understanding only years of riding— and growing— together can bring.
Sandman’ s competition preparation is as varied as it is purposeful, designed to keep both his body and mind in peak condition. Alicia ensures his training regime stays fresh by rotating between sand work, boundary riding, free jumping, and mustering— activities that build strength, cardio fitness, and responsiveness. Mustering across rugged terrain and navigating natural obstacles like gullies and logs keeps him agile and sure-footed, while flatwork and jumping combinations fine-tune his focus for the arena. Nancy adds that their goal is always to keep Sandman“ fit and mentally fresh,” believing that a horse needs to love what he does just as much as the rider does. It’ s a philosophy that clearly fuels their success.
In the early stages of their jumping career, Alicia and Sandman faced a common yet challenging hurdle— excitement. Once Sandman discovered his love for jumping, he became overly eager in the ring, rushing through courses, resisting Alicia’ s cues to steady. Despite her efforts to communicate through her seat and voice, the gelding was becoming increasingly hot to handle with precision. The breakthrough came when they returned to the fundamentals, stripping back their training to focus solely on flatwork and control. Through patience and consistency, Sandman began to listen and respond to Alicia’ s leg and rein aids, eventually regaining the composure and partnership needed for success in the jumping ring.
Reflecting on their journey, Alicia is quick to acknowledge the emotional rewards of horse ownership and competition. While the pressure and stress are very real, the true fulfillment comes from knowing she and Sandman gave their best.“ I never ride to be the winner,” Alicia shares.
“ I ride to the best of my horse’ s ability.” Alicia ' s advice to other aspiring riders is simple but powerful: ignore the pressure, focus on your own journey, and be proud of what you achieve as a team. Nancy echoes this sentiment, emphasising the importance of finding the right horse.“ It won’ t be perfect at the start,” she says,“ but if you commit to that horse, the bond will grow, and so will the results— just in small steps.” Time, trust, and dedication, they both agree, are non-negotiable.
Looking ahead, Alicia is keen to see just how far her partnership with Sandman can go. With plans to return to another State Championship, provided Sandman remains fit and able, but she is also preparing a young horse to step up into higher classes. He is taller— above 14.3hh. But Alicia says“ I’ ll be putting everything I’ ve learned from Sandman into this horse, my heart remains with the Quarter Horse breed, whose calm temperament and quick thinking nature, has rivaled 17hh jumping bred horses in the ring." Sandman has gone up against a horse that we believe would have been 17hh, and won, that was for his 1.30m personal best. And he has had many wins against 16hh horses, Sandman is about 14.2 and a half on a good day.
Sandman may have started out as an unexpected purchase, but he’ s become much more— a steady partner, a fierce competitor, and the heart of a family’ s riding journey.
For Nancy and Alicia, the story isn’ t just about winning. It’ s about learning, trusting, and growing— together.“ Every ride,” Alicia says,“ he shows me how much he’ s willing to give. That’ s all I could ever ask.”
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Alicia and Sandman- 2025 State Championship. Class-Grand Prix. Final round at 1m. 1st place- Photo credit: Oz Shots
Alicia and Sandman- 2024 State Championship. Class, Power and Speed 90cm. Coming round the corner over the last jump. 1st place – Photo credit: Oz Shots
Alicia and Sandman- 2025 State Championship. Class-Grand Prix. Final round at 1m. This is the risky turn that proved too hard for others to achieve. Photo credit: Oz Shots
2025 AQHA SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER ISSUE