United States Eventing Association

When Jesslyn Woodall’s Intermediate horse started showing signs of tendonitis a few years ago, she made the decision to let him enjoy a lighter career for a longer future. “He had done all he needed to,” she recalled.

She then contacted a friend to see if they might have a rider for that as he was a slightly complicated ride. “She said she didn’t, but if I was in the market for a young horse, she knew of one that I needed to see.”

Woodall, 44, couldn’t imagine her life without a horse in it after having evented her whole life. In her early 20s she was a working student for Dorothy Crowell, which is where she learned most of what she knows today. She later spent 13 years galloping horses on the track, where her love of the Thoroughbred truly blossomed, but she wasn’t quite sure she was interested in pursuing another young horse at this stage in her life.

“I'd told everyone for years I didn't like young horses when they'd ask me why I didn't get one to restart. I thought there were too many reasons things could go badly. Turns out I'm wrong and love all horses,” she chuckled.

That young Thoroughbred gelding her friend told her about, however, was just five minutes from Woodall’s work so she popped out that same day to see him.

“He was turned out in the pasture, and he was this scrawny, tall, goofy-looking thing, and he wasn’t even 4 yet—it was like two days before his fourth birthday. I galloped racehorses out at Winstar, so I called a friend of mine that is a vet out there, and I said to him, ‘He’s not even 4 yet— I don’t know what I can do with him!’ I was pretty apprehensive on that note. I hadn’t gotten on him yet, I had just swung by to look at him, but my friend told me that you can do more with a young horse than you think.”

So the next day, Woodall found herself back at that farm, tack in hand.

“The owners weren’t even home yet,” she said with a laugh. “They were like, ‘Yeah, do whatever with him!’ So I hopped on him, they showed up, and he just went around like it was nothing.”

She called them later to discuss a price after the vet friend reasoned with her. They were interested in having Woodall campaign the horse at the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover (Lexington, Kentucky), so they offered Woodall a $1,000 sponsorship to go towards the Makeover. And that is how her relationship with Diamond Dog (JC Name: Storm Threat), or “Ted,” began.

“He was goofy,” noted Woodall, “and he didn’t have much patience. I spent a lot of time on him– that is all I do though. I work, and I ride my horse. I've spent three years just trying to put as much weight and muscle on him as I could. He was super looky at first, but he was athletic and let me convince him that jumping things was ok.”

Over the years, Woodall has produced quite a few horses off the track, even bringing one that she purchased for $400 up to the Advanced level, so she restarted Ted (Midnight Storm x Dietitian Michelle) over cross rails and has been building their way from there.

In 2024, they competed at the Makeover, as promised, and as a 4-year-old Ted was third in the finals in the eventing division. He began his USEA career that same year and won both of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Qualifiers at Masterson Equestrian Trust (Lexington, Kentucky). That fall, she took him to the MARS Maryland 5 Star to compete in the USEA YEH East Coast 4-Year-Old Championships.

“He’s one of those horses that if you give him too much time off, he gets into trouble,” she said. “I’ve had a couple of people mention that I was doing a lot with him, but I always say, ‘You don’t know what he is like if I don't keep him occupied and working! Too much time off and he happily runs laps around his paddock.”

In 2024, Ted qualified for the YEH Championships again early in the year, but Woodall decided to contest the USEA Classic Series Training Three-Day division at the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event (Lexington, Kentucky) that fall instead, where they finished fourth and were the highest-placed Thoroughbred. It was 2025, however, that Woodall described as Ted’s “banner year.” They moved up to the Preliminary level, and in nine outings, the pair only placed outside of the top 3 twice: once where they placed fourth and a 12th place finish in the CCI2*-L at Hagyard which was their first FEI event together.

“I wish I’d ridden better sometimes,” she joked. “I didn’t ride as well in show jumping in the CCI2*-L, but he just tries so hard, and he was so good. We know how to make time; he’s got such a big stride. And he is pretty handy for being 17.3, maybe 18 hands.”

Their highly competitive 2025 season, including winning the USEA Area VIII Preliminary Championship, earned Ted the title of the USEA 6-Year-Old Preliminary Horse of the Year. It was that event where Woodall felt Ted really showed off all the fruits of their labor after years and years of bringing this once-scrawny Thoroughbred along.

“He felt wonderful on cross-country there,” she noted. “I could set him up for the combinations, but we galloped in between. He felt so rideable and honest. He was already locking on, even the turning combinations, and I was really surprised how hard it was to make the time. That was definitely our best show last year. I couldn’t believe it.”

She picked up her secret to bringing along a young Thoroughbred from her years on the track.

“That experience honestly taught me so much about horses in general, not just jumping horses. I learned how to get the most out of them without fighting them, because if you fight those racetrack horses, you're gonna lose,” she shared. “It taught me a lot of patience. My train of thought was the more relaxed I could get the horses and the better relationship they have with the riders, whether they went on to be race horses or show horses, the better life they would have. It’s all about the relationship and communicating what they need to understand what you're asking for.”

Woodall is hoping that 2026 proves to be just as successful for herself and Ted.

“He finished out Prelim pretty well last year, so I am hoping to maybe move up to Intermediate and see what he says to bigger fences. Que Sera, Sera”.