Shirley McCune got hooked on eventing in an instant – literally.
She was a western-outfitted trail rider in her native Scottsdale, Arizona, when “this lady who did this thing called ‘eventing’ asked me to come along to a show,” she recounts. “I didn’t even know what that was.”
The minute she saw the cross-country action, she knew the western tack would be swapped for english gear and that she and her Appendix Quarter Horse would be taking on a new sport.
They learned together, mostly competing in unrecognized jumper shows and horse trials. Fully committed to eventing, Shirley bought a Thoroughbred and began a bold ascent up the levels. “I was a lot braver then,” she laughs.
A Volunteer From Day One
Volunteering has been part of Shirley’s eventing experience from the get-go. “The Arizona eventing community was very close because it’s small. It’s not so spread out like it is in California. There were no incentives or certifications to volunteer back then, we just felt it was part of our responsibility as an eventer.”
Her move to Temecula has been a plus for Galway Downs’ volunteer corps. “It’s nice that Robert (Kellerhouse) gives the volunteer certificates and incentives, but I would do it even without them.”
Scribing for show jumping and cross-country jump judging are Shirley’s favorite volunteer roles. The positions also suit her limited hearing. She wears cochlear implants in both ears. When the environment is relatively quiet, Shirley can hear and understand about 95% of what’s said, but noisy settings cut that down significantly. Some of her hearing comes from the implants enabling the brain to train itself to certain voices and sounds, so familiarity is a factor, too.
“It’s a miracle, really,” Shirley shares of the implants she began wearing in 2020 in one ear, then last year in the other. As a longtime emergency room nurse, Shirley knows what she’s talking about when it comes to medical miracles.
Helmet Police
Working in the ER is not for the faint of heart and it’s fast-paced and adrenaline-fueled. “It’s a lot like eventing!” she notes. “It’s kind of crazy and it’s always busy.”
Her profession and hobby sometimes overlap when she works as a medic during Galway Downs’ eventing and dressage competitions. Sometimes it’s planned – like the annual fundraiser clinic in January and schooling shows at Galway – and sometimes it’s a short-notice call to fill in for a no-show medic during a recognized competition.
Although eventing has its share of incidents that send participants to the emergency room, Shirley says she can usually separate her work from her sport. Whether she’s riding herself or watching others, she’s not paranoid about the risks involved.
But one scenario raises her hackles – “I am something of a helmet police,” she acknowledges. When she sees a rider whose helmet has hit the ground or a fence, she insists they throw it away immediately. “Everybody thinks this is just the manufacturers wanting to get more money, but any time you hit your head, it alters the integrity of the helmet.”
Home Away from Home
Shirley moved to Temecula when her eventing ambitions outgrew the training and advancement opportunities in Scottsdale. She had attended shows and clinics at Galway Downs and found a traveling nurse job to try living and riding in the area. She originally trained with Tamie Smith, whose business is located across the street from Galway Downs. Seeking a program more suited to an amateur’s goals, Shirley moved to Erin Kellerhouse’s Galway-based Swift Ridge Eventing. There she found her tribe.
Starter and Beginner Novice divisions didn’t exist when Shirley began eventing. She and her first Thoroughbred jumped in at Novice. They ran one event at that level, then moved up to Training, where they competed for a year or so before going onto Preliminary.
Along with acknowledging that she was “a lot braver” in those days, Shirley says these divisions weren’t as difficult as they are today. The dimensions were the same, but the technical questions were not like today’s. “There were no skinnies or bending lines or hard stuff like that!”
A Welcoming Insider
Since then, she’s competed on various horses throughout Area VI, including going Preliminary with Java Jazz. For the first time, Shirley is having Erin campaign her horse instead of doing it herself.
The horse is Hashtag, an Irish Sporthorse imported from Ireland as a 5-year-old last year. Over the years, Erin had occasionally competed one of Shirley’s horses, but this time Erin has the reins full-time – for the time being anyway. “I kind of want to see what Erin can do with him, and he’s just getting better and better,” she explains. He’s a sensitive horse and one who jumps better the bigger the fences get.
Shirley rides the talented youngster regularly herself and is enjoying the owner role at shows. “I think I get even more nervous watching than riding.”
Galway Downs and its community have become a second home of sorts for Shirley. The Swift Ridge Eventers are a famously friendly and supportive group. During events, they’re often jammed into a golf cart racing along the cross-country route to cheer their trainer or barn mates at each fence. And beyond the barn get-togethers are regular occurrences.
As a volunteer, rider and competitor based at Galway Downs, Shirley enjoys being an insider at the ever-improving and busy facility. Her horses take in stride the continual activity that is part of everyday life there. “For our horses, it’s like they’re at Disneyland a lot of the time. They get exposure to a lot of different things.”
She enjoys seeing Galway Downs’ owner Ken Smith on his frequent visits and appreciates the footing, stabling, landscaping and many other improvements made in recent years. The new covered arena is especially exciting.
Shirley encourages those new to the Galway Downs scene to volunteer. “You’ll learn new things and make friends.” She recommends visiting the USEA’s Eventing Volunteers website for helpful descriptions of volunteer roles and assures that “everyone is very welcoming.”
