevity is unmatched among Young Riders, she has yet to reach the pinnacle and take home a NAJYRC title.

She hopes to do just that Sunday. With just one more year to compete in the event, she knows her chances are running out.

“This year, there’s a lot more pressure,” Simmonds said.

“As he gets older and I get older, there’s less chance to win, and I’d really like to win. I just really need to be on it the rest of the weekend.”

Regardless of whether the weekend ends in a first-place finish, Simmonds’ legacy is well established.

With the help of her loyal horse, she has attained a level of consistent success unlike anyone in her sport before her, before turning 21, no less.

Impressively done, indeed.