Nina Akerley
Brighton, MA
Nina Akerley's Blog Posts
25 Days to Go…It’s like Christmas!!! Sep 1, 2010
WOW. I can’t believe it’s already September first. You know what that means – only 25 more days until the Games in Lexington… It’s like Christmas for horse people everywhere, Hallelujah!!!
Things are really starting to heat up in the horse world. And not just in the horse circuit either, it seems like the fashion world…
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Lunch with Dressage Today, Episode II Aug 28, 2010
It’s been a crazy week and a half, so I apologize for not getting back to you all sooner. I know you’ve been waiting for more details about my lunch with Dressage Today.
The thing about having lunch with Dressage Today, even if you’ve known some of the people on staff for years, is it’s intimidating.…
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My Lunch with Dressage Today Aug 19, 2010
Since the semi-finalist phase of Live from Lexington ended, some pretty amazing things have been happening. I don’t know if it’s a result of the contest or just because I was in the faces of everyone I’ve ever known begging them to vote for me… Nevertheless, an ambition of mine recently came to fruition: to…
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Endurance 101 Aug 17, 2010
As part of my plan to learn as much as I possibly can about all the events I’ll be attending at the Games in Lexington, I stumbled upon this helpful article from the FEI. Check it out!
What would you add to this article about the important aspects of Endurance? My next step is to research…
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It’s Your Turn! Aug 9, 2010
Wow, welcome back to Live from Lexington! Today marks the beginning of what we like to call “Phase III” of the Live from Lexington contest. And here you thought we were all done and off we go on our merry little way to Lexington, Kentucky…Surprise!!! Oh no, we are not done yet! Now it’s your…
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Nina Akerley's Original Contest Entry
Wise words of advice, which I have never forgotten: Never underestimate the power of passion. Money, resources and knowledge can take you to a great deal of places, but passion never fades, never falters and has eternally renewable energy. That can take you anywhere. I hope that my passion takes me to Lexington.
My family jokes my first word was pony, I wouldn’t be surprised. For as long as I have conscious memory, my love for horses has been a constant fixation of my heart and mind. Never able to afford a horse of my own, I’ve been feeding a voracious appetite for everything equine through reading and writing. I’ve never given up, because I know that my passion for horses will afford me the opportunity to someday achieve a saturation of horses that I hunger for.
This contest is that opportunity, and I would love to be a part of this amazing adventure.
A sort of jack-of-all-trades, I have an appreciation for all equestrian sports and an expansive knowledge base that allows me to enjoy and comment on a range of different disciplines. Indeed, I would enjoy being a spectator at any of the World Equestrian Games events, but my favorite is dressage.
In first grade, I started riding with the foundation of dressage on a dapple gray welsh pony named Silver Dollar. I quickly outgrew the pony and dabbled in many other equestrian activities only to revisit the sport in college while attending Mount Holyoke. It was here that I was able to truly discover the strength, beauty and harmony of dressage and became a proselyte to its doctrine.
Dressage performed at the highest levels in its purest form takes my breath away, stops my heart and brings tears to my eyes. It is my hope that I will be able to witness dressage at this level as the Purina WEG correspondent and share it with the rest of the world. Many of these competitors are my heroes, individuals I admire and hope to someday aspire to be like.
If selected, I will be eager to explore all facets of the competitions and life on the show grounds. My goal would be to present not only the glorious moments of competition, but the interesting things that go on behind the scenes with all its quirks and characters. Additionally, I hope that as a blogospondent I can interact with my audience and get feedback from them about what they like or don’t like, what questions they have, and what their interests are and then deliver. Half the fun of being at WEG will be to share it with others in a way that entertains, informs and inspires.
In closing, I assure you that my passion, combined with the training and experience I have accumulated over the years as a freelance journalist and public relations professional, will bring equine enthusiasts in the United States and around the world something they’ve never seen before thanks to Purina.
