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Mother and daughter compete in The International

Posted at 8:41 AM, Apr 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-13 12:54:45-04

Bennington native Brooke Cudmore is feeling good about her competition in the International Omaha this weekend.

For the 24-year-old, it's about making sure her horse Southern Rose is good to go from head to hoof as she checks her out inside the stables at the CenturyLink Center.

"My horses got off the trailer and they were like, 'Ooo, that's nice - a 30-minute drive. We didn't have to sit in the trailer for 24 hours,'" she said Thursday.

Stakes are high this year at The International Omaha since the organization spearheading it, Omaha Equestrian Foundation, changed the line-up. The foundation said last  year's FEI World Cup Finals in jumping and dressage did so well, they wanted to keep the momentum going by adding new events like the "InIt2WinIt" Speed Jumping Series.

Cudmore won in Kansas City, one of four qualifyinig events in the country. 

With some of the best horses and riders hailing coast to coast, it's a fellow rider Cudmore has her eye on.

Karen Cudmore. Her mother.

"Competing against my daughter Brooke has been fantastic," Karen Cudmore said.

Their roles are somewhat reversed as it used to be the mother, whose been riding for 50 years, would train Brooke and nowadays it's Brooke also leading the charge.

"She'll remind me, 'Hey, hey, hey - you can't do that anymore. That horse doesn't like that anymore. You know that,'" Karen Cudmore said. "And, I'm like, 'Oh, yeah.'"

While horse riding and competitiveness runs in their veins, one thing is clear: their bond.

"It doesn't matter to me who wins," Karen Cudmore said.

For us, Brooke Cudmore said, we just want to be safe and have fun.